Presumed finished after the death of founding member Richard H. Kirk, Cabaret Voltaire have instead returned to the stage with a vengeance, selling out shows, resurrecting old collaborations, and proving that their dark industrial pulse still hits hard in 2026. We caught up with Stephen Mallinder to talk about the reunion, the tour, Richard Kirk, and bringing the Cabs’ music back to life.
Cabaret Voltaire rise from ashes
For a group missing a founding member and presumed kaput for good after his death, Cabaret Voltaire have been busy. But 2026 has been a year of surprises and unexpected reunions. Among them, Cabaret Voltaire shines, with sold-out shows across Europe and the United States. Stephen Mallinder, one of the founding members, hit the stage with Chris Watson, who left the group in the 1980s, for an incredible tour of Europe. Now, Cabaret Voltaire returns to the States as they herald the re-release of CODE, their 1987 industrial dance masterpiece.
“It’s been amazing to see the world again on tour,” said Mal as he prepared for their first show in the States on this last leg of their US tour. “The crowds are a great mix of people, with fans going way back as well as new fans. It’s been great to see younger folks at the shows really getting into it. Nice to see Cabaret Voltaire continues to bring people out.”
Folks who want to hear how the band sounds after all this time can check out But What Time Is It Really?, a live recording from Cabaret Voltaire’s shows in the UK, including Sheffield, where it all began. Mal and company bring the classics to the stage with a new life and vitality. The songs sound very much like live versions fans will know, but with an updated edge that doesn’t rehash the material so much as enliven it, reminding us why their music became popular worldwide and remains so to this day. The themes and lyrics remain harshly relevant and resonant at a time when fascism isn’t being left behind closed doors anymore.
“It was a concern when we were coming over to tour the West Coast,” said Mal when asked about visiting the States during a time of authoritarian crackdown. “We didn’t know what to expect. But it’s been okay and nothing out of sorts, really. No hassle playing—nothing like the old days when Mussolini Headkick came out and we had Nazi skinheads showing up to gigs! Those were rough, but we wanted to provoke people, to bring out a reaction, which we certainly did. But we’re not playing out-of-the-way places where people may not know our music. We’ve always played cities like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco, where we have a lot of longtime fans. But in San Francisco, for instance, there was a larger number of trans and gay kids at the show, which was great to see. People coming out to enjoy themselves and express themselves is always good for music and for us. Someone in Poland actually came to a gig dressed as the Microphonies cover, which was a first!”
Louder than ever ::
On this leg of the tour, Mal is joined by Benge, a frequent collaborator with Mal among many others; longtime Cabs live member Eric Random; and Tara Busch, who takes over for Chris Watson, who will remain in the UK.
“It’s been great playing with Chris again, as well as the rest of the band,” said Mal. “Chris and I are old friends, and we’ve played and toured together a lot. Nowadays it’s more or less the same, except his jokes are more shit than ever (laughs). But seriously, working with Chris and his massive collection of recordings has been incredible. It was interesting for him to learn songs that came after his time, not just ‘Landslide’ and ‘Nag Nag Nag.’ Since there were no stems to work from, Benge and I had to find all the samples with help from Chris.”
“Since Chris is sitting out the US tour, Tara Busch has come onboard. Tara is a veteran, so having her come on was a no-brainer, as she’s toured with her band I Speak Machine and has worked with John Foxx and Benge as well,” said Mal. “She works the samples that Chris would, as well as handling other duties. I’ve played with Benge a lot, and Eric has been on The Crackdown and Microphonies as well as on tour with us. It’s a band of old friends.”
With such longevity as the Cabs have had, it would be impossible to overlook the absence of Richard H. Kirk, who for several years after Mal’s departure kept use of the band name. As a founding member and one half of the band during their duo era, his absence from the tour is a sad one for fans and the band alike.
“No, I don’t think so, sadly,” said Mal when asked if this tour would have been possible when Kirk was alive. “Richard wouldn’t have been interested in doing it with me. Though he did a few shows under the name, it was mostly his own work, from the later albums like Plasticity and International Language. He had an idea that Cabaret Voltaire could be an evolving, changing thing, but then he passed. And one of the things Chris and I wanted to do was not overlook him, but celebrate his part in the music of Cabaret Voltaire. It’s why we start the show with a dedication to him.”
Cabaret Voltaire still make noise ::
Having rehearsed and then toured the songs for almost a year, are there any plans to release material as the new Cabaret Voltaire? Mal isn’t circumspect.
“It’s not like a novelty act or some rehashing of the old hits. In reworking the songs for the tour, we’ve made them so we can play them and have them recognizable, but they’re also new in a way, too. We’ve been recording the shows and lots of video from them as well. We will definitely be releasing some live stuff from it and other things.”
The US dates coincide with Mute’s release of CODE, Cabaret Voltaire’s 1987 masterpiece and what some people consider the greatest work of their major-label dance days.
“Mute did a fantastic job,” said Mal. “There’s so much material from then that we had to go through, with all the various mixes and remixes and demos from back then. CODE was probably our most overtly political record, which is interesting, touring and playing it in these very different but scary political times.”
2026 Final tour dates ::
September 11 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater^
September 12 – Austin, TX – Levitation
September 15 – Chicago, IL – Metro^
September 16 – Chicago, IL – Metro^
September 18 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre^
September 19 – Montreal, QC – Sat^
September 21 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur^
September 25 – New York, NY – Knockdown Center^
September 26 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts^
October 7 – Dublin, The Academy
October 8 – Belfast, Limelight
October 10 – Birmingham, Town Hall*
October 11 – Liverpool, Arts Club*
October 13 – Nottingham, Rock City>
October 14 – Cardiff, The Globe>
October 15 – Bath, Forum*
October 17 – Newcastle, Boiler Shop*
October 18 – Glasgow, Barrowland*
October 19 – Manchester, Albert Hall*
October 21 – Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion*
October 22 – London, Roundhouse*
October 25 – Sheffield, Octagon*
^ w/ I Speak Machine
*w/ Gazelle Twin
> w/ Fader
But What Time Is It Really? and CODE (2026 Remastered Digital Deluxe Edition) are both available on Mute.
