GARY NUMAN + AGENCY-V – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 24.6.25
Gary Numan needs little introduction. His breakthrough hit, 1979 UK chart topper ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ was notable for its pioneering use of synthesisers in rock, whilst the singer’s otherworldly persona caught the audience’s imagination to the point where he retains a presence in the wider public consciousness beyond his musical output. That output is considerable, with 22 studio albums including three UK number ones. The artist’s long and illustrious career has been discussed at length in previous reviews in this publication, but the news right now is that Brighton’s 650 capacity Concorde 2 has been chosen to host the first three of four warmup shows (the fourth being Cheese & Grain in Frome, Somerset), prior to an appearance on The Park Stage at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday 28th June. This is a great opportunity to catch an iconic performer in a relatively intimate setting, and needless to say, tickets sold out very quickly. This account is of the second show, on Tuesday 24th June.
Arriving at the venue on Brighton’s seafront, there’s a long queue of ticket holders, all eager to get a good vantage point in the narrow live room. After decades in music, Gary Numan retains an extensive following of loyal fans, often referred to as ‘Numanoids’, and there’s a friendly atmosphere of expectation down near the front of the stage. We’re entertained by an excellent set from support act Agency-V, described below, which seems to go down well with the people around me, and a after a fairly brief reset of the stage, it’s 9pm and time for the main event.
An introductory electronic throb heralds the band’s arrival on stage to enthusiastic cheers, and they launch into ‘Halo’. Charismatic frontman Gary Numan leans low into his mic stand before dancing vigorously with it. His current style is a sort of dishevelled futurism, post-industrial and post-apocalyptic in an artfully tailored way, with dark clothing topped off by an impressive shock of dyed black hair. Unusually, he wears no face makeup today. Flanking the singer are guitarist Steve Harris and bassist Tim Slade, who sport a strikingly co-ordinated look of grey tops and long black skirts, their shaven heads dissected by black lines giving the impression that they’ve come straight here from guarding some ancient sacred tomb. Their esoteric vibe is enhanced by punctuating their playing and lively dancing with mysterious-looking gestures. Further back is David Brooks, busily operating a triple stack of Roland keyboards, and Jimmy Lucido, pounding hard on a conventional drum kit in the corner of the stage, house right.
Gary addresses the audience. I was thinking he looked in fine fettle, but apparently he’s not well. “Something’s not right with me today. My eyes are f*cked, I can’t see anything at all, I can’t hear properly, so no make up for the first time ever! It feels a bit weird, and I’m really giddy. So…if it’s not quite what you’re used to, I do apologise.” There’s plenty of sympathy and encouraging cheering from the loyal fans, and having issued his disclaimer, the seasoned performer and consummate professional gets straight back to business, delivering the next hour-and-half’s set as preparation for his Glastonbury appearance at the weekend.
An electronic vortex of didgeridoo-like swirl, with growling bass and a primal beat, launches ‘The Chosen’. Guitarist Steve is showboating out on the bass bins, whilst Gary flings about his mic stand, his vocal an impassioned drawl. The overall sound is a thunderous storm of synth-and-effects-laden industrial rock. Early number ‘Metal’ is punctuated by bursts of blinding white strobe from footlight-style fixtures pointed at the audience, and the guitar-toting sentinels get busy with some freaky dancing. Gary straps on a Les Paul guitar to supplement the big stabs of ‘In A Dark Place’, and I particularly like the epic sweep of ‘Pure’, which has the audience chanting along and pumping their fists.
The crowd seem surprisingly matter-of-fact when the massive hit ‘Cars’ is played, Gary moving to a synth to contribute to the haunting sustain of the instrumental sections. ‘Everything Comes Down To This’ sounds massive, the band getting slinkily mobile as its growling riff and chanted chorus are punctuated with more bursts of piercing white light.
It’s no great surprise that Gary’s grown-up daughters are musical too, and Raven Numan comes on to front the band and sing one of her compositions, ‘Nothing’s What It Seems’. The song moves along nicely on shuffling rhythms, with Gary on guitar in proud dad mode. Persia, another daughter, comes on and delivers some impressive backing vocals on ‘My Name Is Ruin’, another huge number with a great keyboard riff. Swoops and juddering arpeggios embellish the deliciously atmospheric ‘A Prayer For The Unborn’, and there’s a great crowd response to the hit that started it all, ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’, with a mass chanted accompaniment and synchronised pointing to the iconic synth breaks. That single’s predecessor, ‘Down In The Park’ elicits more mass-armography, picked out by bursts of white strobe.
I find myself wondering how Gary’s feeling, as the set moves relentlessly on with the thumping intro and juddering synth of ‘Ghost Nation’. I suspect his vocal might be slightly less powerful than usual, though I doubt I would have noticed if he hadn’t made the announcement at the start. It’s a big finish with the excellent ‘Pray For The Pain’ and ‘I Die: You Die’, with any illness or fatigue far from apparent amidst the energetic dancing and riffing.
Needless to say, there are loud calls for more, with a chant of “Nu-man” and plenty of insistent clapping. I’m sure everyone would have understood if no encore was forthcoming, but Gary and the band return with the 1979 classic ‘Films’ and the loomingly majestic ‘Here In The Black’. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s show, and the rare chance to see an iconic performer at close quarters in a small venue. I wish him well with the remainder of the warm up shows, and his performance on The Park Stage at Glastonbury on Saturday 28th June.
Gary Numan:
Gary Numan – lead vocals, keyboard, guitar
Steve Harris – electric guitar
Tim Slade – bass
David Brooks – keyboards and programming
Jimmy Lucido – drums
Raven Numan – vocals
Persia Numan – vocals
Gary Numan setlist:
‘Halo’ (from 2006 ‘Jagged’ album)
‘The Chosen’ (from 2021 ‘Intruder’ album)
‘Metal’ (from 1979 ‘The Pleasure Principle’ album)
‘In A Dark Place’ (from 2006 ‘Jagged’ album)
‘Pure’ (from 2000 ‘Pure’ album)
‘Cars’ (from 1979 ‘The Pleasure Principle’ album)
‘Haunted’ (from 2006 ‘Jagged’ album)
‘Everything Comes Down To This’ (from 2013 ‘Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)’ album)
‘Nothing’s What It Seems’ (with Raven Numan) (unreleased Raven Numan song)
‘My Name Is Ruin’ (with Persia Numan) (from 2017 ‘Savage (Songs From A Broken World)’ album)
‘A Prayer For The Unborn’ (from 2000 ‘Pure’ album)
‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ (from 1979 ‘Replicas’ album)
‘Down In The Park’ (from 1979 ‘Replicas’ album)
‘Ghost Nation’ (from 2017 ‘Savage (Songs From A Broken World)’ album)
‘I Die: You Die’ (from 1980 ‘Telekon’ album – cassette version)
(encore)
‘Films’ (from 1979 ‘The Pleasure Principle’ album)
‘Here In The Black’ (from 2013 ‘Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)’ album)
Support tonight is from Agency-V, an electronic rock trio formed during lockdown back in 2020. They have released two EPs which are being combined onto a forthcoming album on Distortion Productions, due for release on 11th July. They open the show with an instrumental piece of moodily sustained synth hanging over a thumping backing of programmed drums. The three players are in a line across the stage, with vocalist Marie flanked by keyboard player Lloyd and guitarist Peter. Marie has a strong look that suggests she might have come straight from a 1980s indie disco, with black ra-ra skirt and gloves, and boots with sparkly laces. Guitarist Peter looks sharp, also all in black, whilst Lloyd sports a slouch beanie cap and a red T-shirt bearing the band’s logo.
Opening number proper ‘Dangerous Ground’ features gorgeous hooks of retro synth over an insistent sequenced backing. Marie lends emphasis to her cooly delivered vocal performance with elegant dancing and exaggerated gestures, and a tasty break of effects-laden guitar tops off an excellent piece. The Numanoids around me seem to be enjoying it too. The gloriously poppy keyboard lines of ‘Freaking Out’ contrast nicely with its thudding rhythm, whilst Marie’s delicate vocal on ‘Pray For The Sun’ is brought into sharp relief by a flurry of effects-warped rhythm guitar chords. “Sorry it didn’t work,” the band quip, referring to the song title and today’s rather cloudy weather.
‘Who We Used To Be’ is introduced as a new song, and it’s another beautifully layered piece, with catchy synth lines punctuated by staccato snare rolls. Marie’s exhortation for the audience to put their hands in the air gets an impressive take up, and she’s absolutely delighted at the song’s conclusion to have sung “all the right words in the right order”. I like the call-and-response vocals of ‘We Can Erase You’, and there’s a passable rendition of ‘Stupid Girl’ by Garbage, although with the quality of songwriting on show here, it hardly seems necessary to be including cover versions in the set. I’m rather taken with the chord progression of ‘Give It Up’, and the busy bass throb of ‘This Time’ concludes a most enjoyable performance. If poppy electronica with an element of industrial edge is your sort of thing, Agency-V’s forthcoming ‘Never Meant To Be’ album would be well worth investigating.
Agency-V:
Marie Williamson – vocals
Lloyd Price – synths and programming
Peter Steer – guitar
Agency-V setlist:
‘Intro’
‘Dangerous Ground’ (from 2025 ‘Never Meant To Be’ album)
‘Freaking Out’ (from 2025 ‘Never Meant To Be’ album)
‘Pray For The Sun’ (from 2025 ‘Never Meant To Be’ album)
‘Who We Used To Be’ (unreleased)
‘We Can Erase You’ (from 2025 ‘Never Meant To Be’ album)
‘Stupid Girl’ (Garbage cover) (from 2025 ‘Never Meant To Be’ album)
‘Give It Up’ (from 2025 ‘Never Meant To Be’ album)
‘This Time’ (from 2025 ‘Never Meant To Be’ album)
