Live Review : Gary Numan + Divine Shade @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on May 3rd 2022

Every now and then I get a ROCKFLESH assignment that turns out to be on a level so beyond exciting that my cold dead shattered heart suddenly bursts into a joyful rhythm of what I imagine sounds like Industrial drums. I reckon my heart beats sound like Nine Inch Nails. And tonight my heart is beating for the Gothfather of Electro himself…. Gary Numan. 

A few years ago me and our Gregg were sat having a pre Thy Art Is Murder pint in Grand Central in Manchester. It was our first time working together and we started chatting about who we were into. We both settled on one name. 

“I’d love to cover him” Gregg mused.

“Mate, if we ever got the chance I’d be  there in a flash” I said. 

I’m a very big believer in the Universe hearing what you want, giving you what you need, dishing out the karma as and when it sees fit. I’ve been an awfully good girl. Mostly. And the Universe finally rewarded me tonight with this gig. Next week it’s bringing me Henry Cavill. I hope. 

We’d debated long and hard at ROCKFLESH HQ about if Mr Numan was actually for us. Me and Gregg argued yes, he had long since delved into the realms of industrial and played with a live band. Some of the others didn’t agree… they were wrong of course. 

Kicking off tonight’s fun is French electro rock trio Divine Shade. How wonderful an opportunity for a band who recognise the headliner as one of their main influences, and how tremendously they seize this night with an ear splittingly loud performance. The synth shakes the very core of the room, the vibrations resonating through the air in a deeply passionate performance. 

With a sound that takes me into darker Depeche Mode vs Perturbator territory (listen to ‘From the Sky’ to see what I mean) they quickly tick all my boxes ( see my bio…) and seemingly the audiences too, although one sarcastic sour puss behind me goes “Bloody Hell, that’s a bit loud isn’t it”.

By the time they make it to their closer ‘Black Birds Return’ there’s a lot of shapes being thrown all over the room, but the tune has those ‘hands in the air’ vibes with lashings of melancholy. An absolutely perfect opener and an excellent performance, brilliantly setting the mood ready for the main event. 

I’m so astounded by Gary Numan’s opening visuals I don’t even notice him walk on stage, he seems to just teleport himself on there. He’s surrounded by a crew who look like they’ve wandered in from an apocalyptic wasteland and decided to form an industrial band, and it’s an incredibly striking visual effect. 

As we are on the Intruder tour, he treats us to several of the newer tracks from the album including ‘The Gift’, ‘The Chosen’, and ‘Is The World Not Enough’.  Numan these days is one of the most industrial things out there, and he showcases this with a vast selection of more recent offerings. There’s a section in the set where he goes from crowd pleaser ‘Cars’, into the utterly divine ‘My Name Is Ruin’, and onto the stunning ‘Love Hurt Bleed’. 

He remains a true showman to the very end, moving poetically within this wall of sound that he’s created. I genuinely expected no less from him, but even so I find myself pausing from dancing to just take in the entire effect. Something I’ve always loved about Gary Numan is how completely distinct his voice is (he, Mike Patton, Tori Amos and Trent Reznor are some of my favourites, in that you can always tell it’s them singing), and it seems time has been so incredibly kind to him and continued to gift him with those unique tones, and he uses a set of about 20 songs to demonstrate his talents so perfectly. 

By the time it closes with the massive ‘Are Friends Electric’, I’m already hatching a plan to grab a ticket and return to the Manchester date on this tour. I urge you to do the same, it was a truly unforgettable night and stunning performance.

Gary Numan will be stopping by the gorgeous venue that is the Albert Hall in Manchester on May 18th 2022, and if you can get a ticket (limited availability on Ticketmaster at the moment… not surprised after how good Liverpools date has been), I really recommend you get yourself to the show and witness it for yourself.