Gary Numan is touring in support of his new album Dead Son Rising. Tonight sees him appearing at a mostly full O2 Academy in Leeds. His arrival is announced by huge TV Screen flickering into life and a stage filling with plumes of dry ice. The familiar silhouettte appears from the gloom to shouts of 'Numan' and 'Gary' from the adoring fans. No time is wasted as the he launches into the opening track of his album, the instrumental, 'Ressurection' which seemlessly blends into 'Down In The Park'. The tone is set for for this particular appearance.  This is very much a showcase for the Dead Son Rising material, with very little sign of a greatest hits collection.

The new material sees a more rocked out Numan.  He hurls himself around the stage striking dramatic poses from within the shroud of coloured cloud. 'The Fall', 'When The Sky Bleeds',  'Big Noise Transmission', 'Dead Son Rising', 'We Are The Lost' and 'For The Rest Of My Life' are all pulled from the new album and are interspered with older standards for the majority of this set. This is not a gig for the casual fan, rather a showcase of the new Numan for the hardcore fan. The new material is strong enough to stand this exposure and fits neatly with the earlier works such as 'Pure' and 'Haunted'.

The more classic material is saved for the latter part of the set, with 'I Die You Die' a particular highlight as the closing track. Of course this closure was only a temporary withdrawal and Numan's return saw the arrival of the big guns in his arsenal. 'Cars' sent the crowd into raptures and the night closed with an acoustic intro to 'Our Friends Electric' which burst into an electronic anthem that has spanned the decades effortlessly.

Performances that showcase this much new material are a challenge for any band.  It is testament to the strength of the new album and polished live delivery of the classic material that allow Numan to avoid the pitfalls of the 'new album' gig.