Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk play Brighton Centre in Brighton and Hove on 30 May 2026. Formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, the group first emerged from the krautrock and West German experimental scenes with the albums Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk 2 and Ralf & Florian, where improvisation and instrumental textures set the tone. From Autobahn (1974) onward, their writing shifted toward a leaner electronic language: metronomic rhythms, processed voices and melodic motifs exploring technology, transport and everyday modernity.

The classic line-up with Hütter, Schneider, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos defined a run of records that shaped minimal synth-pop and their so-called robot pop: Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981) and Electric Café (1986). After The Mix (1991) and Tour de France Soundtracks (2003), Kraftwerk have continued live under Hütter’s direction since Schneider’s departure in 2008, with a stage set built around imagery, tight visual synchronisation and a re-reading of their catalogue.