Showing posts with label jayce lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jayce lewis. Show all posts

Thursday 19 October 2017

Gary Numan - Savage Tour, LCR, Norwich, 17th October 2017

Line-up:


Gary Numan - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tim Muddiman - bass, backing vocals
Steve Harris - guitar, backing vocals
Richard Beasley - drums
David Brooks - keyboards
Persia Numan - backing vocals

Support:

Jayce Lewis

Venue:

The LCR
Norwich
NR4 7TJ
United Kingdom

The evening opened with a seemingly popular Numan support artist (as they do) called Jayce Lewis. This was my first time experience of Lewis and with his combination of powerhouse rock with tribal and a bit of industrial metal, backed by a drummer and two (yes, I said two) bassists, Lewis provided a full-on raucous and upbeat warm-up for the main act. Lewis has been championed by a number of established artists (not least Numan and the late New Romantic icon, Steve Strange) and it's easy to see why. His set was high on energy, sound and performance, the perfect ground rock for what was to follow. It would be interesting to see Jayce Lewis in his own headline gig, unchained by the ties of supportdom.

It wasn't too long before The LCR UEA played host to someone and something of current interest, a man who is enjoying something of a well-deserved renaissance and a man who we are about to witness is clearly on top of his game, once more leading the way forward.

As the lights dimmed, the dry ice flowed and the crowd roared, the infamous "Numaaan, Numaaan!!!" chant slowly drowned by the musical intro that accompanied the multiple screens projecting images of a burning world and lights burning fiercely red and yellow, setting the scene for the Numan's apocalyptic vision of a highly probable near-future, putting all of us present into that world, the heat of the lights more than hinting at what the acclaimed "Savage (Songs from a Broken World)" was about. The band quickly followed by Numan took to the stage for an explosive opener in the shape of "Ghost Nation", the opening track of the "Savage" album. The lights, the sound, Numan's contorted movements and the stunning video backdrop made for a thrilling start. In a breath, this first song was done and the first of only six references to the "Replicas"/"The Pleasure Principle"/"Telekon" classic trilogy launched with the track "Metal" ("The Pleasure Principle") which has once again been beautifully re-worked to suit Numan's latest sound, the lights and video displays bathing him in a twisting kaleidoscope of burning red and crackling white. From the album "Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind)", the next track was "Everything Comes Down To This", it's menacing industrial undertones rumbling through the building closely followed by the second of the "classic albums" trilogy "I'm An Agent" from "Telekon". The screens at the back heralded a return to the "Savage" album with "The End of Things", lights and imagery playing behind and around an almost mesmeric Numan, his moves so utterly snake-like and his face scowling from under the white markings on his forehead. All of this was under-scored with almost child-like music box sounds, symphonic strings, truly epic Mellotron-type choirs, and thunderous bass, glued together with the guitar and drums on the magnificent choruses, Numan's voice soaring above it all.


The next track was a welcome addition to the set, being the title track of the "Dead Son Rising" album - it's really good that Numan is leaving behind the all-too heavy emphasis in the last couple of years on classic tracks in favour of more recent offerings such as this, this material is still fresh and new, in much need of live airings. That said, classic track number three took everything to another level, a perennial crowd favourite, "Down In the Park" from the "Replicas" album, lighting, a simple but basically fucking awesome video display, earth-shattering bass and insistent guitar giving life to one of Numan's best-loved songs. This led into another "Savage" track, "Pray for the Pain You Serve", it's frantic Middle Eastern overtones melding with Numan's gyrating form, the lights screaming at you on the bridge sections, a set piece that was taking no prisoners. Next up was "Here In the Black", a second track from "Splinter" another demonstration of the darker heavier stance that Numan has been successfully taking for the last few albums, his utterly menacing whispered vocals reverberating around the auditorium between the frantic bridge and chorus sections, his sung vocals
on the latter lifting the whole thing before the brickwall drop back into the whispered verses. We return to "Savage" once more with the slower-paced, but apocalyptically atmospheric "Mercy", Numan's moves now more sensual than ever. The pace picks up again with another offering from "Splinter", the excellent "Love Hurt Bleed" with it's searing synth hook and growling guitar, and acting as a perfect bridge to the next "Savage" song, and a real highlight, "My Name is Ruin". The place erupted when a little music stand and microphone appeared on the stage next to Numan as he introduced his 12 year old daughter Persia, who gave a fantastic performance with her dad - it was very clear that Persia Numan is growing in confidence with each performance, as she moved almost in sync with her father on the choruses, her powerful voice cutting through the mix, she might be small, but her voice is big. Personally, I loved this section as it was so cool to see such an established figure as Numan clearly delighting in having his little girl on stage with him, and his pride positively glowed. As an aside, could we be witnessing the next stage of the Numan Legacy with Persia Numan? As I said though, a genuine highlight. Persia Numan left the stage into the arms of mum Gemma, and we had no time to dust ourselves off before classic track number four, and another crowd favourite, the timeless "Cars". I say timeless because, once again, Numan's latest re-working of the song makes it relevant and current and another highlight. The evening's set was cleverly put together, satisfying the need for tracks from previous albums with the "Savage" songs, older songs providing an interesting segue to the new, and this was the case with "Cars" taking us into "When the World Comes Apart". Another epic offering, hinting at elements of the past with what felt like "Telekon" type sounds alongside the raw energy of the guitar-driven present. The pace slams to slow with another highlight, the emotional "A Prayer for the Unborn" from Numan's 2000 album, "Pure". A synth sequence percolated away as Numan gave an authentic performance of what is a very personal song, bathed in red light with a moving and perfectly pitched video backdrop, this was a powerful set piece to end the first section of the gig.

Numan and the band left the stage. The crowd called for more. A few minutes later Numan and the band returned to the stage. Before more music happened, Numan light-heartedly explained that all he could hear out back was a bit of clapping and asked the audience "do you fucking want it?" - he wasn't happy with the answer and asked again - this time the place erupted and he launched into classic track number five, "M.E." from "The Pleasure Principle". Another re-working that left the original standing, and a lighting display that was stunning, bedecking Numan in a triangle of swirling white beams, before the final song of the night and classic track number six. Bet you can't guess which one......okay, I'll tell you - "Are Friends Electric?" - and to be honest, I don't think Numan would have gotten out the building alive if he hadn't played it. And what a finish. The lighting, the video back drop, the sheer power of Numan's performance and the re-working of this iconic song made for a finale never to be forgotten.

I spoke to a few people after the gig and everyone was blown away by what they had just witnessed. The lighting was simply stunning, the multiple screen back drop carried images of wastelands, burned out desert vistas, contemporary imagery and stylised graphics that were pertinent to each and every song, the sound was loud, make no mistake, but it fed you the raw energy of where Numan is at this time. And that is a good place if one goes by what was seen on this night, a man that is clearly happy and enjoying life.

It was good to attend a Numan concert that had a lot more of his more recent material from albums such as "Pure", "Dead Son Rising" and "Splinter". Whilst I am sure there is a place for the "classic albums" stuff, I for one hope that after the last couple of years of featuring nothing but his older material, future performances will focus on the later albums as they contain a wealth of material that is ripe for live and undoubtedly, Numan's best work. I suspect Mr. Numan may feel that way also. Perhaps this latest tour will show fans that there is so much more to Gary Numan than "Cars" and "Are Friends Electric?", good and all as they are.

It's so incredibly easy to describe people as a legend, and in this throw-away, consumerist day-and-age, it IS transparently easy to the point of making it a much-over-used word. But, and this is kind of important when you're talking about Gary Numan, the word fits, Gary Numan IS a legend. Not many about that can have that said about them these days.

Links: