Gary Numan has today released a video for new single End Of Things from current album Savage: Songs From A Broken World. He has also announced a string of UK dates in March 2018, full dates below. Tickets are on sale now.
‘Savage: Songs From A Broken World’ was released earlier this year through BMG and earned the best reviews of Gary’s career. He entered the UK charts at No.2, a fantastic achievement for the iconic and highly influential Gary Numan. The British electro pioneer was also awarded the Inspiration Award for songwriting and composition at the Ivor Novellos this year.
‘Savage: Songs From A Broken World’ is an album with a narrative that’s set in an apocalyptic, post-global warming Earth in the not-too-distant future. There is no technology left and most of the planet has turned to a desolate desert wasteland. Food is scarce, water even more so and human kindness and decency are just a dim and distant memory. Western and Eastern cultures have merged, more because of the need to simply survive than any feelings of greater tolerance or understanding. It’s a harsh, savage environment, as are the survivors who still roam across it.
While Numan was writing the record, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. It made sense to make him and his climate decisions the catalyst for the apocalypse theme of the album.
“The songs are about the things that people do in such a harsh and terrifying environment,” explains Numan. “It’s about a desperate need to survive and they do awful things in order to do so, and some are haunted by what they’ve done. That desire to be forgiven, along with some discovered remnants of an old religious book, ultimately encourages religion to resurface, and it really goes downhill from there.”
The album was produced by long-term collaborator Ade Fenton, with recording sessions split between Numan’s own studio in LA, and in the UK. Numan and Fenton’s creative connection goes back to 2006’s ‘Jagged’. “Ade is not only extremely creative but ridiculously hard working, even in difficult circumstances,” says Numan. “It’s easy to discuss alternative ideas with him, he’s not precious about things and is always looking to make the music better, even if that means, on very rare occasions, undoing his own work and starting again.”
As the project took shape, Numan also set up a Pledge Music campaign to create an experience for fans that would let them see how an album was put together, from the first note to the finished shrink wrapped package. It was a strategy that brought Numan closer to his fans, and allowed him to communicate the blood, sweat and tears that goes into making a record. The campaign grew so successful that Numan consequently secured a record deal with BMG.
Savage: Songs From A Broken World is out now on CD, deluxe CD, double vinyl, cassette, digital and MFiT formats.
The tracklisting for the standard CD edition of Savage: Songs From A Broken World is:
1. ‘Ghost Nation’
2. ‘Bed Of Thorns’
3. ‘My Name Is Ruin’
4. ‘The End Of Things’
5. ‘And It All Began With You’
6. ‘When The World Comes Apart’
7. ‘Mercy’
8. ‘What God Intended’
9. ‘Pray For The Pain You Serve’
10. ‘Broken’
The vinyl format adds ‘If I Said’ (track 9) and ‘Cold’ (track 12) while ‘If I Said’ also features on the deluxe CD (track 10).
Gary Numan will embark upon a short run of UK dates next March He’ll play the following shows:
GARY NUMAN UK TOUR DATES MARCH 2018
MONDAY 12TH – SOUTHAMPTON, O2 GUILDHALL
TUESDAY 13TH – WARWICK ARTS CENTRE
WEDNESDAY 14TH – LEICESTER O2 ACADEMY
FRIDAY 16TH – EDINBURGH ASSEMBLY ROOMS
SATURDAY 17TH – MIDDLESBROUGH EMPIRE
MONDAY 19TH – PRESTON GUILDHALL
TUESDAY 20TH – HULL CITY HALL
WEDNESDAY 21ST – SHEFFIELD FOUNDRY
FRIDAY 23RD – ISLE OF MAN VILLA MARINA
SATURDAY 24TH – LIVERPOOL O2 ACADEMY
SUNDAY 25TH – NORTHAMPTON ROADMENDERS