Tune in on Friday, April 24th at 11am for a special conversation with Massari and Stephen Mallinder, a founding member of the visionary first-wave industrial band Cabaret Voltaire. This event coincides with the release of their live album, But What Time Is It Really?, via Memetune and precedes their concert at The Warfield on Friday, May 15th, 2026.
Now led by Stephen Mallinder, Cabaret Voltaire has returned for their 50th anniversary with a Final World Tour, opting to reimagine their foundational catalog rather than pursue a conventional comeback. This approach targets a new audience and diehard fans who had not anticipated the group’s return.
Cabaret Voltaire started in 1975 with Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk (who passed away in September 2021), and Chris Watson. The group was based in Sheffield and focused on making ‘art’ rather than commercial music, drawing on Dada (1916–1924) and the Warhol/Factory scene.
Their early work helped shape the second wave of Industrial music, inspiring bands like Ministry, Skinny Puppy, and Nine Inch Nails. They have also quietly influenced many key movements and artists in electronic music. Their Sheffield studio, Western Works, gave the remaining members of Joy Division a place to develop their first songs as New Order. The band was also the first to support well-known producers like Flood, Marshall Jefferson, and Robert Gordon, who co-founded Warp Records. The Cabs made a career by inspiration, goodwill, or accident, predicting where the beat’s journey was going.
