Kraftwerk, Symphony Hall, Birmingham - review

If you had stumbled upon the arena by accident and walked through the doors in the middle of, say, The Robots, you would be forgiven for thinking a cult were about to descend on you and tear you limb from limb.

Perhaps the greatest accolade we can pay the Germans is that upon returning home, my better half asked me how the show had gone. I didn’t know where to begin…

Perhaps let’s start with those 3D glasses. Like something given away in a cereal box of yesteryear they were awful. They barely stayed in one position for 30 seconds meaning any excited movement left you in blurry-eyed disorientation.

But it was the only downside to a magical evening of melodies and beats that by the closing refrains of Boing Boom Tschak and Musique Non Stop had people out of their seats and raving.

Their otherworldly aura transmits perfectly to a live setting. And add in floating Matrix-like numbers and dancing robots and the kooky world of Kraftwerk becomes a neon paradise.

Numbers and Computer Love were among the opening salvos as the audience settled in to be wowed by the graphics. It was like an 8-bit disco, proving that less is more when it comes to music, performance and visuals.

It all suddenly came to life for The Man-Machine. The 3D screens flew out into the audience as the ominous soundtrack permeated our brains. Perhaps the Kraftwerk track with the most shocking underbelly the ‘red means danger’ beams partnered with clever calligraphy to provide a daunting spectacle.

The pace was kept up throughout. The Tour De France segment was magnificent, the archive action shots bringing the music further to life through adrenaline shocks to multiple senses at once. This is what sports montages were created for.

Radioactivity, too, was excellent when combined with the visual offering. It has one of their best melodies and not one head kept still as it played through.

There were also great receptions for The Model and Trans-Europe Express as cries of ‘turn it up Ralph’ met every quiet moment of as the packed arena begged for more.

Two hours flew by with this combination of audio and visual wizardry. These guys were so ahead of their time it is scary. And they remain relevant today based on the average age of the revellers whooping at every floating spaceship and giant twisting eyeball.