Sadly enough, many people have arrived at brainwashed or are now Warp
Records fans because Coil, Meat Beat Manifesto and Aphex Twin have
crept into their collection through NIN remixes. What most average NIN
listener doesn't realize yet is that Reznor's entire act is derivative
from Cabaret Voltaire, Front 242, Kiss, 'With Sympathy'-era Ministry
and above all, Gary Numan. Watching this man step on stage to a large
club packed with about 600 die hard fans is a rather messianic
experience. The man has a career half way through its third decade, a
fresh and energetic young band and he looks incredible for his age.
Numan has always toyed with the part man/part machine persona, so it
comes as no surprise his backing group is a talented array of cyber
rivetheads, and while his music over the years has straddled genres, it
has never lost its anthemic fervor. The crowd went nuts for every song,
singing along with every word, reminding me once again that I need to
hear more of his post-1984 material. Of course, when suggested, most
people will turn away, lumping Numan into a category with one-hit
wonders and nostalgic retrospective collections including Culture Club
and Kajagoogoo. So he might play "Cars" live, so what? Listen to me:
it's good for you (things really only started making sense to me after
seeing his live incarnate, I'll never miss a show of his now). There's
nothing cheesy, aging or dated about the killer show and those who
doubt are only displaying their ignorance. Live dates are posted at
www.numan.co.uk.