<p>May,1979. It’s an ordinary Thursday evening, which means it’s time for Top of the Pops. Amidst a zeitgeist of punk anddisco, the show suddenly appears to be interrupted by a transmission from the future. A luminous synth riff echoes out,a beat drives on andupsteps an otherworldly figure-part robot, part alien-to deliver an enigmatic lyric depicting somekind of android existence in a dystopian future. It’s Gary Numan fronting Tubeway Army for their breakthrough hit ‘Are‘Friends’ Electric?’.Of the millions that are watching, few would’ve recognised that this moment foreshadows the shape of music to come,from synth-pop to industrial and alt-pop. That, however, can’t stop it igniting the imagination of an audience that wouldswell into a devoted <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://following.Fast">following.Fast</a>-forward to January, 2021. Numan’sfirstsingle ‘Intruder’(from the Intruder album)pulsates ominously as if it’ssoundtracking an imminent threat. As austere synths loom like shadows and industrial beats are detonated, the beguilinghook towerslike a beacon in the darkness. It’s visionary and venomous, with a narrative that imagines the Earth growingangry at mankind's actions, and more than willing to fight back. In the accompanying video, Numan looks even more outof time than he did back in1979, like an intergalactic refugee fighting for his own existence.Those two songs show how Numan has consistently fought against the grain to stick resolutely to his creative vision. Ina career that spans over forty years, the music evolves and the themes change. But fans remain fascinated by Numan forthe very fact that he’s so uncompromising.Any story charting four decades will be a mixed blessing of momentous highs and meagre lows. The achievements areremarkable for someone who never made any concessions to mainstream success. Seven Top 10 singles, including ‘Are‘Friends’ Electric?’ and the debut solo hit ‘Cars’;eightTop 10 albums, three of which topped the charts; and huge criticalacclaim, most notably with the Inspiration Award at the prestigious Ivor Novellos.Naturally, there were times when Numan was very much not in vogue. Sure, there would be ripples of rediscovery butthere were years when his increasingly conceptual albums were primarily embraced by hardcore fans. He wasn’ttroubling the charts, but audiences were still flocking to see him perform-almost every UK tour would include a sold-out show at the 5000 capacity Hammersmith Apollo.Gradually, though, praise from Nine Inch Nails, Prince and David Bowie led to a reappraisal of his work. And that hasbeen magnified in recent years with Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Dave Grohlciting him as an influence.And so, a new narrative emerged. An unlikely icon returned to the top while making music that was darker, fiercer andmore inventivethan ever.‘Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)’ set the ball rolling by peaking at #20 in 2013, its precise, post-industrial sounddelving into Numan’s experiences with depression. He started a new deal with BMG in 2017 and released ‘Savage (SongsFromA Broken World)’, an album which depicted earth as a barren wasteland in which humanity and culture had beenlargely crushed by the effects of global warming.‘Savage’hit #2 in the UK charts.His next album, ‘Intruder’, presenteda fresh but complementary narrative. It’s a philosophical examination of a potentialfuture apocalypse: the planet can only survive by purging its inhabitants.‘Intruder’also hit #2 in the UK charts.Numan explained: “‘Intruder’ looks at climate changefrom the planet’s point of view. IftheEarth could speak, and feelthings the way we do, what would it say? How would it feel? The songs, for the most part, attempt to be that voice, orat least try to express what I believe the earth must feel at the moment”.The planet sees us as its children now grown into callous selfishness, with a total disregard for its well being. It feelsbetrayed, hurt and ravaged. Disillusioned and heartbroken it is now fighting back. Essentially, it considers human kind tobeamistake, avirus attacking the planet. Climate change is the undeniable sign of the Earth saying enough is enough,and finally doing what it needs to do to get rid of us, and explaining why it feels it has to do it.”Partially written and recorded during lockdown, it’s no surprise that current circumstances have been assimilated intoits themes. It’s especially evident in ‘The Gift’, which evolves from a sparse introduction into a resonant Middle-Eastern</p><ol><li><p>sonic motif. It imagines Covid-19 as the first weapon that the planet deploys in order to eradicate mankind and onceagain flourish.While anger and vengeance rage in its opening chapters, ‘Intruder’ charts a wider spectrum of emotions. ‘Is This WorldNot Enough’ and ‘A Black Sun’ exude regret and then despair that this fate could’ve been avoided. The finale presents ablack-hearted double-bill to bring the curtain down on the tale. First ‘Now And Forever’ offers a hope of eternity in theend days during its theatrical intensity, before the sparse, sorrowful ‘The End Of Dragons’ ends on the chilling reminderthat what’s broken can’t always be fixed.Collectively the album proves that Numan’s creative spark shows no sign of being extinguished.Numan toured the Intruder album at over130shows around the world, finally ending in mid 2024 when he toured theUS with Ministry.Since then he’s been backin the studio writing and recording his next (and 23rd) album, due out in early2026. This one looks at a near future world where humanity lives or dies basedon the whims of an AI controlled system.He did take a few weeks out of the studio to play a major UK tour in the Fall to celebrate the 45thAnniversary of his‘Replicas’ and ‘The Pleasure Principle’ albums, both UK Number 1’s when first released.That’sjust a snapshot of the tale behind one of music’s most singular talents. The full story can be found in Numan’scritically acclaimed autobiography ‘(R)evolution’, which The Observer described as an, “exhaustive, entertaining andoften poignant life story.”What comes next will surely be just as intriguing.</p></li></ol>