Gary Numan - Plymouth Review

Whilst most of the music that I talk about on this blog falls within the broad categories of hard rock and metal, I do occasionally like to step outside of my comfort zone and enjoy music from other genres. One of the main bands that I enjoy which are not typically considered rock nor metal, although they do certainly have feet in those camps on occasion, is Nine Inch Nails. I tend to enjoy the rock end of the band's sound rather than the more ambient one, but listening to Nine Inch Nails' music a lot over the years has certainly opened up my tastes - and has introduced me to some other similar acts. An artist which I was introduced to directly by Nine Inch Nails was Gary Numan - the English synth/electronic music pioneer who started his career in 1977 with the band Tubeway Army. I was familiar with Numan in name and reputation prior to this, but I was properly introduced to him and his work at Nine Inch Nails' concert at the O2 Arena in London in 2009. Numan was invited to join the band for renditions of Metal and Cars, two Numan classics from the late 1970s, and it was clear from this performance just how much of an influence Numan had been on Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. I did not immediately gravitate towards Numan's music, but I did pick up 2013's Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind) not too long after its release a few years later - as well as a copy of 1979's The Pleasure Principle in an attempt to really get into his work. For whatever reason, though, at the time I never really connected with either album. I put them to one side where they then sat for a long time, until it was announced last year that Numan was going to bring his latest UK tour to my hometown of Plymouth - for a show at the underused Pavilions. I decided that this was the shot that I needed to properly listen to Numan's work, and picked up a copy of his latest album Intruder when it came out in May 2021. I listened to Intruder quite a lot last year, and ended up picking up some of his other more recent albums. Sadly it seems that a lot of his albums are quite hard to get hold of now, but I enjoyed finally getting to grips with some of his work. He will never be a true favourite of mine, but he is someone that I respect immensely due his innovative music and the way that he has always managed to stay relevant. So many acts who hit their commercial peak in the 1980s are now regularly part of those awful 1980s nostalgia weekends and tours that sadly seem to be popular - but Numan has consistently sought to reinvent himself and never sit still. If anything, it is his most recent work that does the most for me. Whilst he certainly had a big influence on bands like Nine Inch Nails, I think that it is fair to say that they have also been an influence on him - and his most recent albums have a heavy, industrial sound thanks to his ever-present synths and more distorted electric guitars.

Numan's current UK tour is lengthy, and I wondered what the turnout at the Pavilions would be like. I could not find any record of him playing in the city previously, but he attracted a healthy Friday night crowd to the city's white elephant of a venue. It was not sold out, but it was certainly very busy - and the atmosphere throughout the night was very good. To help warm the crowd up, the French three-piece Divine Shade took to the stage at around 7:30pm and played for around 40 minutes. Divine Shade's sound was largely built around pulsing synths and big beats, but they also had an atmospheric side thanks to some lovely guitar textures that were used throughout. The guitar was rarely used for heaviness purposes, but instead added a lot of colour to the band's sound. I enjoyed the band musically, but I did think that they were a bit on the weak side vocally. It probably did not help that the vocals were generally very low in the mix, but I did not think that frontman Remi Thonnerieux had a particularly exciting voice. Vocals are not always the most important aspect when it comes to electronic/industrial music I suppose, but the band's songs were generally quite vocally-driven - so a stronger voice would have certainly been welcome. A band like Divine Shade will never really be my thing, but I enjoyed my time with them. Some of the synth hooks and beats were very memorable, and I really liked how they mixed real drums alongside programmed beats to help create a huge sound. The drumming was pretty inventive too, especially considering the limitations caused by playing along to synths, and the aforementioned guitar-based additions were also great. The guitar was often used like another synth, but it allowed for a more organic sound at times - and there was a lot of depth in the three-piece's sound as a result. The venue had filled up nicely by the time Divine Shade's set came to an end, too, and the French band received a strong reception as they left the stage.

Numan and his band took to the stage around 30 minutes after Divine Shade's set ended, and it was clear from the off that his show was going to be a visual treat. Huge screens and a great lighting rig were set up behind the band; and they took to the stage in shadow - before launching into the title track of Numan's latest album. Despite the fact that the band have been changing up the setlist each night, the show had a real flow to it - with each song seamlessly transitioning into the next. Numan's more recent albums were largely focused on, but he did dip into the past occasionally. The infectious I Die: You Die from the 1980s was wheeled out early on, whilst the more atmospheric The Gift, also from the latest album, showcased Numan's more emotional side. The crowd enjoyed every song, but those with big grooves went down the best. Metal, with some driving bass playing from Tim Slade, certainly saw plenty of movement down at the front, whilst the harrowing cry of Is This World Not Enough again showcased the excellent songwriting and the overall message of the Intruder album. With the exception of a brief period just before the encore, Numan did not address the crowd at all. This helped to keep the audience immersed, and Numan's music requires that all-enveloping atmosphere for it to really work. It also helped the old and new songs to site nicely side-by-side. In truth, though, Numan tends to play his older songs live in a style more akin to his new songs - so tracks like M.E. had much more punch live than they ever did on record. This was the same for Down in the Park, but before that a set highlight in the form of the heavy Pure saw Numan strapping on a guitar to romp through the very Nine Inch Nails-esque track - with a chorus that was sung back to him by the large crowd. The second half of the set largely focused on some of his slightly longer pieces - all of which were based around huge synth and guitar riffs. A Black Sun, also from the latest album, was a great expanse of atmosphere - and the mega-hit Cars felt almost mouse-like in comparison, although no-one could resist the timeless synth hooks. One of my favourite Numan tracks is My Name is Ruin, so it was great to hear it live, with his daughter Persia appearing on the screen behind him to 'deliver' her vocal contributions to the piece. The end of the main set was approaching at this point, but the pulsing Love Hurt Bleed was another highlight - before the bulk of the show came to a close with a strong rendition of We Are Glass. This was another song that prompted a lot of singing, and the keyboard playing of David Brooks was busy. A two-song encore followed We Are Glass, and the moody Here in the Black set the tone again - but it was a rousing version of Are 'Friends' Electric? that really got everyone going. The classic track sounds even better these days with its industrial makeover, and there was plenty of singing and dancing from the crowd as the synth-heavy song brought down the curtain on what was an excellent 90 or so minutes of music. The setlist was:

Intruder

I Die: You Die

Everything Comes Down to This

The Gift

Metal

The End of Things

Is This World Not Enough

M.E.

Pure

Resurrection

Down in the Park [Tubeway Army material]

A Black Sun

The Fall

Cars

My Name is Ruin

Love Hurt Bleed

The Chosen

We Are Glass

-

Here in the Black

Are 'Friends' Electric? [Tubeway Army material]

I mentioned above how it is great to step outside of your comfort zone sometimes, and going to see Gary Numan very much was that for me - despite my interest in industrial-type music. He is probably not someone that I would have been that interested to see five or so years ago, but I am glad that I made the effort and started to listen to his work more closely. He put on a great show, and his band were really tight throughout. It is a show that I will remember due to how well-presented it was, too, as the light show and screens were a big part of what made it so immersive. The songs were great too, of course, and hearing a number of his classic tracks live, as well as some personal favourites from his recent albums, made a trip out to the Pavilions very much worth the time.