One of the most influential bands ever from my perspective. They covered so much musical ground.

R.I.P Richard H Kirk.

This song's been on loop in my head for decades...

Awesome dudes. The Crackdown was one of the hippest albums in the British underground music scene in 1983.

I can listed to CV anytime and the sounds are as complex and intricate today as they were then. It shows how far ahead they were. Absolutely under-appreciated as an influence on so many other bands.

CV never cease to amaze! Easily one of the most unique bands of the 80's, and to this date. I've always have loved whatever they've made, everything from their early years to their last years, yes even their 90's stuff too. They need to put these videos on a DVD badly!!! The visual experience is half the experience.

Brilliant track, 30 years ahead of time. The drums are classic Jaki Liebezeit motorik-style!

Before anybody tries likening them to any other UK bands. CV were formed in 1973.

Blancmange without the hooks. I love both bands by the way. The Crackdown and Covenant are both great albums.

I watched them live at Riverside in Newcastle and they were hypnotically stunning

In terms of influence, yes, Cabaret Voltaire were there first, but I was referring to the post-avantgarde era Cabs, when they turned more towards electro-funk stuff (like this one). If you listen to some Simple Minds tracks from "Empires & Dance", it is not that far from the actual fact that Simple Minds did help informing The Cabs going in a certain direction... But then again, only The Cabs can tell :)

This is definitely the best version. That guitar is perfect

One of my favourite bands - I've not seen this before. Sounds great compared to LP version. And Ann Thorpe, I'm still laughing at Blancmange without the hooks ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Fantastic song. Love Red Mecca album which i have on vinyl.

How was that guitar sound achieved? There's nothing like it.

From the 1983 "The Crackdown" LP ... great!

Not sure about that ... CV came up through the mid -seventies and were even involved with Factory Records who promoted many pioneers of the post-punk industrial sounds coming out of Sheffield and Manchester. The work of Wendy Carlos and other synth pioneers had a lot to do with CV's sound. Bands like Kraftwerk, BEF, Human League, Throbbing Gristle, Fad Gadget, etc. I think Simple Minds were wore influenced by New Romantic sounds like Ultravox and others.

This is great!!! This is the good music!!!

I liked the Cabs....their guitars were very much similar to Burchill ala Minds Sons of Fascination Album...a very under rated band

fuck i love those drums

the start of the revolution..

Genius

Awesome. I love this song! It's good to see the Cabs performing it live. Triva: the line "okay,you can take this from me and then get out of here" is from the Bruce Lee film "The Chinese Connection". I don't know if was Lee's actual voice or someone else dubbing for him, tho.

Awesome! Cheers mate.

The eighties.

I think the movie with the Neu! track must be Master of the Flying Guillotine. Awesome movie BTW

this sounds like Ferry singing on TH's 'Fear of Music' or something....crazy!!!

@PradaWilly Not alternative....Futurists!!! In England this was the genre which was begun 1979 or so...bands such as Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, Simple Minds, Ultravox, Gary Numan/Tubeway Army, D.Mode, Japan, John Foxx etc German bands such as DAF, Kraftwerk, the latter who were pioneers. The term was coined as a 'throw back' to the defunct Italian quasi Fascist art movement. Many sleeve designs by Peter Saville were emotive of that era. Even the clothes were ala 1930's/ 40's

anyone know what bass that is?

This is really funky....if you are brooding in a dark basement somewhere.

@TheMercyBeat Just to let you know-that's an early 70's Microfrets Husky Bass(short scale)he's playing here,not a Thundermaster bass.which was an earlier Microfrets longscale design.

The tracks from The Crackdown were much funkier played live.

Cabs were not proto fascists! All their songs are about liberation. This one especially!!! I guess there are endless interpretations but c'mon they are named after a birthing of Dadaism which itself was anti fascist. And they were kicking against Thatcherism. Remember: 'The nature of your oppression is the aesthetic of our anger' V true for this eras music.

He's hot!

@khorrumg yes at last someone acknowledges the Cabs Burchill connection !!

Sad to read that this lead singer passed away .he looks so young here too

Alan Fish's got cool hair.

La cancion tiene un aire a un tema de nitzer ebb

Out on another limb

I do believe (and also read somewhere) that early-era Simple Minds in many ways influenced Cabaret Voltaire's post-Red Mecca sound (early pre-Crackdown singles like "The Dream Ticket" and "Safety Zone" sound dangerously close to what would have become of the Simple Minds themselves if they ever followed similar electronic path)... Both, "Empires & Dance" and "Sons & Fascination" on one hand and the Cabs' "Crackdown" album, indeed sound informatively close. And all are masterpieces, of course...

Does anyone know the source of the sampled audio which plays at the beginning of the song?

God like

αγοοορι μουυυ !

where was this? nice bass.

what kind of bass is that?

Is this from Switch?

Great vid but awful sound quality

didn't know the futurists had fascist tendencies. 80's bands sure like to use art movement names; cabaret voltaire, bauhaus, Glad the reactionary attitudes did not affect the music. It's some of my favorite especially CV, Ultravox, and Japan :)

yes....decadence....the 1930's...40's pastiche was very much 'in vogue' back then. An 'interesting' time....strange how, with the exception of Joy Division people NEVER saw these bands as proto-fascist?? Anyway, ...whats in a label anyway! Take care

Sounds like Nitzer Ebb