GARY NUMAN | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Sat 30 Sept
Packed to capacity, roughly a thousand Numanites have descended upon the Tramshed in Cardiff on a very wet Saturday night to pay homage to electropop icon Gary Numan. The honour of opening for Numan falls to Bridgend’s Jayce Lewis, whose industrial-pop-metal set is warmly received by the Cardiff crowd. In keeping with the theme of the latest album, Numan and co enter the fray dressed in matching cheesecloth attire.
They launch into opening track Ghost Nation looking like they’ve just stepped off the set of The Matrix. Next track Metal, a track that is nearly 40 years old, sounds as fresh and vital as anything I’ve heard this year. The Gary Numan live experience of 2017 owes a lot to Nine Inch Nails in its overall vibe and look, the songs sounding much heavier as a result, but without Numan there would be no Nine Inch Nails, so it’s OK.
The band pound their way through a career-spanning set with very little time to address the crowd. Numan is clearly all business and isn’t in a talkative mood tonight. The classic Down In The Park gets an airing mid-set with Numan pulling some serious shapes, especially during the Eastern-tinged My Name Is Ruin. At various intervals, we are reminded of Numan’s talent as he steps behind the keyboards or picks up a guitar to add some serious noise to the proceedings. Of course Cars is played, and of course the phones come out – it’s one of the reasons we are here.
The sombre A Prayer For The Unborn takes the band into a well-earned two-minute break, while the crowd demand more. The band return with the atmospheric Bed Of Thorns before giving the crowd at least two more excuses to go wild with We Are Glass and Are Friends Electric?
A wonderfully energetic performance from Numan and his band, covering every aspect of his 40-year career. At 59 years old, as with many bands, you’d think his best years may be behind him, but on this form he may carry on forever.
words CHRIS ANDREWS