Kraftwerk’s much-trumpeted residency at London’s iconic Tate Modern gallery was somewhat undermined by a series of major screw-ups when tickets went on sale last week. 

Tickets for the February shows were released at 7.30am; by 8.00am, the online system was totally jammed, with an emergency phone number being issued at the last minute. A number of shows sold out within a few hours, with many fans prevented from getting tickets as a result of the technical issues. There was further ire when it transpired that a host of punters had bought tickets in person from the venue, despite this not being listed as an official purchase option.

Tate bigwigs have now issued a full apology for the system failure, apologising “unreservedly” for the confusion. According to a statement from the arts organisation:  “Some customers came to Tate Modern and we made the late decision to sell tickets to them to avoid their disappointment. We are sorry that this was not communicated as an official route to buy tickets and subsequently led to more frustration from other customers trying to buy tickets online and by telephone.”

The residency will see the group perform each of their eight albums in their entirety, with a different LP getting the nod every night. The series, which has previously taken place in New York and Dusseldorf, also promises fancy new 3D visualisations. The albums in question are: Autobahn (1974), Radio-Aktivität (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), Die Mensch-Maschine (1978), Computerwelt (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991) and Tour de France Soundtracks (2003). [via Mixmag]