About Me
Latest Updates -21st May, 2008
Scroll down to see the latest info:
News - Release date for Jagged Edge, Support for Coventry, Unseen pictures 1979 - 1981, coffee table book, Broadcasting Live DVD
Latest releases - Telekon Live 2006 DVD and CD, Replicant CD
Concert news London show added, Perfect Day festival Cancelled - replaced by Leeds concert, Manchester date added, Mighty Boosh festival also, added poster Coventry 24 July
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Latest News
It appears that the 3-day Perfect Day Festival in July has been cancelled by the organizers.
This is due to Bristol council concerns regarding licenses / tickets / crowd control and the proximity, both geographically and in the calender, to "T4 on the Beach" making the event unviable.
The organizers apologize for all and any inconvenience caused.
People who bought tickets should've been notified by now - if not, contact your ticket seller for more info and refund
This has now been replaced by a concert at Leeds Rio's
Supporting Gary at the Kasbah, Coventry 24th July will be local band 'Trailer'
The Jagged Edge album, the alternative version of the 2006 Jagged album, will be out June 23rd.
This is going to be a double album as it runs for over 94 minutes. The track listing for Jagged Edge, and who produced what, is:
Disc 1
Jagged (Tour Intro) (Fenton/Numan) (4:13)
Fold (Fenton/Numan) (6:57)
Halo (Sulpher/Numan) (4:34)
In A Dark Place (Single Remix) (Fenton/Numan) (4:08)
Blind (Holliday/Young/Numan) (5:17)
Before You Hate It (Fenton/Numan) (5:44)
Haunted (Sulpher/Numan) (5:08)
Slave (Sulpher/Numan) (5:46)
Melt (Fenton/Numan) (4:06)
Disc 2
Fold (Holliday/Young/Numan) (4:43)
Jagged (Fenton/Numan) (7:44)
Before You Hate It (Sulpher/Numan) (5:49)
Pressure (Fenton/Numan) (6:32)
In A Dark Place (Fenton/Numan) (6:13)
Melt (Monti/Numan) (5:42)
Slave (Fenton/Numan) (6:45)
Scanner (Fenton/Numan) (5:23)
Melt Alternate Version
Blind Alternate Version
Halo Alternate Version
Fold (Ade Fenton Mix)
Jagged (Ade Fenton Mix)
Fold (Ade Fenton Mix)clip 2
Below is a link to the Touring principle website who recently obtained some outstanding images from the 1979, 1980 tours and Wembley 81.
Steve Roper who runs the TTP website has a large collection of images, clips, backstage items and much more from that era, and was kind enough to create a slideshow with some of the pictures he recently found.
I hope you'll agree that these are quite outstanding. Some were taken during rehearsals, and before you ask, the comedy shot was on the plane to Australia.
Click on the sample image to go to the Touring Principle website
UPDATE: Steve created seperate viewers for the opening night in Glasgow 1979, and Wembley 81 rehearsal. Check it out!
The 1990 DVD of The Skin Mechanic Tour (recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1989) is getting another release by Classic Rock on June 16th.
Previously this DVD was released by them in 2003 under the title 'Gary Numan', but they renamed it 'Gary Numan - Broadcasting Live', put a different cover on it and thats about it
The worst part is, that they put '30th Anniversary Special Edition' on the top of the cover, but I can guarantee you that the track listing is the same, and had no input from Gary.
As soon as we have more details, we'll let you know
We are talking to a publisher about putting together a new deluxe, limited edition book to celebrate Gary's 30 years in music (the first Tubeway Army single came out in Feb 1978).
This rare and in some cases exclusive material will be incorporated into a high-quality, 'coffee-table' formatted book, as well as four decades of official photos and new interviews.
However, in order to proceed, we need to hit a certain level of pre-orders, otherwise the project may well need to be adapted due to the high costs involved in producing a book of this type.
We are not asking you to part with your money at this stage but you can now register your interest in pre-ordering the book by visiting Essential Works
and entering your e-mail address.
This isn't a binding commitment but the benefit of this is that you will be the first to know when the ordering process begins and if you are interested in buying the book you will be able to guarantee yourself a copy as only a limited number will be made.
Latest Releases
Telekon Live 2006
The Telekon Live DVD and the Telekon Live CD can now be ordered from Nuworld.
Here's the link to order the PAL DVD: Telekon Live 2006 DVD
And the link to order the Telekon Live 2CD: Telekon Live 2006 CD
Here are a couple of clip from the Telekon 2006 Live DVD
I'm an Agent
'Telekon'
Replicant - 2008 tour programme
This double CD audio programme features a two hour interview with Gary Numan by Steve Malins.
Along with audio clips from tracks featured on the original Replicas album, plus a few extras that were also played at the Replicas shows, they discuss the making of the album, new found fame, songwriting, Top Of The Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test, influences, musical instruments, loyalty, Paul Gardiner, studios and very much more.
To order 'Replicant' 2CD tour programme, click here: Replicant 2CD Tour Programme
Live Concert News
It appears that the 3-day Perfect Day Festival in July has been cancelled by the organizers.
This is due to Bristol council concerns regarding licenses / tickets / crowd control and the proximity, both geographically and in the calender, to "T4 on the Beach" making the event unviable.
The organizers apologize for all and any inconvenience caused.
People who bought tickets should've been notified by now - if not, contact your ticket seller for more info and refund
The festival has now been replaced by a gig at the Leeds Rios. Ticket price and door time will be announced soon.
Keep an eye on their myspace page: Leeds Rios
The London IndigO2 is booked again for September 7. Tickets will go on sale on May 23rd. Check Ticketsmaster.co.uk and other agents
Gary will perform at the Mighty Boosh Festival. The festival will take place at the Hop Farm in Kent on 5th July. Tickets are already on sale at various ticket agents, Seetickets is one of them: See Tickets - Mighty Boosh
Other appearances: the Bestival at the Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight on September 6th only (Saturday). TICKETS ARE ALREADY SOLD OUT
Info about the festival can be found here: Bestival
A day before Bestival, Gary will play at the Manchester Academy 1. Tickets are available from Nuworld: NuWorld September 5 concert
Wickerman Festival on Friday July 25th.
The Wickerman Festival takes place at East Kirkcarswell, near Dundrennan, South West Scotland, down the A711 and just over an hour’s hop from the M74.
Information about the festival, ticket prices and other acts can be found on the official Wickerman website: Wickerman Festival
A day before Wickerman, on Thursday 24th July, Gary will play at the Kasbah in Coventry. The doors open at 6.30pm and the show starts at 7.30.
Here's a link to Seetickets.com where you order them: Seetickets
The Magic Loungeabout 24 hour Musical Picnic at the Newburgh Priory in North Yorkshire
Information about the festival, ticket prices and other acts can be found on their official website: Magic Loungeabout
GARY NUMAN: AN ALIEN CURE - a short biography
One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan's influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, "Cars" which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles.
That seminal track helped usher in the synth pop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native U.K., where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hit maker during the early '80s. Even after new wave had petered out, Numan's impact continued to make itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many Goth rock and (especially) industrial artists to come.
For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and by the late '90s, he'd become a hip name to drop; prominent alt-rock bands covered his hits in concert, and a Goth-flavored brand of industrial dance christened darkwave looked to him as its mentor.
Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in the west London section of Hammersmith. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk group called the Lasers in 1976. The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed Tubeway Army, with drummer Bob Simmonds; they recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium [or Valerian], Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers.
Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, Tubeway Army cut a set of punk-meets-Kraftwerk demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978, which were released several years later as "The Plan."
That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group's debut album, "Tubeway Army", appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie's Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno, the album also displayed Numan's fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam, as well as science fiction writer Philip K. Dick.
The group's second album, "Replicas", credited to Gary Numan & Tubeway Army, was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single,
Are 'Friends' Electric?" was a left-field smash, topping the U.K. charts and sending Replicas to number one on the album listings as well. The record also included "Down in the Park," an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan's most gothic outings.
Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced Tubeway Army, keeping Gardiner on bass.
"The Pleasure Principle" was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan's international hit "Cars," which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the U.K.; the album also became Numan's second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.
Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with "Telekon", his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Five hits with "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die".
"This Wreckage" later reached the Top 20. In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of "Dance".
While Dance and its lead single, "She's Got Claws" were both climbing into the British Top Five, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with "I, Assassin", some of his popularity had dissipated -- perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synth pop, much of which was already expanding on Numan's early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive). I, Assassin was another Top Ten album, and "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" another hit, but in general Numan's singles were starting to slip on the charts.
The title track of "Warriors" became his last top 20 hit in the UK until 2003
Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with "Berserker "in late 1984.
Sadly, longtime collaborator Paul Gardiner died earlier that year from a drug overdose.
1985's "The Fury" became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 30. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with Shakatak's Bill Sharpe, releasing four singles from 1985-1989, and the album "Automatic".
Following 1986's "Strange Charm", Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start. IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988's "Metal Rhythm" to New Anger for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film "The Unborn", and would not fund any supporting tours for New Anger or 1991's "Outland".
When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992's "Machine + Soul."
1994 brought the release of the industrial-tinged "Sacrifice", the first glimmering of Numan's return to critical favor and underground hipness. Over the next few years, bands like Hole, the Foo Fighters, and Smashing Pumpkins covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded "Down in the Park" for the B-side of the "Lunchbox" single; moreover, Nine Inch Nails cited Numan as an important influence, and covered the 1979 song "Metal" for their "Things Falling Apart" album.
With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997's "Exile". However, he didn't truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000's "Pure", which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory
In 2002, Numan enjoyed chart success once again with the single "Rip", reaching 29 in the UK chart and in 2003 with the Gary Numan vs Rico single "Crazier" which reached 13 in the UK chart. Rico, an up-and-coming artist from Glasgow, also worked on the remix album "Hybrid" which featured reworkings of older songs in a more contemporary industrial style.
In 2004 Numan took control of his own business affairs again, launching the label Mortal Records and releasing a series of live DVDs as a precursor to a critically well-received new studio album "Jagged", which was released on 13 March 2006.
An album launch gig took place at The Forum, London on 18 March followed by successful UK, European and US tours throughout the Spring and Summer in support of the release.
Late 2006 saw four "Telekon Concerts" in the UK where songs from the Telekon sessions were performed, a concept that was so succesfull, more album-concerts are planned.
The co-producer of the 'Jagged' album, Ade Fenton, released his solo album 'Artificial Perfect' in May 2007, which includes four tracks sung by Gary, including the singles 'Healing' and 'The Leather Sea'
