Gig Review: The Craftiness of this Power Station still Works! Kraftwerk live from the edge of this world

There’s a cost of music journalism crisis in New Zealand. Apparently you can no longer make a full time living doing it. I wonder when anyone ever did? That said, I still like to write gig reviews…

Kraftwerk

TSB Bank Arena, Wellington

Wednesday, November 29

Düsseldorf’s finest played New Zealand shows well over a decade ago, and I regretted not going, but I caught the techno/electro pioneers in Sydney - twice in one night in fact - as part of their 3D shows at the Sydney Opera House for the Vivid Festival. This was basically 10 years ago to the day. They were playing two key albums in their entirety and a smattering of their other best-known and loved pieces.

But this time it was just 2D, and it was back to presenting the magic from across the catalogue. Formed in 1970, Kraftwerk ignores its first three albums, hasn’t ever issued them officially on CD, nor reissued them on vinyl. The Kraftwerk story starts in earnest with 1974’s Autobahn. And what a run it is from there. The following year’s Radio-Activity, then through 1977’s Trans Europe Express, 1978’s The Man-Machine, 1981’s Computer World, 1986’s Electric Cafe. And then the second biggest gap in the band’s career - it was a wait until 2003 for Tour de France Soundtracks. There hasn’t been an album since. But there’s Kraftwerk: The Touring Entity. Yes, there’s only one founding member of the group, but these men were meant to morph with the machines, so it really doesn’t matter who is up there with Ralf Hütter - but in fact, most of them are musicians who have been in the band longer than any of the other key players from that golden period.

They are The Beatles of Electronic Music.