Mar 20

Mar 20 Review: Gary Numan at The Orange Peel

As a child of the '80s, I was lied to.

Through the lens of MTV and VH1, Gary Numan was presented as a One Hit Wonder — a term used to condemn an artist to little more than a flash in the pan. For Numan, that hit was "Cars." Released in 1979, it was his debut single as a solo artist, following a pair of groundbreaking records fronting Tubeway Army — all before he turned 22. The accompanying video was in heavy rotation on MTV throughout the decade, its pioneering synth pop and Numan's sharp-dressed android aesthetic totally unlike anything else on the channel. It was also the only tune of his that would ever get serious airtime.

It wasn't until Nine Inch Nails released a cover of "Metal" in 2000 that I realized there was much more to Gary Anthony James Webb than one song. Over the course of his career, Numan has steadily released 19 studio records, maintaining artistic relevance and cult icon status within the goth rock and industrial scenes — all while being ignored by the mainstream press.

Although the bulk of the crowd at The Orange Peel on March 12 was clearly familiar with the full breadth of his catalog, the phones still came out en masse when the band introduced the familiar rhythmic pulse of "Cars" midway through the set. No matter how many hundreds of times you've heard it, the song remains a true banger that never grows old.

Speaking of never growing old: from the moment Numan and his band hit the stage — opening with the heavy industrial thrust of 2006's "Jagged" — the 68-year-old impressed with his commanding energy. Flanking him were Steve Fox-Harris on guitar and Tim Slade on bass, whose lanky frames, bald heads, and heavy makeup gave them a ghoulish presence in the moody lighting.

Just the second song of the night, "Metal" provided an early highlight. The mechanical synth pop cut from the same Pleasure Principle album as "Cars" hit considerably harder than its 1979 studio counterpart. Indeed, as the set progressed it became increasingly clear how much Numan has been influenced in return by the industrial rock acts — Nine Inch Nails chief among them — that he originally helped inspire. The parallel with David Bowie's own artistic evolution was hard to ignore.

For those more familiar with Numan's earlier work, hearing electrifying renditions of Tubeway Army classics "Down in the Park" and "Are 'Friends' Electric?" alongside two additional Pleasure Principle cuts ("Films" and "M.E.") was a genuine thrill. Equally impressive, though, was how well his 21st-century material held up alongside the classics. In a sweet moment midway through the set, Numan brought his 23-year-old daughter Raven onstage to perform her song "Nothing's What It Seems" — and she more than held her own. It gave Gary a brief breather before the ageless performer returned, fully in command, to close out the night.