Cabaret Voltaire - Doublevision Presents Cabaret Voltaire

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 14 / 11 / 2004

intro

First released in 1982, 'Doublevision Presents Cabaret Voltaire' was one of indiedom's first long form videos. Transferred to DVD, Anthony Strutt explains why the Sheffield art rockers' film proves to be "not for the light hearted and very hard work"

Doublevision was a company set up by the Sheffield-based band Cabaret Voltaire to release music-based video tapes in 1982 for the then small fee of £15. The average price then for commercial hard wearing video tapes was between £40 and £70. This DVD is a transfer , rather than a remaster of one of indiedom's first long form videos. It is not for the light hearted and very hard work. Many of the songs and videos on this DVD are very industrial in their tones, which will appeal to Goths and New Romantics. but it is otherwise unlikely to attract much of a new audience or, for that matter, anyone much under the age of 40. Most of the video footage are shot in a William Burroughs cut- up style, and they include images of Nazis, and footage of oral and anal sex and monks inflcting self abuse on themselves. The music that goes along with this sounds like primitive Human League and New Order. At its best some of it sounds like very dark punk post rock, but on the whole it is very much of its time and the only track that stands out is 1979's 'Nag, Nag, Nag'. At its worst it is the worst bad trip since David Lynch's 'Eraserhead'.