The ELEKTROFEST is an annual electronic music festival held in London. This year it was held at the Mean Fiddler which used to be called the Astoria 2. The festival caters for the more gothic side of electronic music. It was certainly a different venue for Kinetik. Kinetik were due to go on first at 2:30pm. My dad and I came down to London for the day to see the band, and we brought along with us David Gurr who was to film Kinetik's performance. When we got there at about 12:30pm, the band were setting up in very dim light - luckily they had torches with them!

The stage manager asked who we were. David Gurr explained that he was part of the Kinetik's road crew, so we were allowed to stay and given passes. It was the first time I had ever been backstage at a concert, so it was very exciting for me.

The band were set up at around 1:45pm and sound checked soon after. The equipment looked very impressive on stage with the dramatic lighting doing much to enhance the on-stage effect. The image computer and video machine was operated as usual off-stage by David England who has been a friend of the band for a long time.

The band got underway at around 2:30pm with Andrew introducing the band to the audience. Kinetik leapt straight into DIGITAL WORLD from the eagerly anticipated MODEM TIMES. It was a brilliant and infectious piece of music. For many, it was probably the first time they had heard Kinetik's music and it got them all dancing.

The next track was GO ELEMENTS, GO from CD-2 of RE-GENERATIONS. Another storming track. Shirleyann did a wind synth solo at the end of the song and carried it off in her usual professional way.

Next was the fantastic I.S.D.N., always a live favourite. When playing live, the band always puts an extra element into the music. They pull out all the stops and make each performance something special. I consider them to be one of the most exciting bands live. Also, the band members wore those light glasses made famous by ORBITAL, which added to the effect.

Next up was MARCONI from the newly released CD-single which was complete with authentic monochrome video footage. This is a vibrantly lyrical song - one of my favourites.

The penultimate track was TRANZ MISSION which I think is also off the new album. This was another brilliant track which has it all - infectious melody, harmony, rhythm and sequences complete with vocoded vocals from Andrew. The band were clearly enjoying themselves.

The final track performed by Kinetik performed was IN-NOVATION, again from CD-2 of RE-GENERATIONS. The live version is even more powerful than the CD version, with Colin doing some live tweaking of the sound. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic performance by the band.

It was a shame the set lasted only 40 minutes (or as Colin later said to me, 41 minutes !). I could easily have listened for another hour or two. The trouble of being first on is that most of the audience don't arrive until much later, but the audience that were there really appreciated the band. Kinetik had certainly found some new fans.

After their performance, the band packed up their equipment and went upstairs to sell their CDs. They shared a table with another of the bands. They seemed to have an excellent day on sales of CDs and certainly encountered some new and interesting people. It really was a very lively and exciting day all round.

I have been a big fan of Kinetik since the first time I saw them at the EMMA 4 Festival way back in 1997. This is the fourth time I have seen them live. They just get better and better with each performance. They are one of the most intelligent and original bands around, and their use of computer and video graphics complements the music perfectly. Although theirs is a synthetic sound, it also exudes human warmth and vitality - a unique quality.

Altogether it was a brilliant day. It was an experience to be both an audience member and a member of the crew. I had great chats with the band and with David England and David Gurr. It was a pleasure and privilege to be in the company of such friendly, intelligent, professional and like-minded people. I look forward to the next time I meet them.