Kraftwerk

Tilburg (NL), 1st July 2005. In 2004, the Duracell powered robots smartly disguised as 4 aged businessmen decided to go on a world tour. They were to play one date in the Netherlands and the venue in Tilburg was quickly sold out. I became aware of Kraftwerk for the first time, way back in 1974. Neighbour S. had asked me round to listen to a song on his new stereo hi-fi system. Duly sitting with oversized headphones, I listened as cars seemingly drove through my head entering one ear and leaving by the other. The track seemed to go on for ever and although Autobahn was never a favourite track of mine, I leant to appreciate its unique sound. The greatest roar in Tilburg was reserved nevertheless for Autobahn, which I felt was disappointing, given that there were many other successful tracks. The men in suits behind their synthesisers laptops were dwarfed by the huge back-drop which projected film and slides synchronized with the music. I particularly liked Vitamin with its huge rolling tablets and Radioactivity. This prevented the otherwise static show from becoming repetitive. After the break, the lights went on to show that 4 robots had now taken the place of the group members. They moved their arms to We are the robots, of course. They were then replaced by the band wearing fluorescent yellow neon suits, showing that they are not so boring after all. An impressive, aero dynamik show with wonderful music that hasn't dated at all. What an accomplishment!
Kraftwerk