New wave legend Gary Newman has added a 4th date onto his incredibly popular run of shows at Manchester’s Ritz having sold out the venue towards the end of May. Numan added two new shows on, playing here last night and if reports are anything to go by we are in for a treat this evening. The show was celebrating the 45th anniversary of Numan being a part of our lives and fans were in high spirits as he took to the stage.
Anticipation built as smoke descended onto the stage followed by the band, and finally to the audience’s delight Numan himself, looking incredibly animated and ready to shine under the magnificent stage setting, picking up his guitar and cavorting round the stage with the energy of a man half his age!
The light show was worth the entry fee and was quite captivating! It was a treat to see such an iconic performer at one of the city’s smaller venues. The lights were accompanied by Numan treating fans to tracks exclusively from Tubeway Army album ‘Replicas’ as well as ‘The Pleasure Principle’ from his solo work.
The evening was theatrical, from the costumes worn by band members (current line up Steve Harris (guitar, keyboard) and Tim Slade (bass), Jimmy Lucido (drums) and David Brooks (keyboards). There does not seem to be a formal setlist and songs are chosen from both albums seemingly at random. Speaking of the setlist, this evening saw a slightly different song played in place of ‘Airline’ was ‘When the Machines Rock’.
Numan is a true popstar, minimal discussion between tracks, focusing on the music and proving that his work is timeless. The whole production is seamless, from the large illuminated triangle at the back which is a clear nod to 70’s stage set and the classic synth sounds must surely fill many audiences members with nostalgia. Numan closed his set with undoubtably his most famous work, ‘Car’s and finally ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’. What has been electric is this performance tonight, the crowd buzzing off the energy in the room making Whitworth street come to life!
Numan is still on his UK tour and heads to London’s Roundhouse this weekend which sees the close of this magnificent string of dates. If you are heading to London this evening you are certainly in for a treat!
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