Tag: gary numan

Gary Numan at The Fonda Theater shot by Saryn Christina

Gary Numan and Frontline Assembly at The Fonda: An Evening of Synths and Industrial Bliss

Saryn Christina May 8, 2024

On April 7, 2024, The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles welcomed the eager fans of Gary Numan and Frontline Assembly with a line stretching around the block. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as the doors swung open, revealing a packed theater ready to witness both artists take the stage. Frontline Assembly kicked off the evening with a thunderous set that fused industrial beats with haunting melodies. Starting right on time, they strode from the darkness and exploded with sound. Playing classics like “Mindphaser” and crashing into newer tracks that showcased their evolution, Frontline Assembly delivered a performance that was as intense as it was mesmerizing. The entire band performed with an energy that set the stage for an incredible night. The crowd, bathed in pulsating lights and engulfed in a wall of sound, was entranced from start to finish. Related: Nitzer Ebb And Flow – A Night Of Dance And Darkness At The Music Box Soon after Frontline Assembly exited, Gary Numan took the stage and from the opening notes he captured the audience with his enduring sound. He delivered a career-spanning set that perfectly balanced his early, more pop-oriented sounds with the darker, industrial leanings of his later work.

Siouxsie Sioux at Cruel World 2023 by Albert Licano

Cruel World 2023- Redemption and Romance at The Rose Bowl

Danny Baraz May 26, 2023

One of the definitions of the word “Cruel” is, “to cause pain and suffering”. As much unintentional cruelty as Cruel World 2023 inflicted on the psyches of so many attendees by abruptly shutting the festival down half way through Iggy Pop’s set on Saturday, festival promoter and corporate media juggernaut Goldenvoice offered an olive branch of redemption by giving those who didn’t have to leave town on Sunday what most of us came to see- Siouxsie Sioux playing her first set in L.A. in 15 years. The build-up to Cruel World 2023 was palpable- not only for the 1000’s of out of towners that took time off of work, booked airfare, hotel and budgeted all year for what was for many, their annual vacation but also an elusive enthusiasm from Angeleno music fans who are jaded and spoiled by their residency in the music capital of the world. It would’ve been tough for any festival to live up to the magick we witnessed at Cruel World 2022 which peaked on the 2nd day of the festival where we witnessed Bauhuas bloody the stage and make the moon disappear but somehow, Goldenvoice rode 2022’s wave into the shores of excitement and

Becoming the Night: Substance 2019

Rob Shepyer November 7, 2019

Taking every kind of music into account, the genre that best fits Los Angeles has to be post-punk, or better yet, goth. Why exactly? Perhaps it’s the way the shadows hit the concrete, or the loneliness of a city where people think being neighborly only causes more trouble, maybe it’s the genre’s long tradition from the Sunset Strip to the barrio. Goth has always stayed strong whether it’s the biggest scene in the city or not. Given all this, an annual goth festival where people can wallow and dance the night away is a necessity. In previous years, Cloak and Dagger was the go-to festival for such affairs but as of 2019, Restless Nights and Spaceland’s Substance festival which took place at the Los Angeles Theatre, is now the premiere goth festival in Los Angeles. What I found most interesting about this festival, beyond the actual music, was the fact that every major goth promoter had a hand in it. Along with Restless Nights; Part Time Punks, Das Bunker, and Lethal Amounts were also in the mix. The common threads between all the bands present at the 2 day event were darkness and electronics. Everyone wore black. related content: Cloak

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Substance Festival

Janky Smooth Central Command October 25, 2019

The ultimate post punk, industrial, darkwave festival of the year approaches in only a few weeks and we’ve got your tickets to see some of our favorite bands here at Janky Smooth. It’s so awesome to see Adult. in their rightful place so high on a lineup as direct support under Gary Numan. Both sets are sure to be bonkers. Then of course everyone can’t wait to dance and sweat to Boy Harsher. Perhaps the most exciting things on this lineup are the emotive forces behind John Maus and Lust For Youth who will be having Tamaryn sing with them during their set. It’s all going to be very wild. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO SUBSTANCE NOVEMBER 1ST AND 2ND AT THE PALACE THEATER Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK Substance Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON OCTOBER 28TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Time Machine for Young and Old: Gary Numan at the Fonda

Audrey Kemp October 9, 2018

Gary Numan teleported his Los Angeles audience into his multidimensional universe for the final leg of his “Savage” tour on Saturday. It was 8:00 p.m. The venue, called the Fonda Theater, has a capacity of 1200. By the time the I got there, around six, a dense line of fans had circled the block, waiting for the door to open. They were mainly clad in leather jackets and Nine Inch Nails shirts, and with the exception of some millennials, almost all of them seemed to be older than 50. related content: Gary Numan Interview: Art In The Age Of Savages When the doors opened, a sea of veteran fans and first-time attendees flooded the floor. For 63-year-old Mike Sperks, who’s seen Gary Numan 10 times since 1979, he’s gotten better and better. “I like his music better now. There’s more energy. My all-time favorite song of his is ‘Prayer for the Unborn’ — a song dedicated to his unborn child,” he said. Among the older people was a group of 18-year-old University of Redlands students from a class called “Punk Rock DIY for Personal and Social Change.” Their professor held Mr. Numan in such high regard that he bought them

Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Gary Numan at The Fonda

Janky Smooth Central Command September 26, 2018

Gary Numan is a treasure in the world of electronic music and an innovator with the synthesizer. There’s a lot more to his music than his classic song “Cars” though. On this stretch of his Savage tour, you can see for yourself how his music has evolved into both a fantastical storytelling medium and into an industrial banger machine that punches hard enough for you to never forget. Janky Smooth invites you to travel to the dystopian future of Gary Numan by offering two tickets to his Fonda show in this contest. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR. ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO GARY NUMAN OCTOBER 6TH AT THE FONDA THEATRE Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2- Tag a Friend in the comment section of our Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook Gary Numan Giveaway Posts WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON MONDAY OCTOBER 1ST AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Riot Fest 2018: The Riot Still Rages

Janky Smooth Central Command September 22, 2018

Words and Photos by: Meghan Breedlove This past weekend in Chicago, Riot Fest 2018 wrapped up their 13th year and Janky Smooth was there to capture some of the scenes from the weekend. Even though Riot Fest shared some devastating news regarding Blink 182’s cancellation (due to health issues) a few short days before the festival, Riot Fest was able to recover quickly by booking Weezer, Taking Back Sunday, and Run the Jewels. related content: How Riot Fest Chicago 2016 Survived The Misfits Subpar Performance Even with Blink 182’s absence, there was no shortage of their songs, with multiple Blink 182 covers sung over the weekend to honor the band, with both Weezer and Young the Giant covering “All the Small Things”. The festival layout was somewhat cozy, with five stages of proximity, a freak show, a variety of carnival rides, and of course pretty much any fried food your heart desired. Overall, Riot Fest 2018 was a major success despite some last minute lineup changes, so here is a recap of my adventure in Chicago this past weekend. related content: Jawbreaker At Riot Fest: The Moment I Stopped Hating Pop Punk Day 1 I first arrived at the festival

Gary Numan Interview: Art in the Age of Savages

Audrey Kemp September 18, 2018

I was fortunate enough to submit the probing questions of past, present and current audiophiles to synthesizer pioneer Mr. Gary Numan by means of cyberspace. We discussed his 18th studio album Savage, the current global state of affairs and the unforeseeable future. related content: Millennial Matchmaking: Gary Numan & Ugly God At The Observatory AK: These days, synthesizers are as common as a guitars in a song. Being a pioneer of the computerized world, would you care to share your thoughts on the proliferation of synthesized music? GN: I think it adds a level of sonic interest to music to see them widely used. However, it would be a mistake to think that synthesizers are all there is to electronic music. On my albums synths account for some of the sounds but not all of them by any means. Much of it comes from recording all manner of noises from the environment and then manipulating them to make them work musically. It’s not really about synths, it’s about sound, noise, whatever you can find that makes an interesting addition to a song. AK: Tubeway Army was one of the first bands of your time to break away from what was

Millennial Matchmaking: Gary Numan & Ugly God At The Observatory

Rob Shepyer November 22, 2017

Two artists from very different times and scenes played two different shows on the same Observatory stage. Gary Numan and Ugly God- rarely do you get that much musical diversity out of a night and I was interested to see how my brain would react to absorbing the contrast. Anyone that knows me would think I was more interested in seeing Numan and though I’m a fan, I came to see what all this trap hype was about. For you see, music has become for me a divining rod which one can use to understand where society is going and if Trap’s popularity is any indication, I think we’ll all be celebrating ourselves stupid in times to come. The Gary Numan show was first with Me Not You as his only support on the bill. They’re a band from New York City that played an amazing and cathartic set with electronic post-punk vibes that kept building and building, pulling the tears out of your eyes while cramming the noise down your ears. They reminded me a bit of Health but with female vocals and a pinch of mellow, alternative vibes comparable to older bands like The Breeders or The Cranberries or