But Are Friends Electric? had such catchy hooks that it wasn’t a song easily forgotten, and nor was Numan’s big solo hit Cars which came out shortly afterwards. To be honest, at that point in time I had just begun listening to rock, and my tastes were revolving around anything with heavy guitars, so Numan’s synth rock didn’t really chime with me. It was quite a dramatic contrast to most of the other acts on that night, as Numan and his band played out their breakout hit Are Friends Electric? While it was de rigeur for pop acts to dress flamboyantly and mime outrageously as if their careers depended on it, Numan and co were defiantly alternative, performing with minimal emotion and a distinctly formal appearance. Those of us of a certain age will recall the first time they saw Gary Numan with his band The Tubeway Army appearing on UK television’s Top Of The Pops.

Post-progressive synth rock collides with post-apocalyptic imagery, as Gary Numan brings his Savage tour to Edinburgh, for a gig that may prove to be one of the best I’ll experience this year. Here's my fuller take on it, from my latest blog review: Experienced my first Numan gig last weekend, and was very impressed with the experience - much more immersive and intense than I'd expected, and very well paced with the running order.

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