Kraftwerk are returning to tour Australia this December

by Al Newstead

Kraftwerk. Photo supplied courtesy Frontier Touring

Spend an evening with the legendary Kraftwerk and their eye-boggling A/V spectacle.

The German electronic music pioneers have announced an Australian tour, the group's first in a decade, bringing together their influential catalogue with computer animation and performance art in a spectacle of true "Gesamtkunstwerk – a total work of art."

Kraftwerk will play large venues in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, as well as appearing at Victoria’s beloved Meredith Music Festival this December.

If the group's recent European shows are anything to go by, these are certain to be memorable performances to treasure in years to come. And given they've not been here since 2013, your next chance may come later rather than sooner.

Started in 1970 by co-founders Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter, Kraftwerk's future-facing, synth-drive sound was hugely influential, becoming the foundation of so much contemporary music – from pop to hip hop, techno to house and beyond.

An early lineup of Kraftwerk: Wolfgang Flür, Karl Bartos, Florian Schneider, Ralf Hütter.
Photo courtesy BBC Radio 4

Across revered concept albums – such as Autobahn, Trans-Europe Express, Computer World and The Man Machine – they blurred the line between human and machine while operating at the cutting edge of musical technology.

Following Schneider’s death in 2020 at age 73, Hütter continues to tour and keep Kraftwerk's live legacy alive with a line-up comprising of Henning Schmitz, Falk Grieffenhagen, and Georg Bongartz.

Expect to experience all of the band's biggest and most important music when they head Down Under, a body of work that's been the source of huge hits for everyone from Jay-Z to Coldplay and Afrika Bambaataa.

Kraftwerk will perform on the following dates.

Mon 4 December – Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre: Jagera Turrbal Country, Brisbane

Wed 6 December – Aware Super Theatre: Gadigal Land, Sydney

Fri 8 December – Margaret Court Arena: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country, Melbourne

Tues 12 December – Adelaide Entertainment Centre: Kaurna Country, Adelaide

Fri 15 December – Riverside Theatre, PCEC: Whadjuk Noongar Land, Perth

Also performing at:

Meredith Music Festival - 8-10 December: Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre,  Meredith VIC. Full line-up coming later.

First published at ABC Double J, July 12, 2023