City Hall Sheffield 25th September 1983

 

Not London, but Sheffield for this 'Warriors' tour gig. Reasonable sounding audience recording.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-tOrrL1e2qW

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-2u7NvF8dqS

Hammersmith Odeon Warriors Review (New Musical Express 29th October 1983)

A rare appearance of Numan in the pages of New Musical Express as the editors consented to include a live review of one of the Warriors dates in London. Perhaps unsurprisingly I am left wondering 'Why did they bother?' NME hated Numan in 1979 and there was no discerning shift in that position come 1983. Do not expect any insightful thoughts on the gig... you have been warned.

There is no way of telling which of the three nights the NME reviewer attended, but the Hammersmith gig of 13th October, part of which was broadcast by BBC Radio 1, as part of their 'In Concert' series can be located here.

New Musical Express 29th October 1983

Park West Theatre Chicago 8th November 1982

It's strange to think that on this day, Numan's birthday, he turns 68 years of age. That means that I am kicking at the door of 60 myself. Taking the anniversary thing one step further it will be 44 years in September since the release of 'I, Assassin', which he toured in the US playing 19 dates in all. This gig from the Park West Theatre in Chicago was the last night of that tour. 

It is a pity that the material from the 'Dance'/'I, Assassin' period never got much of an airing in the UK (exceptions being, from memory, 'Stories' (Teletour) and 'She's Got Claws', 'Cry The Clock Said' and a 'Metal'/'Moral' hybrid (Wembley). I guess having gone high profile with his retirement pronouncements of the previous year, which an ever hostile music press interpreted to be a case of 'Take the money and run', to tour the UK in 1982 would have seen Numan shredded by his detractors.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-j8qozztaQ7

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-OzW3fTVTaQ

Melbourne Radio Interview May 1980

 

Here is a interview with Gary conducted at a local Melbourne based radio station ahead of his Touring Principle dates in the city at the Palais Theatre on the 19th and 20th May. In the interview Numan is typically self-effacing and happily laying out his career plans in music, video and air travel! 

I am assuming that this is a rebroadcast several years later on a more recent radio show as the commentary at the end is looking back (rather disparagingly it has to be said) at those dates in 1980. Only a short 10 minute interview but worth a listen if only for the gig promo ad which declared Numan to be the 'Bowie of the '80s'... oh how he must have squirmed!

MP3: https://we.tl/t-i0XjafyAnk

Kraftwerk Roundhouse, London 10th October 1976 Review (New Musical Express 16th October 1976)

New Musical Express (9th October 1976)

If the Sex Pistols caused a ripple of confusion through a sea of denim in the mid-70s then I am sure that the same can be said of Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider of Dusseldorf's Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk turned heads for the exact opposite reasons to Sex Pistols and their followers. As reviewer, Miles, had it below 'They are a very neat band, all dressed in suits and ties and short hair like bank managers'. By October 1976, the band in some form (always around Ralf and Florian) had been making experimental noise already for more than six years. As time had gone by that noise had come to rely increasingly on electronics and a good power supply. By October 1976, the line up had settled into what was to be the 'classic' Kraftwerk quartet of Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür. The band in this form had two classic albums under their belts, 'Autobahn' and 'Radioactivity' whilst live they were playing two tracks from what is perhaps their finest album 'Trans Europe Express' with the title track and 'Europe Endless' appearing in the set.

Unlike their contemporaries, Kraftwerk's music defies age, it is and still sounds timeless.

On 10th October they were in the UK appearing in a headline show at Camden's Roundhouse, a gig that the New Musical Express reviewed the following week.

New Musical Express (16th October 1976)

Kraftwerk Paradiso, Amsterdam 9th September 1976

 

Prior to hopping on to a Sealink ferry to cross the English Channel for dates in the UK including a night at London's Roundhouse, Kraftwerk played a gig in Amsterdam's legendary Paradiso. The sound on this is very good, especially when considering that the gig was played 50 years ago and recorded on the audio equipment that was available at the time.

These days Kraftwerk shows are note perfect, highly choreographed events. This is a little different, not in terms of slickness.... Kraftwerk never were a band with a reputation for cocking up! But its is great to hear these songs an a rawer, early form, not surprisingly most notably on the two 'TEE' tracks that were yet to be released.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-RkB2j7NaE3

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-wj9MHrP4PM

The Human League Vienna 4th June 1980

They said of The Prodigy in the 1990's, the same could have been said of The Human League in the late '70's before pop stardom called by, they were Electronic Punks.

Certain bands were punk in their attitude in that they were around in '77 and didn't jump on the three chord bandwagon but instead decided to make their own unfathomable noise, in many ways as challening to the status quo as punk. Unlike the electro/new romantic bands that followed within 18 months or so the likes of The Human League and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark built their own synthesizers.... even those aspiring to be in a punk band could go down to Woolworths to get the gear, not so for the early electro-musicians, they had to make their instruments..... punks indeed, albeit in corduroy!

Unlike some of the other early electronic outfits, most notably Ultravox, The Human League did not take themselves too seriously, their music was a mixed bad of futuristic adsurdity ('The Black Hit of Space', 'Empire State Human'), unexpected covers ('Rock 'n' Roll Part 2', 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling') and songs that referenced 1970's popular culture of the day as in 'The Circus of Death' which features 'Hawaii 5-0' detective Steve McGarrett as its central character. The original Human League's take on the future was more Jetsons than robots and AI! In that sense they were not a million miles away from The Rezillos, and funnily enough Rezillos guitarist, Jo Callis, joined The League shortly after departing from Faye and Eugene.

What's more, The Human League were viewed with a certain credibility by the punk fraternity, supporting Iggy Pop and Siouxsie and the Banshees on UK tours.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-6zLnmInGyK

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-AjzXFj1oqt