Gary Numan turned back the clocks at the O2 City Hall on Thursday night.
The legendary artist arrived in the UK hot off the back of an appearance at the Cruel Worlds festival in the US, which took place two weeks prior.
Five dates into this UK run Numan arrived on Tyneside where his cult following awaited him.
Regarding the O2 City Hall, the artist declared in a social media post: "This is the only venue on this tour that was also on the original '79 tour for these two albums.” Not only on this occasion was Gary Numan walking down memory lane musically on Thursday night, but he was also retracing the steps he took on tour 45 years prior. Some in attendance were at that show in 1979.
With no support, at around 8.30 pm, atmospheric intro music played the band onto stage, with Gary Numan following behind them. Each member of the four-piece backing band, along with Gary himself were bedecked in entirely black attire.
The show got underway with Replicas, which set the scene for the night ahead. M.E, which was featured at the top of the set, showcased just how much of an influence the artist has been on contemporary music. Of course, the track was sampled by Basement Jaxx on their song Where’s Your Head At.
Numan’s distinctive synth-driven sound resonated around the O2 City Hall all night long - particularly during fan favourites like Films. The versatile performer frequently switched between keyboards, guitars, and vocals throughout the set.
The show was enhanced by a light show that would give even Pink Floyd a run for their money. Kudos to the lighting designer, David Howard, for such an innovative and well-thought-out production.
During the evening, Numan delved into Replicas and The Pleasure Principle. His approach to doing so was exceptional. Whereas some artists might have performed each album in sequence, the setlist ebbed and flowed between the two albums, with the headliner switching between the two seminal releases between tracks.
The hypnotic sounds of When the Machines Rock cast a spell over the Tyneside audience. Whilst, fan favourites like Metal and main set closer We Are So Fragile left the Tyneside audience cheering for more.
Of course, Gary Numan’s sound has evolved since the days of Replicas and The Pleasure Principle into slightly more industrial territory. However, songs like show closers Cars and Are Friends Electric are truly timeless. They stand up today. It's no surprise that the latter has been covered and sampled by many artists, including the Sugababes on Freak Like Me.
1979 may well be 45 years ago, but music has the power to take people back to a particular time and place. And on Thursday night, Gary Numan walked the Newcastle audience down memory lane in the best way possible. And at the same time, he brought these two seminal albums to life in front of a new generation of fans. Not only was the evening nostalgic, but it was incredibly enjoyable.
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