Kraftwerk at the Enmore Theatre - review
|
|
| Well, I'm not going to get any sleep until I let this all out,
so while it IS still 23.01.03
here's what the pioneers of electronica did for a jam packed
Enmore Theatre tonight...
(Intro - I got a primo front row balcony seat,
next to Dan and a couple who DID see Kraftwerk in '82, most recent visit to Oz...!)
1. Numbers
- to warm up, this little counting rhyme in various languages
set the mood and our focus on the massive
visual offerings behind their headspace.
Those 4 guys, with identical self-built PCkeyboard constructs
(and only one with a water bottle sideholder) - very impressive in smooth black shirt-pants
2. ComputerWorld
- an easy slide from Numbers, and yes, this IS a computerworld after all. Cheers from us geeks.
3. Pocket Calculator
- one of their quirkiest tunes,
this featured a visual that 'sang' the bleeps
with numbers on an olde green calculator screen,
tagged in tribute Japanese.
4. Expo 2000
- their latest offering, and yes, already 3 years old.
They switched quickly to the DJ Rolando
(or Underground Resistance?) remix
to further bond with the 'young' ticket holders.
This worked well, they have techno down pat.
5. Man Machine
- I sang this in the shower b4 the concert,
but only just, it really does require
their patented voice synthesis to pull it off.
Proof that they where playing live tonight, this ubertune slowed down as if
being conducted like a choir. Magnificent. (hey ding, do you know how cool your name looks 8 foot high?)
6. The Robots
The only request I heard being hurled from the 'dance' floor; for some of them, turning on the spot was acheieved.
The visuals included younger members' profile-statues as robots. Nuff said for this mega hit.
7. Tour de France
Suddenly, we were watching FoxSports' black'n'white predecessors shooting
awesome classic TdF footage, with bikes
we wouldn't even bother riding these days doing the course.
This track, via Break Dance the movie,
was the real ear opener for a lot of us,
and the response affirmed that - what beautiful electro!
8. AutoBahn
Looks like the might German highway is alive and kicking,
from the boys' home footage,
sprinkled with classic Ayran painted depictions
of Kraftwerks' 12min+ classic
- they DID stick to a 4 minute edit, yay.
9. The Model
A girl on my bus home only went tonightcos she knew this track from 'rage'.
Hell of a gamble, but worth it.
Yes, more unseen footage in b&w,
and yes, he WAS singing live, like all the others,
to a headset mic that he kept cupping
(what, to remind us he was singing?)
10. Neon Light
I had forgotten about how nice this piece is,
albeit just a chance to glide photos of
iconic neon names up on screen - good stuff.
11. *-----*
I have no idea what psy-trance doof-like
flow of loops this was, but I swear it's just for the tour, if anything...
12. Radio Activity
As an update from the band, one of the nuclear production sites named in this pls-stop-it anthem
has been reborn, and is more deadly by default
than when the track was recorded.
Sad news, but so is war. Still a powerful piece of electronica,
this was well-applauded tonight.
13 TransEuropeExpress
All aboard, as the visuals' camera hopped on to
the very front of this extraordinary
train journey, and also off for some
bridge or cow or farmer shots - what lovely countryside Europe has/had.
They made full use of a well-stacked PA
to drag us through the chug-chug and wwwhhheeeeee of the train FX - thanx guys.
14. the encore - Music Non Stop
How ironic, and yet, it was non-stop by arrangement,
as each member let the number of loops run down slowly, and
left the stage one by one, and we cheered each like kings.
Boing, Boom, Tchak, Peng.
I reckon they'd done an Elvis before
the loops ran out.
Good luck to those going to BDO - u missed tonight, u missed the whole point of Kraftwerk, methinx.
Marty Batfreak
DeckAide
|
|
|
