German electronic music forefathers Kraftwerk are heading to Australia, and have been announced as the headliners of this year’s Vivid LIVE Festival in Sydney, and not only that but they’ll be performing eight of their iconic studio albums live and in full.
The concert series, entitled KRAFTWERK – THE CATALOGUE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, was first presented as a retrospective at New York’s Musem of Modern Art last year, before moving on to the group’s own hometown of Düsseldorf and most recently at the Tate Modern in London, and now it comes to Australia as part of Sydney’s annual Vivid LIVE Festival.
Playing eight concerts over four nights in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, KRAFTWERK – THE CATALOGUE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 will incorporate artwork from the band’s long-term collaborator Emil Schult into a 3D multimedia performance – complete with 3D glasses for the audience.
Each individual concert will be dedicated to one of their eight groundbreaking studio albums, performed in order of their release, commencing with Autobahn (1974) followed by 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) — alongside additional compositions from their back-catalogue.
Sole remaining founding member and Kraftwerk singer Ralf Hutter tells The Age that the 3D retrospective series is best described as a “synthesis of the arts” or “Gesamtkunstwerk” in his native tongue.
“We do all of this ourselves, programming videos and programming the graphics, the lettering, all the lights.” – Ralf Hutter, Kraftwerk“[It is] a whole combination… We do all of this ourselves, programming videos and programming the graphics, the lettering, all the lights, and we play the individual desks… where we play different instruments and computers,” says Hutter. “It is basically a living sculpture.”
Fergus Linehan, Festival Director of Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House said, “We are thrilled to have Kraftwerk in residence for Vivid LIVE following the phenomenal reaction to their performances in MoMA and TATE Modern.” The Festival Director also urged fans to plan ahead to catch the German pioneers. “Book your flights and hotels now – these eight concerts are a mind-melting feast for the eyes and the ears that are sure to sell out.”
Tickets for KRAFTWERK – THE CATALOGUE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 will be using an online application process to ensure purchase equality as well as to minimise congestion over what is expected to be very high demand for this unique concert series, and all applications will be considered and not allocated on a typical first-come, first-serve basis.
Apply for your tickets anytime between Mon 25th Feb 2013 and Friday 1st March 2013 (midnight AEDT) and can be made through the Sydney Opera House Registration Website.
The full program for Vivid Sydney and Vivid LIVE will be announced in March
Kraftwerk Australian Tour 2013 Dates
KRAFTWERK – THE CATALOGUE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Friday 24 – Monday 27 May, 2013
24 May, 7pm – AUTOBAHN (1974)
24 May, 9.30pm – RADIO-ACTIVITY (1975)
25 May, 7pm – TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS (1977)
25 May, 9.30pm – THE MAN MACHINE (1978)
26 May, 7pm – COMPUTER WORLD (1981)
26 May, 9.30pm – TECHNO POP (1986)
27 May, 7pm – THE MIX (1991)
27 May, 9.30pm – TOUR DE FRANCE (2003)
Apply for your tickets anytime between Mon 25th Feb 2013 and Friday 1st March 2013 (midnight AEDT) and can be made through the Sydney Opera House Registration Website.
Kraftwerk Registration 0.25
Premium Tickets $85
A Reserve Tickets $69
Booking fee applies per transaction
$8.50 – Internet
