Photos and review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

Cabaret Voltaire played The Bellwether in Los Angeles on May 12, 2026, a stop that brought out serious longtime fans, some area musicians, and a newer generation who understood the importance and specialness of the night, for a show that’s been thirty years in the making.

The lineup this tour is led by Stephen Mallinder, minus original bandmates Chris Watson, who according to reports isn’t able to travel, and Richard H. Kirk, who died in 2021. Mallinder was joined onstage by Tara Busch, who was also the night’s opening act with her solo band I Speak Machine, plus Benge on keyboards and electric drums, and Eric Random on keyboards and guitar. Together, over the course of 17 songs, they gave fans a night filled with favorite tracks, a little nostalgia, plus new music, which, taken all together, made for a rich and fully developed journey into a masterful set.

The history of the band is storied and extensive: the three boys met in the ’70s and, over the course of decades, made many albums that other bands couldn’t help but be influenced by: Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan. And the sheer amount of music that Mallinder has made, and the projects he’s been involved with, and the 30+ bands Richard Kirk fronted, and Chris Watson’s work in film and television, and his honorary Doctor of Technology degree, and thinking about all the stages they’ve graced and the collaborations they’ve been involved with— it’s a tremendous amount of amazing work. And when you see Mallinder onstage, and he’s of a certain age now, having lived four lifetimes’ worth of musical magic, he still moves like he’s twenty, doing that little loose head bob that always identifies the Manchester-Leeds-Sheffield boys. He looks at home with his synths and his bandmates, and the crowd couldn’t get enough.

The Bellwether was packed for this show, and it was a great place to see CV play. There was no photo pit (unfortunately for those of us with cameras), which meant the truest fans could mash themselves up against the stage and look up Mallinder’s nose while singing their favorites back to him. Gary Numan and David J were spotted in the crowd, with undoubtedly more A-listers hiding in the shadows to hear these anthems.

The set included favorites “24/24,” “Spies in the Wires,” and “Crackdown,” while “Easy Life” was a crowdpleaser. The main set ended with “Do Right,” and then the encore closed the show for good with “Nag Nag Nag” and “Sensoria.”

Their newest album, a live recording called But What Time Is It Really?, came out on April 24th via Bandcamp and at the band’s store, with colored vinyl to be released May 22nd, and is dedicated to Kirk. Mallinder and Watson have said that no new material will be released under the Cabaret Voltaire name without him.

The Bellwether show was the second to last for this leg of the tour, with the band performing scattered European dates this summer, then returning to North America in September. Check out Cabaret Voltaire at @cabaretvoltaireband for tickets to those shows, and keep your eyes peeled for all the latest information.

Now I’ll leave you with a link to another review of the Bellwether show, something I’ve never done before, but it’s such a good and thorough recap of the night that I know many fans will appreciate it if they haven’t already seen it. So check out the review over at Post-Punk.com, and go see Cabaret Voltaire whenever you can.