CityLife

No one can stand on stage, do so little but mean so much as Kraftwerk, Clean lines minimalism , interacting with the audience ... minimal of course. Though they are down to one original member, of course not , they shuffle on their replacement 'Showroom Dummy' Robots for the second half and they get a louder crowd reception.. they move more. You don't even need to like the music klanking stoccato rythmic , consider it an art installation not a ' Gig' . the settling , very Bauhaus , very industrial , Pylons of a Sub-Station outside, Velodrome track inside, a homage to man and machinery that has dominated so much of their music . I can guess the opportunity for cycling obsessed Ralf Hutter play a velodrome ( bet he sneaked afew laps ..) was too much to turn down especially when the organisers threw in an GB Olympic Pursuit team , it was sooo obvious but it worked, noticable Kraftwerk more familiar with the names of the Cyclists than the audience . Great event , unique , like the band , If you were there you'll remember it , sweat 'n' all . if you weren't you may never get another opportunty?<br />

A unique, thrilling experience - although their act has barely changed since I first saw them in the Free Trade Hall in 1981, Kraftwerk still manage to send chills up your spine, despite the fact that for most of the gig they look like four bored bankers staring at their laptops - paradoxically the show IS a tremendous visual spectacle.<br /> <br /> Musically, I couldn't fault it - hearing the doomy opening chords of Trans Europe Express, the robotic "boing boom tschack" of Musique Non Stop or the staccato intro to The Man Machine are moments no other band could hope to simulate. Those "moments" keep on coming - the Teutonic count-in to The Model, the lovely Fifties footage behind Tour de France and The Model, the beautiful, lilting melody of Autobahn and, of course the appearance of the GB cycling team though, after several dozen circuits of the Velodrome, one sensed they had bought into the Kraftwerk "repetition" vibe!<br /> <br /> Steve Reich's support slot was fascinating and invigorating, despite the audience chatter.<br /> <br /> My only other criticism would be the organisation of the event - the staff did their best in the heat (did I see a steward being treated outside by paramedics?) but we were misdirected to the venue by signs intended (as it turned out) for pedestrians, only to find the car park full (thanks be to Asda - I will shop there for the next month). Inside the venue was like an oven, and understaffed bars attracted queues the like of whiuch I have never seen at a gig. We took our chances with the dehydration.<br /> <br /> Apart from that well done to the Velodrome and staff, and thank you Kraftwerk.<br />

Crystal clear sound, an innovative 3D light show and Olympic medal winning cyclists tearing round the velodrome to the backing of 'Tour De France' being played by the undoubted pioneers of electronic music - OK they are down to one original member, but Kraftwerk were never about the personalities of the reclusive studio masters, it was (and still is) all about the beauty and imagery conjoured up by their classic emotional seventies techno - gigs don't get any more exhilarating than the one I was privileged to see last night.<br />