​Kraftwerk perform ‘Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence’ in tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto

Kraftwerk have honoured the late Ryuichi Sakamoto with a cover performance of his famous 1983 track ‘Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence’.

The group performed a tribute over the weekend at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, Sakamoto’s home country, during their headline set on Saturday, July 27.

Before paying tribute to the late composer and musician, Kraftwerk announced: “The next composition is for my friend, Ryuichi Sakamoto. We are friends forever.”

“Since our first Kraftwerk concert in Tokyo in 1981, and for the No Nukes festival in 2012, Sakamoto wrote new Japanese lyrics for me for ‘Radioactivity’, which we played that show.”

Kraftwerk then performed an emotional instrumental rendition of the classic track, a rare cover from the pioneering German group. Check it out below.

‘Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence’ was composed for the 1983 film of the same name, starring Sakamoto himself alongside the likes of David Bowie and Tom Conti.

Sakamoto composed the score for the film, which was based around the real life experiences of Sir Laurens van der Post as a prisoner of war in Java during World War II.

Next month, Sakamoto’s final posthumous album, titled ‘Opus’, is due for release. The record features a collection of works performed by the late Japanese composer at his final concert in 2022 before his death in April 2023.

The 20-track record features compositions from Sakamoto’s final-ever performance at his legendary NHK 509 Studio in Tokyo, performed without an audience across multiple sessions, which was filmed by his son, Neo Sora.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter