Kraftwerk, Manchester Apollo. 22nd May 2026

I swear gigs are getting earlier, this one kicks off at 8 o’clock, then again this is not a standard gig, it’s Kraftwerk. The last time I saw them was in the spacious and luxuriously sounding Bridgewater Hall. Tonight in the Apollo, although we are all seated, we’re packed in. The sound though, well although this venue isn’t the best, it’s pretty stunning, although honestly those crisp clean synths up there would likely sound incredible anywhere. The idea seems to be to pack as much into the set as bodies in the room, as ‘Numbers’ explodes with a surge of bass into ‘Computer World’. It’s as much a visual spectacle as anything, immersing us into a binary world of block colour. The format is familiar, don’t fix what’s not broken. Four blokes dressed like they’ve stepped off the set of Tron, stand behind matching desks that could hold banks of kit, or just a button that says play. Who knows, it doesn’t matter. The early kick off has caught a few out and people are still filing in as the controlled glitchscape of ‘Home Computer’ pings around the room. It’s proper old skool synth mayhem. ‘Spacelab’ although old, well it all is, sounds fresher, lighter perhaps. It’s certainly more cinematic in the room with the screen behind them picking out Manchester from orbit. The crowd love it, but not as much as ‘The Man Machine’. It is fucking marvellous, the album visuals animated as the bass rips through the floor and makes the seats vibrate and the robot voices pitch upward. The bloke to my left loves ‘Airwaves’, bouncing in his seat. Which is of course connected to mine, he’s in time though. To be fair, in any other context, we’d be dancing to stuff like this, but it’s tough with seating like this. ‘Electric Cafe’ hits the cool switch again. The bass and BPM is ever present, but it’s amazing how they switch tempo regardless, the rhythm and meflody taking control. The sound and visuals are incredibly sharp. That is not a standard projector running up there, the graphics although often simple, with Merc’s and VW’s traveling down retro roads on ‘Autobahn’ are so clean, if the Apollo stage were bigger, we could be in an IMAX screen. The sound too, doesn’t sound like it does normally in here, they’ve clearly brought something special with them. On ‘Autobahn’ they sound their most organic, possibly even improvisational as they find space between the processed vocals. It brings out a lot of phones, as does the lonely ‘Computer Love’ and its dark counterpart ‘The Model’. This song always stands out for me and although it’s great, not it a good way. It’s got a more human tone to it. In its sound, vocals, timing. It’s lovely live though. The bloke to my right (it’s mostly blokes) has taken to recording half the gig, but takes a break for ‘Neon Lights’. It’s not my favourite either. ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’ gets a proper introduction with some rare words between songs, as tribute is made to Sakomoto. It’s the quietest the room has been all night, and acts as a nice intermission. Before the massive ‘Radioactivity’ almost literally explodes. It sounds cool, even if its hyperbolic message is a little outdated. They’re on safer ground with ‘Tour de France’, that winds through a myriad of its remixes and reimaginations. They seem fond of a mix as ‘Trans Europe Express’ menaces its way into ‘Metal on Metal’. Seriously what the fuck is this PA, it’s an absolutely monstrous sound. It almost becomes too much as the layers of ‘La Forme’ fight for frequency space. It’s still sublime though. ‘Boing Boom Tachak’, ‘Techno Pop’ and ‘Musique Non Stop’ all melt together, in a fantastic digital soup, the latter of which might be the set highlight, with some more solo improv. It’s a wild ride, but it’s all got too much the the bloke on the left who appears to be flagging. We are hitting the two hour mark as they close with an encore of ‘The Robots’, but what a two hours. Yes this one’s a bit twee, but hear it live and I swear, even if you’re not a Kraftwerk fan, this will convert you. It’s a blistering set. Uniquely individual. Classic yet futuristic. Mesmerising.