Friday, 22 October 2010 17:21

Gary Numan - 80’s synth pioneer talks festivals

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Gary Numan often gets mentioned in the same conversation as the words ‘pioneer’ and ‘electronic music’ – and with deserved credit. He’s not only had massive electro pop success in the eighties with global hits including ‘Cars’ and ‘Are Friends Electric?’, but his influence on techno and industrial music is evident in the music we hear today, and his success is apparent as his career spans more than 20 studio albums.

When I was younger I avoided them like the plague to be honest. I didn’t really get the festival thing at all. It was probably around the mid 90’s that I really started to understand why people loved them and for me it was something of a revelation. Now I try to play at as many as I can.

Are they something you enjoy attending as well as performing at?

It’s always something of an education watching how other bands handle themselves in the festival environment, in both negative and positive ways, but mostly I just love the atmosphere.

What is the strangest experience you have had at a festival you performed at?

We played a festival in Folkestone where the stage area hadn’t been built properly and it was coming apart. It was also raining very heavily. The rain was falling on to the stage and all the equipment as the roof cover was coming off the scaffolding above us. We had puddles on stage, amps blowing up and keyboards going down – just a nightmare.

If there was any festival in the world you could perform at which one would it be?

Coachella in America has for a long time been a festival I have wanted to play at. We were invited to play there this year but the volcano in Iceland ruined that. It has an amazingly diverse mix of music, huge receptive crowds and an incredible setting. Next year, hopefully.

What electronic act would be your top pick for a headliner at a festival?

The Prodigy. I’ve never been to a Prodigy gig that was anything less than stunning and the perfect music to end a festival. They are aggressive, powerful and relentless. Perfect festival fodder.


Words: Product 19
Photo: Ed Fielding

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Claire Williams

Features Editor

Claire is a freelance journalist living, loving and havin' it large in hectic London town. As well as editing the Core website and doing all manner of important editor business on the printed publication, she also writes for numerous dance music publications and reviews clubs and restaurants for London guide, Fluid. When she's not beavering away on the mag or telling people off for bad spelling and punctuation, Claire likes travelling, long walks and throwing some serious shapes on the dancefloor.