Gary Numan / Rock City / Nottingham

Nov 29

Nov 29 Gary Numan / Rock City / Nottingham

I’ve long been a Gary Numan fan, and was incredibly excited to see him live yet again (I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen him since my first show in 1984) but this was something new. Not a tour to promote a new album, but a reflection, a celebration of the 45th anniversary of the album “Telekon” released in November 1980. Now, I’ve said before, although a lifelong Numan fan, I actually find some of the early albums hard to listen to now. Although trailblazing at the time, with retrospect, the synth sounds were very simple, single oscillators, monophonic, and the sound is basic.

As the years have passed, Numan’s sound has evolved and changed too, and now are complex, polyphonic, multi-layered complex industrial soundscapes, and as we all age, his voice has mellowed. In fact damn it Gary….. As I get older, I just ache more, but you….. just get better and better !

I was excited to see what modern Numan could deliver with some of his most iconic classics.

But first , in support a real treat. If you’ve followed LiveWire Music for a while, you’ll know we’ve covered a number of single releases from Raven Numan, that’s right, Gary (and Gemma’s) eldest daughter.

Having grown up in a musical household she has developed her own voice and style becoming a self-assured young woman and an accomplished musician. Having sung on stage with her sister Persia and father, she’s coming off a highly successful year that saw her release six self-penned singles, and with an album planned.

With a band featuring synth maestro, producer and composer Ade Fenton on keys, Raven delivered a great set of industrial, goth-pop. Her songs are written from life experiences and have a dark edge to them.

Just A Number is an intense track. With mournful cello and unguarded piano sounds in the textural soundscape its packed with emotion. Raven’s voice is beautifully subtle, and the lyrics capture the desolation of giving everything of yourself to someone… and the tragedy of receiving almost nothing in return.

Another highlight is the single Going Down which has a more visceral dark-pop feel to it. Its grittier packed with razorblade like riffs, yet for all its angst Raven gives it a beautiful femininity. The lyrics warning against the temptation to surrender to the one impulsion that you can’t reverse.

As the set draws to a closer, we get a cover of the Nine Inch Nails track In This Twilight which featured on 2007’s “Year Zero” album. Raven’s interpretation is impressive, focusing on the purity of its haunting vocal melody, with her feminine and ethereal vocals the main focus of it’s sound. Letting her voice takes us to the heart of its inner vulnerability. A great track !

The set ends with Here For Me which has a down tempo trip-hop feel. Once again the vocals are the heart of the track, her soft tones a disquieting allure that brings the lyrics to life, packed with angst and emotion as they use substance addiction as a metaphor for desperately trying to find a blessed (if cursed) relief from your personal anxieties.

It can’t be easy being the child of a musical legend, and finding your own way, sound and course must be a real challenge. But I was really impressed with Raven. Assured, she commanded her stage well, and delivered something very special indeed. The crowd seemed to love every second of it, and it’s clear Raven Numan has what it takes to succeed.

Setlist

Children of the Bad Revolution

Magnolia

Just a Number

Inside of You

My Reflection

Going Down

Pretty When I'm Hurt

In This Twilight (Nine Inch Nails cover)

Here for Me

The stage is readied, and you can feel a buzz in the air. Rock City is packed, and I mean PACKED, as his shows always are at this mecca of music.

Gary Numan came to prominence as the frontman of Tubeway Army in 1978., and they released two studio albums with 1978’s “Tubeway Army” and 1979’s “Replicas”, which reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, and spawned a UK No. 1 single with Are 'Friends' Electric?. Following the band's split, Gary released his first solo album “The Pleasure Principle” also in 1979 which was followed in 1980 by “Telekon”.

Since then he has released another 17 studio albums, the latest being 2021’s “Intruder” which reached #2 in the official UK album chart and #1 in the Independent Music album chart.

Recognised as a pioneer of electronic music, he has continued to evolve and record and has a strong fanbase around the world. Having decided to retire from live performance with a massive show at Wembley Arena in 1981, he soon regretted the decision and returned and remarkably, played his 1,000th show at the Electric Ballroom in London in 2023. In June 2025 Numan made his debut at the Glastonbury Festival.

The lights go out….. and the tension in the air is intense. One by one the band step out into the shadows, before Numan himself appears on the platform at the back of the stage. The lights flash and they dive into the opening track This Wreckage. The stage is packed with banks of lighting, with large spots at the rear and to the sides of the stage. The lights shining red, recreating the lines on the “Telekon” album cover.

Next up is fan favourite Remind Me To Smile which the faithful chant along to the chorus sections as one. The sound is huge – not just the volume, but modern synths add a complex, multi-layered tone to the original tracks. Now, the tracks infuse a more even balance of synths and guitar, and these two elements combine to give a new power, a new lease of life to these classic tracks. Gary’s voice too, more mellow and assured, delivers the lyrics with confidence and power.

The other thing that has changed is Gary himself. Once a shy, introverted character, he acknowledged how awkward he felt on stage, but now, he has become at ease with it, and confidently interacts with the crowd between songs, and smiling.

Earlier in the tour, Gary suffered a terrible personal loss as his brother John passed away suddenly, but made the decision to carry on to honour his brother, who in the early days, played in his band. His wife Gemma, sat in the pit to support him, the poignancy and emotion of the tour was clear for all to see. Credit to both Gary and Raven for carrying on in such difficult circumstances.

The set was packed with favourites such as I Die; You Die and We Are Glass but playing the album in it’s entirety gave other tracks a very rare live outing, such as I Dream of Wires and the very rare Like a B Film, alongside the instrumental Photograph focused around a piano sound before mellow synth tones join in adding depth. The Joy Circuit is different again with a violin sound and staccato lyrical delivery. The mix of songs and instrumentals is balanced well throughout.

The main set ends with We Are Glass, a regular in the live set and a real fan favourite, it feels like every sole in the house is singing along with fists punching the air in the chorus sections.

As the lights fade, the chants start….. ‘Numan… Numan… Numan…’ and sure enough Gary and the band return for an encore. Having gone through “Tekelon” as a whole, this was about pure fan favourites from those early years with Tubeway Army. We get four songs, starting with the incredible live experience that is My Shadow in Vain, another fan singalong favourite, followed by the #1 hit Are ‘Friends’ Electric?. A single, repeated synth bass note signals the unmistakable Listen to the Sirens from the debut “Tubeway Army” album from 1978. The drum break singles a change in sound, with the guitars taking prominence as the crowd chant back ‘please listen to the sirens’.

Finally, perhaps the most iconic song of all, Down in the Park from 1979’s “Replicas” album. The first part played on piano, a song painting a bleak, dystopian future where androids (Machmen) kill humans for entertainment.

The lyrics are haunting with lines like ‘Down in the park where the mach-men meet the machines

And play kill-by-numbers. Down in the park with a friend called Five’ and ‘Come to Zom-Zom's, a place to eat, Like it was built in one day. You can watch the humans trying to run’.

The crowd are engrossed from first note to last. The light show (as always with a Numan gig) is incredible and seems to work in harmony with the music, to create a truly audio / visual experience.

It’s hard to believe “Telekon” is 45 years old, but Gary Numan brought the album right up to date, giving it new life with rich complex textures and deeper vocals. Quite simple, an incredible night, and as the excited crowd spilled out into the cold Nottingham night air, the talk was all about the incredible spectacle, they had just shared with a true master.

Setlist

This Wreckage

Remind Me to Smile

Remember I Was Vapour

I Dream of Wires

Telekon

Sleep by Windows

A Game Called 'Echo'

Photograph

Please Push No More

Like a B-Film

The Aircrash Bureau