Gary Numan dwell on the Cheese & Grain, Frome, 27 June 2025
★★★★★
With three Glastonbury warm-up gigs in Brighton booked previous to Gary Numan’s landmark look on The Park Stage this weekend, the addition of a Frome date got here considerably out of the blue… not least for the Cheese & Grain itself. Talking to Basic Pop forward of the present, programme and manufacturing supervisor Robert Dahl stated: “It’s humorous as a result of we noticed the Brighton reveals had been taking place, and Gary posted on his social media that they had been searching for one other warm-up however hadn’t been capable of finding one – which appeared ridiculous! Why nobody had bitten his hand off was past me. So we jumped straight on to it and emailed his agent saying, ‘We’d very very like a Gary Numan present, please’. They had been very receptive to the thought, as a result of we’ve bought an excellent historical past of doing Glastonbury warm-up reveals.”
Having Emily Eavis as a patron has little doubt helped the (comparatively) small venue play host to arena-sized headline acts reminiscent of Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters previously. This week alone, it welcomed sold-out reveals by CMAT and Wunderhorse with The Selecter enjoying too – however Numan’s look brought on specific delight. “We’ve had a very nice cross part of gigs this 12 months,” continued Dahl, “however Gary Numan was positively one of many fastest-selling reveals that we’ve ever had, and we might’ve offered the place out three or 4 instances over. Gary is a reputation that we’ve all the time wished to carry to the venue, however didn’t essentially suppose we’d. Having an icon like him on that stage is superb, and we’re all very excited to have him right here.”
Image credit score: Cara-Jayne Bentley
Candy Goals
Because the venue fills with a various vary of followers – from authentic silver-haired Numanoids to the charcoal-eyed teen goths – Basic Pop shortly asks Robert if there are any specific songs he’s hoping to listen to? “Effectively, he’s bought such a wealthy catalogue of unbelievable tracks. In fact, I might love to listen to the apparent ones – Are ‘Associates’ Electrical?, Automobiles, Down In The Park – however I actually like his newer stuff from Intruder too, like I Am Screaming, The Reward, The Chosen, The Finish Of Dragons. However let’s be trustworthy, no matter he performs, it’s gonna be nice and I believe everybody’s going to be blown away by it regardless.”
So on to the present, and particular point out first have to be made for native help act Candy Machine. Drawing affect from the likes of John Foxx, Human League, OMD, Kraftwerk, Tender Cell and, undoubtedly, Gary Numan himself, the synthpop stylings of the duo’s authentic numbers all sound surprisingly acquainted – not a lot a tribute act, extra an affectionate homage to full-on 80s pop.
Simply as night time follows day, the distinction between the sunshine electronica of Candy Machine and the industrial-strength onslaught of the primary occasion is palpable. Hitting the stage with a blistering blast by Halo from 2006’s Jagged, earlier than tearing into The Chosen from Intruder, Numan is greeted by an enraptured viewers just like the all-conquering hero he actually is. Welcome to Numan’s deliciously darkish dystopian future.
Image credit score: Cara-Jayne Bentley
Deliciously Darkish
Flanked by bassist Tim Slade and guitarist Steve Harris, the relentlessly recognisable opening chorus of The Pleasure Precept’s Steel is reimagined as a metallic monster earlier than the singer straps on his guitar for a run by a mighty, melodramatic In A Darkish Place. Stalking the shadows, the showman is visibly in his factor – the peace of Glastonbury’s Park Stage received’t know what’s hit it. And one should surprise what a few of the extra informal followers in attendance tonight may be pondering too, earlier than Numan reveals the ace up his tattooed sleeve: Automobiles. As David Brooks’ chic synth heralds the opening to the groundbreaking UK chart-topper a sea of telephone cameras seize the second as Jimmy Lucido belts out the unremitting beat on the drums to ferocious impact.
Following earth-shattering renditions of Haunted and All the pieces Comes Down To This, the rock star icon turns proud-as-punch father when daughter Raven joins him on stage for her atmospheric Nothing’s What It Appears, earlier than her youthful sibling Persia supplies vocals on a haunting My Title Is Damage.
Image credit score: Cara-Jayne Bentley
Pleasure Precept
Too chilly to carry when it topped the charts for 4 weeks in the summertime of 1979, Tubeway Military’s timeless basic Are ‘Associates’ Electrical? is just too scorching to deal with tonight, as the extraordinary warmth contained in the Cheese & Grain reaches pressure-cooker ranges. “So it’s time to go away, you see it meant all the pieces to me,” Numan talk-sings – and also you get the impression that being on stage on this second actually does imply all the pieces. Nevertheless, it’s not time to go away simply but, because the doom-laden one-two knockout punches of Down In The Park and M.E. units all the pieces up for the finale of Pray For The Ache You Serve and I Die You Die – the latter a pleasant style of what’s to return when Numan excursions the 45th anniversary of Telekon in November.
With a well mannered, “Thanks very a lot, I actually admire it,” Numan returns for a swift two-song encore of Movies – the fourth and ultimate Pleasure Precept outing we’re handled to tonight – and nearer Right here In The Black. Taking time to share bottled water with followers on the entrance, Numan should relish the intimacy of nights like this.
Right here In The Black
As followers escape into the cool black night time, Basic Pop occurs upon a smiling Robert Dahl, pleased with a job nicely carried out: “I actually suppose the Cheese & Grain’s industrial aesthetic suited Gary and I hope he loved his time right here in Frome.”
“Reveals like this are very important as a result of they spotlight how there are venues outdoors of the large cities,” he continued. “Everyone seems to be conscious of the struggles dwell music and small grassroot venues like us face. Huge names like Gary Numan definitely draw consideration, however I’m very pleased with the work we do daily of the 12 months and all of the reveals we placed on in Frome.”
Posters on the wall spotlight an unbelievable array of Basic Pop pleasant acts coming quickly: Supergrass (11 July), Kate Nash (24 July), Teenage Fanclub (9 August), Heaven 17 (15 August), The South (20 September), Dodgy (10 October), Gary Kemp (11 October), Wendy James (14 October), Stewart Copeland (16 October), New Mannequin Military (17 October), The Orb (13 December) and lots of extra. For info click on right here
Photos courtesy of Cara-Jayne Bentley
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