LIVE REVIEW & GALLERY: Gary Numan @ LCR UEA, Norwich
Fresh from his tour of the USA, Gary Numan embarked on his Pleasure Principle / Replicas 45th Anniversary Tour, which consists of 18 dates around the UK. When I heard that he was coming to my city, I just had to attend. Upon arriving at the venue, I found there to be the biggest queue that I have seen in a long time; it made it feel like you were queuing at Wembley for a major gig. Whilst I was queuing, a young lady approached me and handed me a card for the Electric Friends, Gary Numan Podcast, which I will be listening to as soon as I get the chance. The door staff and security were calm and were able to get people in swiftly. To no surprise, this date was sold out with over 1500 fans of all ages in attendance. I haven’t seen Gary play in a number of years, but I knew that I was in for a great night.
Gary started off his set with “Replicas”, “M.E.”, “Me! I Disconnect from You”, and “Films”. The moment you heard Gary’s synth sound that he is most famous for, the crowd was in full force; even the crowd that wasn’t anywhere near the stage was dancing and loving every single note. Other songs included “We Have a Technical” and “Praying to the Aliens”. Throughout his entire set of 20 songs without a break, Gary sounded just as good as he did when the albums were released 45 years ago. Now, while some of the songs sounded like they had been slightly modernised, they still sounded brilliant, with each member of his band playing perfectly, plus seeing and hearing Gary on the synth is always a true delight.
Other notable tracks were “Do You Need the Service?”, “Observer”, “You Are in My Vision”, and of course the brilliant “Down in the Park”. From start to finish, every track played was to celebrate the 45th anniversary of The Pleasure Principle / Replicas. Who’d have thought that before these tracks were written, Gary Numan and The Tubeway Army were asked to write a punk album, yet all these years later, these albums not only sound as good as they did back in 1979 but have also influenced many other acts. After Gary left the stage, you just knew that an encore was coming, and what better way to finish than with “Cars” and “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”. The moment the notes hit, the crowd, including myself, were singing along.
While Gary has released 22 studio albums and is currently working on his 23rd, which is due next year, this gig was really something special, dedicated to the albums that made him the household name that he is today. I am still buzzing at how great a gig it was, and it was a true honour to be part of such an iconic night from a true musical legend.
