Gary Numan made a rare WNY appearance as he stopped by the Town Ballroom for a show this past Saturday night. Many consider the Numan the “godfather” of electro punk. He has been at it since 1977 when his original band Tubeway Army made headway in the new wave & synth pop world. A few years later, Numan took his talents to embark on solo career where he released ‘The Pleasure Principe’ spawning the underground hit “Cars.” During the pandemic, Numan released his 21st solo album titled “Intruder.” This tour is in support of that release. Accompanying Numan, were Richard Beasley on drums, Steve Harris on guitar, Tim Slade on bass and David Brooks on Keyboards.
Taking the stage at 9:15pm, Numan went into the title track of his latest effort ‘Intruder.” Numan looked exactly like the image on the album (lines of red going down his face with white foundation). Numan was in fine form right form the get go. If you haven’t seen Numan , you will be surprised as he is one of the most energetic performers you will ever see in any genre of music. From the 1st note of “Intruder’ through the last note of “Are ‘Friends’ Electric,” Numan never stopped moving. His energy channeled through the rest of the band. At the beginning of “Down in the Park,” Harris joined him and danced around the beginning of the track without his guitar. Numan played some synthesizer at the end of “Cars” and “Ghost Nation” and played a few licks of his Les Paul on “A Prayer for the Unborn.” The key to the whole show was the amazing keyboard wizardry of David Brooks. Brooks was the backbone of the bands set. The keys were first and foremost in the mix. He truly was Numan’s “ace in the hole.” As I said, the entire performance was highly energetic but my favorite track was “Here in the Black.” I feel like really encompassed Numan as a singer and performer.
It may have been cold outside but Numan and his band surely warmed up the Town Ballroom making it one of the hottest shows of 2022!
Setlist:
Intruder
Metal
The Promise
The Gift
Everything Comes Down to This
Films
Ghost Nation
Love Hurt Bleed
Pray for the Pain You Serve
Bed of Thorns
Down in the Park
Cars
Here in the Black
The Chosen
My Name is Ruin
A Prayer for the Unborn
Encore:
Me! I Disconnect From You (Tubeway Army song)
Are ‘Friends’ Electric? (Tubeway Army song)
We would like to thank Yo Fu from Global Recorded Music (BMG) for the credentials to review the show.
