Gig Review: Gary Numan at Southampton’s O2 Guildhall

Gary Numan has an iconic status, with a large die hard following. In fact, I know someone who is going to 10 shows during this tour. Having heard him rave about how amazing the shows are, I thought I would experience one from this tour for myself.

Support came from Kanga, who was described as a female Nine Inch Nails – she certainly knows how to fill a venue with an amazing sound, whilst bringing drama through the dark light show and some athletic dance moves.

The large screens showed some powerful imagery, building the tension of the audience, who were clearly excited for the show to start. Straight onto the stage with a bang, Gary Numan was surrounded by a confident band. It was clear he was ready for the show too, with an unrivalled energy. I have seen some of the most energetic acts to tour this summer, and he is certainly up there with them, despite being one of the older acts.

It has taken a while for me to write this review, because its not all positive, and its not because of the the act. Speaking to some of the younger audience, it was noted that the mostly 45+ audience was unusually unfriendly – the show from the night before had to be stopped for a fight that had broken out. It was a shame, as there were certainly a lot of people there just to have a good time; I can only conjecture about the reasons, but it certainly wasn’t the band. A bit like supporting a sports team, audiences need to remember that they are representing the those that they choose to support.

Leaving some of the bigger tunes to near the end of the set, new wave classics such as “Are Friends Electric” and “Cars” had the capacity O2 Guildhall crowd writhing to the electro beats.