ALL HAIL "THE CABS

Key movers in the growth of electronic music in the north of England in the 70s, Cabaret Voltaire influenced a host of nascent electronic bands who would take those sounds into the mainstream: neighbours The Human League, Mancunian friends New Order and US industrial behemoths like Nine Inch Nails to name but three.

- 

They also helped invent industrial music, propounding musical ideas that complemented the concomitant techno movement of the mid-80s. They remain relatively unsung heroes, however, so if anyone has the right to return and secure their legacy, it's the Cabs. Founder members Stephen 'Mal' Mallinder and Chris Watson tell Jeremy Allen why they're returning for a handful of live dates, bringing the band's story to a close, while also honouring recently passed co-founder Richard H Kirk.

The unexpected return of Cabaret Voltaire has been one of the good news stories of 2025. Fifty years on from their first ever gig, Stephen “Mal” Mallinder and Chris Watson have come back together for a series of shows, and it’s unquestionably cause for celebration even if, as Mal explains, the reunion might be a relatively brief one.

“We’re doing dates in America and Europe, but we’re being very selective, and it’s only for a short period of time,” he says on a video conferencing call from Brighton. “I never wanted this to be like: ‘Oh, we’re doing the Cabs again.’ I think it’s just an opportunity while Chris and I are still here to play live again because there is something about that visceral experience of the live shows that you can’t replicate. And,” he adds, “it’s an homage to Richard as well.”

Richard H Kirk, the third founding member, sadly passed away in 2021 having just recently revived the name for solo purposes: 2020’s Shadow Of Fear marked the first studio album as Cabaret Voltaire since 1994’s