Gary Numan

Button Factory, Dublin Tomorrow 7.30pm €25 buttonfactory.ie01-6709202

We all love him now, but there was a time when Gary Numan’s synthesis of dystopian sci-fi themes and electronic music was sneered at for being too much in thrall to David Bowie’s Berlin trilogy (notably, Low and Heroes). As is the way of these matters, however, Numan has been lauded as a pioneer of electronic music, beloved by and influencer of the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Marilyn Manson and other exponents of metal machine music.

He’s had his ups and downs, of course: massive success in the 1980s, a slump in the 1990s and success once again in the noughties. Through it all he has simply kept his head down and carried on with the work.

Speaking of which – is it up to much? Well, it’s a crunchy, hard-hat zone, musically, but there’s enough melody going around to damp-proof the decibels. And, let it be duly noted, Are ‘Friends’ Electric? is a classic of the genre.

Can’t See That? Catch This

The Men Wed, Dublin