Gary Numan is no stranger to a live album. He has released various different ones throughout his illustrious career, but none as spectacular as his latest release Savage: Live at Brixton.
Recorded at the legendary Brixton Academy on October 14th 2017 on the first leg of the Savage album tour, this 2 cd & dvd package captures Gary at his absolute best and most visually stunning.
As expected the set revolves around the Savage album and has a stage show that reflects that, with a huge video wall, enough lasers and lights to make most other artist jealous with Gary Numan and the band all decked out in future wasteland attire.
The Savage songs themselves really come alive in the live setting, whether it’s the haunting opener Ghost Nation, or the more anthemic cuts like My Name is Ruin and When the World Comes Apart, it is clear that these songs were written with the live setting in mind and here they sound absolutely huge. Even a lesser known cut like Pray for the Pain you Serve really comes into it’s own and finds a home in the live environment.
Elsewhere, cuts from Splinter like Here in the Black and Love.Hurt.Bleed still have a vibrancy and edge to them that is bouyed by having the newer material to go head to head with. There are some one offs thrown in for good measure as well like the standalone single The Fall, Prayer for the Unborn from Pure and Dead Sun Rising from Dead Son Rising. All tracks that aren’t brought out very often and recieve a rapturous response from the amassed faithful.
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the classic material like Cars, Down in the Park, Metal and the set closer Are Friends Electric? all of which have aged incredibly well and are played with a much harder more industiral edge. It’s a testament to both the old and new material that they can both stand alongside each other pretty seamlessly and still sound like they all belong here, the new material sounds fresh, vital and the older material sounds invigorated and timeless, making not only for a set that flows incredibly well but it also manages to appeal to everyone and provide a spectacle for everyone no matter what era of Numan you prefer.
Overall the Savage: Live at Brixton package is a stunningly put together live release that not only showcases a legendary artist at the height of their performing powers but it also perfectly encapsulates the feeling of witnessing this tour live and gives fans at home the chance to relive it’s brilliance all over again.
Rock Sins were recently privileged to catch up with Gary Numan for an in-depth interview about Savage and a variety of other topics. For those who would be interested in checking out, please do so on the following link – Gary Numan interviewed by Rock Sins (November 2018).
