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Kraftwerk kick off Tate Modern retrospective Kraftwerk kick off Tate Modern retrospective
(about 3 hours later)
German electro pioneers, Kraftwerk have played the first of their eagerly-anticipated series of eight shows at the Tate Modern. By Sabrina Sweeney Entertainment reporter, BBC News
German electro pioneers Kraftwerk have played the first of their eight-night retrospective at London's Tate Modern.
The quartet played their 1974 number one album, Autobahn, to 1,250 fans in the gallery's Turbine Hall.The quartet played their 1974 number one album, Autobahn, to 1,250 fans in the gallery's Turbine Hall.
The retrospective, dubbed The Catalogue, is described as a "chronological exploration" of the reclusive group's "sonic experiments". Fans described the two-hour show, Kraftwerk's first in London since 2004, as "mesmerising" and "phenomenal", and one which "lived up to the hype".
The 16-track set also included the single The Robots from their 1978 album, The Man Machine.
The mostly middle-aged, male fans cheered and clapped as they began the show with that six-minute track.
Friends Jamie and James said it had been worth the effort and the £60 ticket price.
"They hardly every tour, so you've got to take the opportunity," said Jamie.
James said: "You can see the meticulous nature of every aspect from the ticketing to the merchandise.
"The 3D graphics were very impressive, while the surround sound helped to pull the entire show together," he said.
Founded in 1970 by Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider, Kraftwerk were notoriously secretive, operating out of a Dusseldorf studio which was said to have had no telephone, fax or reception.
Their pioneering music reflected upon the relationship between humans and technology and they are credited as influences on everything from hip-hop to chill-out, via drum and bass and house.
By 1975 they had settled into their "classic" line-up, with Hutter and Schneider joined by Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flur, however Bartos and Flur left in 1982 and, following Schneider's departure in 2008, Hutter is now the group's last remaining founding member.
They are best known for their 1981 number one hit The Model and the 22-minute track Autobahn which, in edited form, reached number 11 in 1975.
Among the bands inspired by the German group were Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who were influenced by their experiments with tapes and synthesizers, which later became predominant elements of pop music.
OMD member Andy McCluskey, who attended Wednesday's opening night, 28 years after he first saw them play live at the Liverpool Empire, said it was "the best multimedia arts project on the planet".
"I saw them three-and-a-half years ago at the Manchester Velodrome and now that the whole show is in 3D and with surround sound, it's incredible. It's amazing that 40 years into their career, they're still relevant," he said.
During the two-hour set on Wednesday, Kraftwerk played a new version of Radioactivity from the 1975 album of the same name, updated to include a reference to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011.
Sisters Jane and Louise Wilson described the track as "epic".
"When radioactivity came on it did feel extraordinary emotional. It was just brilliant to hear a piece that's been reworked from the 1970s - at a point when there was such an optimism - and then to see the reality of it now, in hindsight, was incredibly moving," said Jane.
With just 10,000 tickets available for the series of eagerly anticipated shows, the Tate website crashed as fans rushed to buy tickets last December.
One couple from Sheffield said they felt "lucky" to be in the audience, describing the Tate as the "perfect" venue "because of the history and simplicity of it".
"I'd like to see them anyway, but because it was here was a massive reason for coming to see them," said Steve.
Kraftwerk's retrospective at the Tate, dubbed The Catalogue, is described as a "chronological exploration" of the reclusive group's "sonic experiments".
It was first performed at New York's Museum of Modern Art last year.It was first performed at New York's Museum of Modern Art last year.
With just 10,000 spaces available, the Tate website crashed as fans rushed to buy tickets last December. The group will play a series of albums from their back catalogue over the next seven nights, including Radio-Activity (1975), Trans Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991) and Tour de France (2003), along with additional compositions from their back catalogue.
The gallery apologised "unreservedly" to fans, saying its system had been "overwhelmed" by demand for the eight-night residency, which marks the band's first London shows since 2004.
Kraftwerk came on stage at 21:00 GMT on Wednesday and played for two hours, including 15 minutes of the track Autobahn.
Fans described the performance of music and 3D visuals as "mesmerising", "stunning" and "living up to the hype".
"It was incredible and really emotional," said Jane Wilson, who attended with her sister Louise
"To hear a piece that's been reworked from the 1970s was just brilliant. It was epic."
Over the next seven nights the four-piece will play a series of albums from their back catalogue, including Radio-Activity (1975), Trans Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991) and Tour de France (2003), along with additional compositions from their back catalogue.
Founded in 1970 by Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider, Kraftwerk are best known for their 1981 number one hit The Model and the 22-minute track Autobahn which, in edited form, reached number 11 in 1975.
Their pioneering music reflected upon the relationship between humans and technology, and their experiments with tapes and synthesizers later became predominant elements of pop music.
They are credited as influences on everything from hip-hop to chill-out via drum and bass and house.
Among the musicians inspired by the German band was Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who attended Wednesday's opening night, 28 years after he first saw them play live at the Liverpool Empire.
"It was the first day of the rest of my life," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday morning.
"Music had settled into a comfortable legacy of Anglo-American blues, and these four guys came over and broke the mould. They looked different, sounded different. It certainly was my eureka moment."
By the time McCluskey saw the band in 1975, they had settled into their "classic" line-up, with Hutter and Schneider joined by Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flur.
Notoriously secretive, they operated out of a Dusseldorf studio which was said to have had no telephone, fax or reception.
Bartos and Flur left in 1982 and, following Schneider's departure in 2008, Hutter is now the group's last remaining founding member.