Gary Numan

Gary Numan Takes Pure On The Road

11 Apr 2001 04:48:00 EDT

Fifteen-date North American tour introduces harder-edged sound from creator of 1980 hit 'Cars.'
By Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen

Gary Numan
Photo: None available

New-wave singer Gary Numan, best known for his robotic 1980 hit "Cars," is setting out on a 15-date North American tour in support of his latest record, Pure. Pure is Numan's first release of new material since 1998's Exile. His new album adds drum loops and distorted guitars to Numan's synthesizers, resulting in a harder-edged and more aggressive sound. Numan collaborated with industrial/metal group Fear Factory in 1999 on a remake of "Cars," which featured the British singer on vocals and in the video. Earlier this year he released the double-CD album Live at Labatt's Hammersmith Apollo. Gary Numan tour dates, according to his publicist.

4/17 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
4/18 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
4/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts
4/20 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
4/21 - Montreal, Quebec @ Cafe Campus
4/22 - Toronto, Ontario @ Palais Royal
4/24 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Theatre
4/26 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon Concert Club
4/27 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
4/28 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
4/29 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
5/1 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
5/4 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
5/5 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
5/6 - San Diego, CA @ 4th & B

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Gary Numan

Fear Factory Prepares To Meet Gary Numan For "Cars" Video Shoot

6 May 1999 03:30:00 EDT

Fear Factory

With its revisitation to Gary Numan's new wave anthem of isolation, "Cars," picking up momentum, Fear Factory will head to Vancouver this weekend to shoot a video for the song.

The cover, which features Numan trading vocals with Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell, is the most added track on both active rock and mainstream rock stations and the fourth most added track at alternative rock stations this week, according to radio industry publication "R&R" magazine.

The band hopes to push the song even further by teaming with Numan for what looks to be a rather ambitious video shoot.

"Basically, it's going to stay on the sci-fi tip that we're on, and it's going to have a very Stanley Kubrick-type of vibe to it," Bell told MTV News on Wednesday. "For instance, the first scene is Gary and I in NASA space suits suspended, like floating in space toward this car. Since Gary and I do the verses, we're morphing into each other as we do the verses, so there's going to be a lot of really cool effects in it."

While the video promises to feature the sci-fi flavor that fans have come to expect from all things Fear Factory, Bell said the clip will also illustrate the message that runs through Numan's song.

"Every scene has something to do with a car, of course, and how we feel safe [inside them], but there's still violence and this sh** around," Bell explained.

Helping the band realize this vision will be John S. Bartley, who spent a number of years as a cinematographer on "The X-Files." All this activity seems like a bit much when you take into account the fact that this version of "Cars" was nowhere to be found when Fear Factory's latest album, "Obsolete," hit stores last July.

"We wanted the album to come as the concept and the whole story," Bell explained. "We had the ten songs in a row for it, and 'Cars' was never meant to be on the record. We just knew it would either be a single later on or a B-side or an extra track later on somewhere else. Initially it just didn't fit with the concept."

The band has since found a way to wedge the song (and four other tracks) onto a limited edition Digipak version of "Obsolete" that is in stores now.

Meanwhile, you can expect Fear Factory to trot the song out when the band headlines the second stage at this summer's edition of Ozzfest. Here's where to catch them:

5/27 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheater
5/29 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
5/31 - Nashville, TN @ Starwood Pavilion
6/2 - Charlotte, NC @ Blockbuster Pavilion
6/4 - Washington, DC @ Nissan Pavilion
6/6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Entertainment Center
6/8 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Center
6/10 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Center
6/12 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Starlake Amphitheater
6/14 - Columbus, OH @ Polaris Amphitheater
6/16 - Mansfield, MA @ Great Wood Amphitheater
6/18 - Mansfield, MA @ Great Wood Amphitheater
6/19 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Theater
6/25 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Amphitheater
6/27 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Amphitheater
6/29 - Indianapolis, IN @ Deer Creek Amphitheater
7/1 - Minneapolis, MN @ Float-ride Amphitheater
7/3 - Milwaukee, WI @ Alpine Valley
7/5 - Chicago, IL @ World Music Theater
7/7 - St. Louis, MO @ Riverport Amphitheater
7/9 - Kansas City, MO @ Sandstone Amphitheater
7/11 - San Antonio, TX @ Retama Park
7/13 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheater
7/16 - Vancouver, BC @ Thunderbird
7/17 - Seattle, WA @ The Gorge
7/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
7/22 - Phoenix, AZ @ Desert Sky Amphitheater
7/24 - San Bernadino, CA @ Blockbuster Pavilion

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Fear Factory To Team With Gary Numan For "Cars" Video

2 Apr 1999 02:00:00 EST

Fear Factory's Burton Bell

Fear Factory plans to hook up with Gary Numan next week to shoot a video for the metal outfit's remarkably faithful cover of Numan's new wave hit "Cars."

The sci-fi influenced metal band is expected to team up with Numan on either Thursday or Friday of next week at a location yet to be determined to shoot a clip for the track, which features Numan sharing lead vocals with Fear Factory frontman Burton Bell.

Numan hooked up with the band in a Vancouver recording studio to record the track, which has recently surfaced on a limited edition digipak version of Fear Factory's "Obsolete" album. The band's version of "Cars" was not featured on "Obsolete" initially, but the band's record label says that the song will be added to future pressings of the album.

Fear Factory will have to wedge the video shoot into its busy tour schedule, which has them making the rounds with System Of A Down, Spineshank, and (hed) pe and Static X.

Here's where you can find them:

4/2 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
4/3 - Lewiston, ME @ Central Maine Civic Ctr.
4/5 - Buffalo, NY @ Erie Community College
4/6 - Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
4/7 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
4/9 - Old Bridge, NJ @ Birch Hill Nite Club
4/10 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium

w/Spineshank, System of the Down and hed (pe)

4/11 - New York, NY @ Roseland
4/12 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
4/14 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Metropol
4/15 - Huntington, WV @ WAMX Radio Show
4/16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
4/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
4/19 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
4/20 - Knoxville, TN @ Moose's Music Hall
4/21 - Louisville, KY @ Toy Tiger
4/22 - Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
4/24 - Sauget, IL @ Pop's Annex
4/26 - Milwaukee, WI @ Modjeska Theater
4/29 - Lincoln, NE @ Royal Grove
4/30 - Denver, CO @ Lodo Music Hall
5/1 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Tower

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Manson And Numan Take Walk "In The Park"

26 May 1998 12:00:00 EDT

Manson and Numan 450k QuickTime

Marilyn Manson must have been happy to hear that Gary Numan, the British star whose early '80s hit, "Cars," helped popularize synth-based music, was back on tour after nearly 15 years.

When Numan played the Palace last week in Los Angeles, Manson made a rare guest appearance (see "Marilyn Manson Joins Gary Numan Onstage"), dueting with Numan on "Down In The Park," a song Manson had covered on a 1995 E.P.

As we previously reported (see "Manson Taps Studio Ace Beinhorn"), Manson is currently holed up in a studio working on the follow-up to 1996's "Antichrist Superstar," and is scheduled to play a series of European music festivals in June and July.

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Gary Numan Returns To Ride For New Tour

14 Apr 1998 10:00:00 EDT

Gary Numan, the British artist who helped pioneer synthesizer-based pop and scored a minor hit in the U.S. with "Cars," plans to head out on his first tour of the states in over two years.

According to "Billboard," Numan will hit the road to support two new albums: "Exile," his first record of new material to be released in America in the '90s, and "Mix," a collection of Numan songs reworked by other musicians, including Information Society, Spaceship Eyes, and Anubian Lights, among others.

"Mix" was originally slated to arrive in stores this week, but according to a U.K. fan site, the disc has been delayed due to technical problems. No word yet on when the album will be released.

The dates announced for Numan's upcoming tour:

5/1 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater Of Living Arts
5/2 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
5/3 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Club
5/4 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
5/6 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Laga
5/7 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
5/8 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon Concert Club
5/10 - Pontiac, MI @ 7th House
5/11 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/14 - Vancouver, BC @ Starfish Room
5/15 - Seattle, WA @ Fenix
5/17 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
5/19 - Hollywood, CA @ Palace
5/22 - Dallas, TX @ Galaxy Club
5/23 - Houston, TX @ Numbers
5/26 - Orlando, FL @ Club at Firestone
5/27 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Carefree Theater
5/28 - St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theater

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Gary Numan

Republica Salutes Gary Numan And L7 With Help From Prodigy

20 May 1997 10:00:00 EDT

May 20 [10:00 EST] -- When the Prodigy's "Fat of the Land" album hits stores later this year, fans may notice a familiar voice helping out on an equally familiar tune.

"I've just done some backing vocals on the new Prodigy album, on a track with Keith (Flint)," Republica singer Saffron told the MTV Radio Network recently. "They're very good friends, and I'm very honored that they asked me to do that."

So what track brought the two British chart titans together?

"We did a cover version of L7's 'Fuel My Fire,'" [215k Audio File] Saffron told MTV.

The voice behind the songs "Ready To Go" and "Drop Dead Gorgeous" has also been busy with the rest of Republica reworking a vintage Gary Numan nugget for an upcoming tribute album to the synth pioneer.

"We got do 'Are Friends Electric?' with him, so that's a great honor to be asked to do that," [149k Audio File] Saffron told MTV.

The Republica track will appear with contributions from Bis, Magnetic Fields, The Orb, Pop Will Eat Itself, St. Etienne, and Jesus Jones on the collection, due this month.

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Synth Pioneer Gary Numan Gets His Due

13 Mar 1997 02:00:00 EST

March 13 [14:00 EST] -- A mere seven years after they wrapped up, the 80s are back in a big way. Now Gary Numan is the latest icon of that decade to be revisited in a new collection from Beggar's Banquet Records called "Tubeway Army: Premier Hits."

The album, due March 25, features such pioneering synthesized ditties as "Are 'Friends' Electric," "Down In The Park" (which the Foo Fighters have covered), and, of course, "Cars."

Numan's influential early 80s work will also resurface on "Random," a tribute album featuring takes on Numan songs by Bis, Magnetic Fields, The Orb, Pop Will Eat Itself, St. Etienne, and Jesus Jones. The tribute should turn up on May 20.

For those who either weren't around or weren't paying attention in the early 80s, Gary Numan built a sound from buzzing synthesizers and clacking drum machines that has influenced artists from Kraftwerk to David Bowie to Nine Inch Nails to The Rentals.

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