Look out for an announcement later today about a very special live performance from John Foxx...

Rob

I'm intrigued

Yeah! Me too!

Mike and I are two very intrigued people!

make that three
:p

Make that 4:)

Please tell me I can afford this...

I heard a rumour he's switching the Christmas lights on in Oxford Street whilst performing Cities of Light from The Pleasures of Electricity...


...or I might be making that up

Only you'll know that for sure...

Or not...

Rob

That'll be OK - as long as no red suits and fluffy white beards are involved. :p

Back to the Phuture : Tomorrow is Today

A special event - featuring live sets from Gary Numan, John Foxx, Motor, plus some very special guests...

DJ's: Richard H Kirk (Cabaret Voltaire) and Mark Jones (BBC 6Music / Wall of Sound)...



John will be joined on-stage by...

Benge - Synthesizers, Percussion, Bass
Robin Simon - Guitar
Steve D'Agostino - Synthesizers
Serafina Steer - Synthesizers
Jean-Gabriel Becker - Bass, Synthesizers
Liam Hutton - Drums, Percussion

Date : Friday the 3rd of December, 2010
Time : 8pm - 2am
Venue : The Troxy, 490 Commercial Road, London E1 0HX
Web : http://www.troxy.co.uk

*****

I'll post more information as soon as I can...

Rob

WO-HOOOO! I just have to roll out of bed and I'm there!

YES!....

...ang on a minute - how comes Foxx is billed under badger?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOH BUT ROBIN SIMON'S ON GUITAR!

(subliminal message for Mr. D. Leigh):

I CAN'T STAY LONG

I CAN'T STAY LONG

I CAN'T STAY LONG

I CAN'T STAY LONG

cos he's on between Motor & Gazza

Yeah to finish the set

This sounds a bit like another Roundhouse? The venue looks quite large...I'm not too fond of the large venues...

I've noticed that the Troxy hasn't posted a link for tickets yet.

Walk Away

Systems

of

Romance

I wish I could shout louder than bold capitals!!

Additional information as promised...

The tickets to this event will be sold exclusively by Townsend Records for the next three days...

VVIP : £147.50
Includes Meet and Greet with Gary Numan and John Foxx, Front Row Seat + VIP Bar

VIP : £47.50
Includes Table Seats + VIP Bar

Standard : £27.50
Unrestricted Circle or Stalls

There's also a special ticket and t-shirt bundle ...

Rob

The tickets are going to be sold exclusively by Townsend Records for the first three days - and then they'll go on 'general release'...

Rob

I'm signed in on the Townsend site and I'm trying to pre-order a ticket, but everytime I click 'Pre-Order' it then goes on and says 'Your cart is empty'

Am I the only one having this trouble?

UPDATE: It'll allow me to put a 't-shirt and ticket bundle' in to my cart, but not the standard ticket.

And--if you try to order a VIP ticket, it kicks you back to standard ticket.

If you do go the t-shirt bundle route - there's no option at all to choose what size of t-shirt you'd want!!! :rolleyes:

Blimey - I've already got tickets for The Human League on 4th December in Wolverhampton. Thinks ... can I make both

Hear hear! And those VIP & VVIP tickets are a bit.. something.

btw... Marc Almond live in London a night before.

Just heard from Steve Malins--he's looking into the problems with the Townsend site. Hopefully they'll get those sorted out today...

D'oh! Already ordered! Wanted to get in ahead of the badger watchers!

Tell him my t-shirt's a medium...ish

The venue is very Foxxy!

"Troxy originally opened as a cinema in 1933 had luxurious seating areas and mirror-lined restaurants and all the staff wore evening dress. It seemed like Hollywood had come to the Commercial Road in all its glory. Outside was a blaze of lights, inside a large foyer with a large sweeping staircase, chandeliers, floor to ceiling mirrors and thick carpets.

It had the best films and a floodlit organ which rose from the orchestra pit during the interval, playing all of the latest tunes. The Troxy staff even sprayed perfume during showings to make the cinema-goers feel good. The first film shown was "King Kong".

http://www.troxy.co.uk/VenueEvents_ContentPage.aspx?NodeID=5&Content_ID=2

Sorry for so many rapid-succession updates--but I just ordered a VIP ticket, and it went through no problem this time. Anyone trying for the ticket/t-shirt bundle might want to try again...

No guarantee that I can get there, but bought a ticket anyway.

have just booked the standard ticket without any problems

Just ordered mine. Looking forward to this.


Peter

A ticket ordered. Confirmation says "Gary Numan - Back To The Phuture". I've never bought anything "Gary Numan" before.

Just ordered my VVIP ticket. My wife responded 'Merry Christmas'. I've never paid anything like this for a gig ticket, but a meet & greet with Gary and John, looks like a once in a lifetime opportunity to me.

And if that's not enough, a Mark Jones DJ set. Who can forget the scratched jumping records, false starts and general ineptitude! Oh no. what have I done.

I bought one as well! See you there!

OH NO! FONS IS GOING!

That means the party has officially started!

Oh man, you guys in the UK are lucky! This looks to be an awesome show!

One thing I don't understand is why organizers are so keen to lump John Foxx and Gary Numan into the same pile all the time. They haven't sounded remotely similar in style since at least 1979. Don't get me wrong, I quite like Numan, and if he was still doing the retro thing instead of the NIN inspired thing, I'm sure his music would compliment Foxx's really nicely.

Anyway, have fun you lucky people!
For now, I'll be more content when some proshot Roundhouse recordings show up.

Djeezis!

Numan and Foxx in one gig.
So dreams CAN come true ...

WALK AWAY definitely, would even be partial to a rendition of Maximum Acceleration

Please keep him away from security guards this time!

They share the same management.
Sharing gigs allow both to fill a larger venue minimising financial risks.

Anyways that's my 2 pennys worth

See you both at the gig.

Now which pub to meet for a pre-gig drink?

Maximum Acceleration yes! my altime Foxx Fave

Does anybody have any idea how long Foxx and Numan's sets are likely to be?

I see Brian's point about both acts sharing a bigger venue/costs etc, but the downside of that is a 'common' audience. Not sure that worked from the Foxx fans point of view at The Roundhouse.

As for tracks - yes Maximum Acceleration is good, but I'd campaign for as little U****vox material as possible.

Just realised this sounds like a negative posting
Not the intention at all.
Just seeing these two icons on the same bill shows how far things have come in 30 years.

Super, super stuff and promises to be a great night out

If Gary plays his current Pleasure Principle set, it'll go perfectly. On the other hand, Gary's current music is the opposite end of the spectrum to John's.

"Electronic" doesn't just mean retro analogue sounds - it's more about technology, and that's the direction Numan's music has taken, being more technology based. Although when you think about it, the balance between synths and guitars is only like a modern day version of the same balance he struck with Telekon. Sort of.

(second subliminal message for Mr. D. Leigh):

I CAN'T STAY LONG

WALK AWAY

I CAN'T STAY LONG

WALK AWAY

I CAN'T STAY LONG

WALK AWAY

Not negative at all. And as you comment, I'm sure whatever set that gets played will be a hoot! Just hope I can actually get there!

It's my neck of the woods, so I'll have a scout around.

This may involve frequenting lots of pubs and drinking lots of beer but I'm happy to sacrifice myself for the good of the group

Somebody has to do it and You are the chosen one.

Garry

Best of luck and may God speed you in this challenging quest.

On behalf of all the forum, we truly respect this heroic act of selfless bravery

Ordered my tickets .

Can I have a beer, too? :rolleyes:

Personally I would be happy about every track of Systems Of Romance, esp. the ones which were rarely played live, performed by John and his band.

One day they should play the whole album live! I would pay a lot for that...

Do anyone know a hotel for a reasonable price or pub with bed/breakfast near the troxy?

Thank you, Andreas

CONCERN
The only thing that worries me, are the times 8PM til 2AM. Some of us can't afford to stay in London and usually the last trains are around midnight. So I'm hoping that Foxxy comes on well before that.

Peter

Will be fun for sure to meet up with you all before the show again!
1 holiday reserved at work and a hotel & train booked as well, really ready to go! yahoo!

Andreas; the Holiday Inn Express wasn't too expensive in advance...76 pounds for the room (2 people), and it's on crawling distance from the venue

Is E3 close to E1??

Just wondering as Karborn posted a pub on FB that he recommends for Guinness. Maybe you could try it out for us? Of course you'd have to sup all the ales so we know there is something for everyone!!

Hi Peter, I may be in the same boat in some respects, as I may leave the UK on Saturday morning after the show. If it ends at 2am then a hotel for 2-3 hours won't be worth the investment so I'll probably kill the few hours until the first train in a cafe somewhere. Used to do that when I was young(er), and I'll be somewhat jetlagged anyway. I deeply regret not staying until the end of the Roundhouse gig!!

I REALLY hope that things work out so that I can get there!

Does anyone know of any good, cheap Hotels or B and B accomodation near to the gig? I may have to take the wife and kids (3) so cannot afford too much. They wont be going to the gig so I guess anywhere in London area would be ok.

wheee!

Pricey things, gigs, innit?

I enjoyed seeing John play with the "live band" at the Roundhouse so it bodes well that they'll do another show -
Dunno if I could stick a full Numan set though - I've been to the Replicas/Telekon/PleasurePrinciple shows, but the encores of "new stuff" at those were hell lol The Pleasure Principle had this kinda electro-doom 11 minute guff with films of girls slitting their wrists or something, it was awful.

Holiday Inn looks like the best bet around there--especially if you plan to stay for the aftershow. I always like to be within walking distance of the venue, and that's only about .2 of a mile away.

I'm actually staying at a retreat house nearby, near Limehouse station--I'd recommend it at 46 pounds a night, but they're all booked up now.

Pubs I can't speak to, and I don't know how close the one Karborn mentioned is to the venue. From what I've read about the Troxy area, there's "absolutely nothing" around it. However, I have an e-mail out to Karborn, hopefully he'll get back to me with a few ideas...

I was going to fly back on Saturday, but it's twice the price to do so, so I'm going to stay an extra day. I'll probably be glad I did if things are wrapping up at 3 am....

Good grief! John, Benge, and band are back, and are playing live again!

Just been catching up on my email after a week away on a visit to a friend, so I was really surprised by this announcement, and that Mr Numan is on the bill too! though is he actually playing live, or is this just a cunning rouse?

Wish I could be as committed about attending the show as everyone else here, but it all boils down to expense but, (As Chris has suggested) one could omit the hotel and hang around town after the show till the morning train, alhough it seems such a waste just to go to London and more or less straight back home again

From Gary Numan's website:


Just to clarify what's going on at the Back To The Phuture shows in Manchester and London this December. The Gary Numan set will be a full show, with the band not a DJ set, of about an hour and a half to an an hour and forty five minutes, Recoil and John Foxx will be playing live sets for about an hour each, plus there will be a live set from Motor, who will be supporting me on some of the US Pleasure Principle shows. The nights will also include excellent DJ sets from Cabaret Voltaire's Richard H Kirk and Mark Jones. This is a slight departure for me and I'm very excited to be part of these Back To The Phuture shows. Really looking forward to playing in Manchester and London again, especially with such a great line up of bands. One other point to mention is that we will be off stage in London by midnight and by 11pm in Manchester.

Nice to see the band together for another outing. This might however be a bit rich for my blood at this point in time. If only Recoil and John Foxx were on the same bill! Then it might be worth getting a small loan.

I was considering it, but since Foxx is only on for an hour or so, and having seen Numan umpteen times over the last couple of years, it's all a bit costly in both money and time.

At the moment I'm more bothered about having new material from both artists than seeing them live. At least The Maths album looks to be with us in the near future - and this is the most excited I've been about a Foxx release since 2006.

As far as Numan is concerned - to quote one of his lesser known greats, "God Only Knows".

Thank you, fons!

Holiday Inn Express is booked now...

This sounds like a great event. Unfortunately, the date is not a suitable one for me...hopefully there will be more live shows in 2011.

It will be interesting to know if John and Benge plan to tour when the album is out, although part of me suspects it won't be possible due to the amount of vintage equipment they'd have to lug around and re-tune, hence not venturing outside of convenient London for the last couple of gigs.

auch rubbish. I've gigged equipment of that vintage all round Britain and Germany. It works fine.

Well if Hannibal can get his Pachhyderms over the Alps, and Fitzcarraldo can get his steamship through a jungle, then I’m sure that John can muster some northern gumption and get a truckload of Arp’s, Moog’s, Roland’s, and Linn drums around this island. So I expect to see ‘The Math’ in my neck of the woods in the near future

Actually, from a non-purist point of view, I’d settle for John and just a couple of tiny keyboards, laptop, and pocket drum-machine in a small gigging space, just as long as he makes the new music Rock!!!

Another support band (namely The Whip) has been added to the running order for the Back to the Phuture show in London on Friday the 3rd of December.

Rob

A cracking band?

Hang on a sec, so if Gary (according to the quote from his website) is off stage by midnight and his set is 1.5-1.75 hours long, that means he starts at 10:30ish. John Foxx doing an hour long set means 9:30ish start (Chris O and his magical roadies floating gear in and out, etc), Recoil would be an 8:30 start meaning The Whip would be on at 8pm sharp and a 30 minute set! And all the DJ sets would from midnight onwards... hmmmm.

On a similar thought train, wouldn't it be interesting if Mr Foxx was fashionably late and Mr Numan had to do his set first?? (((I thought I posted that before but....))

I thought Recoil was Manchester and John London, they're not on the same bill?

Most humbly (and appreciatively) corrected! Still a tight schedule though - going to be some busy people that day!

Has anyone received the London show tickets from Townsend Records yet?

Nope - nuffink yet guv

Still nothing:(

According to Brigid via Twitter Townsend are waiting on the venue for the tickets

thanks for the info was wondering myself.

Only 3 weeks til the gig, and honestly I've been nervous about the tickets, so I e-mailed Steve Malins.

Steve told me that there has been a problem with the printing of the physical tickets. This is a Troxy problem, not a Townsend problem. Townsend should be contacting everyone in a couple of days about this.

He did assure me that those of us not in the UK who bought tickets would be on a list at the door, in case tickets do not arrive in time. Sounds like they expect them to arrive on time for folks in the UK itself.

So, that's the latest. I plan to bring a copy of my purchase confirmation from Townsend just in case...

Hi Brigid,

Many thanks for looking into this and letting us know

Garry

Please visit the Back To The Phuture page on YouTube to see clips of all the artists involved, including an exclusive new interview with Gary Numan about the event.

Rob

Just watched the video about the set-up at the Roundhouse gig, fascinating viewing.

Is this footage likely to feature as extras on a live DVD??

Unlikely, as it was produced by Future Music as content for the November edition of their magazine - it's included on the cover-mounted DVD.

Rob

Oh, how much easier if they had waited before the tickets actually existed in the hands of the distributor BEFORE they started to sell them

Another example of why pre-ordering is a bl**dy nonsense...

Rob Is there likely to be a live DVD from John, either the Roundhouse gig or the upcoming date?

The Roundhouse gig was recorded / filmed in its entirety - and the intention is for that to be made available sometime in the new year.

Rob

I've been advised that the schedule of events at the forthcoming show at The Troxy are as follows...

**

Doors : 19:00 Open...

19:00 - 19:20 : DJ / Set-Up (20 minutes)

19:20 - 19:50 : Motor (30 minutes)

19:50 - 20:10 : DJ / Change Over (20 minutes)

20:10 - 21:05 : John Foxx (55 minutes)

21:05 - 21:25 : DJ / Change Over (20 minutes)

21:25 - 22:00 : The Whip (35 minutes)

22:00 - 22:30 : DJ / Change Over (30 minutes)

22:30 - 00:00 : Gary Numan (90 minutes)

00:00 - 01:00 : DJ (60 minutes)

Non-VIP Doors : 01:00 Close...

01:00 - 02.00 : VIP Aftershow...

VIP Doors : 02:00 Close...

**

Rob

Did any of you get a confirmation from Townsend?

I had a confirmation email from Townsend when I bought the ticket also took money off my card.

I had a confirmation when I ordered the ticket, not when I actually payed it.
Sent them an e-mail to ask if the payment has succeeded.
Hope it did, as I have to arrange a flight and a hotel!

SOMEBODY'S GOT TO SAY SOMETHING....

How comes us in the cheap seats get 55 minutes and those who rattle their jewellery get an hour in the VIP lounge?!

This is f**king terrible. Let's not decorate it - let's just say it like it is;

THIS.IS.F**KING.TERRIBLE

What F**kwit organised this? What F**kwit decided that giving no-marks The Whip a punt was worth Foxx losing valuable stage time?

Send me their name - I guaran-F**king -tee that I will place the F**kwits head on a spike on London Bridge.

It's just not on....AND, more importantly - it's just not on.

I UNDERSTAND...that The Badger gets it's hour - history is rewritten and repurposed by the chart hits - not the genius who started it all. I get that. I really do. On this occasion - I have no issues with Badgerman - this is all down to the F**kwits who organised this; who thought 'bums on seats' etc etc, because that's gonna happen with The Whip innit? HOW F**KING DARE THEY!!!

Look...

It's bad enough the great man has to go on before The Badger, but as I said before; I UNDERSTAND.

BUT...THE WHIP????

SERIOUSLY....YOU (THE ORGANISERS) HAVE GOT TO BE F**KING KIDDING ME

Dear Organisers,

I live in East London,

And yes..as chance would have it - I have a spike with your name on it

I may get medieval on 'yo ass'

This is F**KING WRONG!!!!

55 MINUTES!!!!!

55 MINUTES????

YOU'RE TAKING THE P!$$!!!!!


Any questions? Am I wrong????


DISCUSS

Now, thats ehh....quite...ehh,clear Garry.
I have yet to hear "The Whip" to be honest, no idea what that is about really.
I do understand they moved things apart a bit to make the whole evening look interesting.
If Foxx ends up next to Numan it'll be mighty quiet in the early evening
Which way you turn it, people are going for (A) Foxx (B) Numan or (C) Foxx & Numan.
I personally am not bothered coming over to London to see "The Whip" or "Motor", mainly Foxx

Heh! Hi Fons,

the crux of my argument/rant/scribble - isn't with the artists themselves - truth is I've nothing against The Whip. No, it's the billing and time that Foxx has been given - I think it's very unfair.

Townsend are offering the following;

A Numan ticket will set you back £30.25...

...A Foxx ticket will set you back...£30.25

If that's the case, there should be equal billing and/or equal time given to Foxx. I just think his set being less than an hour is an insult to the man, and us who've bought tickets and I think whoever organised this aspect of it should be shot.

Obviously I'm in the minority on that last point, but I digress...

Hi Garry
I know the tickets are sold as "Foxx" or "Numan" but it is easy to see it is for the whole event.
I would have payed the same for just Foxx & Numan, they can keep the change
Maybe John just likes to play just one hour?? who knows
In the mean time I heard "The Whip" (no thank you), Motor I know as warming up music to Depeche Mode's 2006 tour...so in a way I was talking about the artists

I just wished they'd had equal or almost equal time - there's just too much packed in - it's like a gig organised by a committee - not by someone who wants to go.

They've just packed too much in, because, let's face it - how many gigs go like clockwork? What if the early sets over-run? Who will have to cut their set? Numan? I don't think so.

I had that same feeling at the Roundhouse gig already, Just Foxx & Numan with some DJ'ing at the end would have been enough...then AND now...

Just seen a tweet from Barnbrook:-


both @karborn and i will be vjing at the #johnfoxx troxy gig on 3rd dec. also foxx will be doing some new material as part of the set!

I think perhaps we shouldn't be calling this a Foxx gig...?

It's not billed as such. He's listed as one of the special guests, so an hour among other acts seems reasonable enough.

New material?? - probably more stuff from The Maths sessions. Excellent!!

It's not a Foxx gig.

It's not a Numan gig either.

If you look at the billing and the description (below) - it's more of a festival of sorts;

http://www.troxy.co.uk/LiveConcerts_WhatsOn_Moreinfo.aspx?WhatOnID=106

The Troxy themselves however, are billing it as a Numan gig with special guests, when you go to their ticket site; http://www.seetickets.com/Event/GARY-NUMAN-BACK-TO-THE-PHUTURE/Troxy/502513

It has to be said that some people are travelling a long way for this and I think the set-time allocated to Foxx is unjust.

Tickets are being posted out this week.
Confirmed bij Townsend's sales department.

And 55 minutes for a Foxx gig IS short indeed.
But a Numan - Foxx gig, when did that ever happen?
(or will it ever happen again?)

But make no mistake: I'd rather have BOTH of them doin' 90 minutes, no question about it!

ik ga je zien!

Okay Fons, tot dan!

New track Shatterproof to be played at the Troxy also Robin Simon will be playing on a track from The Garden according to Foxxy Twitter

Link to follow John Foxx on Twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/foxxmetamedia

Ja, maar niet voor lang!

(I lurve Google translate )

Well, 55 minutes just happens to be 11 hours less than the flight time between here and there, but I'm still up for it. I"m actually hugely frustrated that having bought a ticket, I may be sent in the opposite direction (mid US)!

Having been starved for so long, I'll take what I can get (that sounds bad)! I'm looking forward to a great night out, and to catch up with some of you guys again. Just hope that if I can go, that the ticket arrives here before I leave for there!!

Bring it on, oh and Mr Foxx is listening in, looking forward to it immensely, and you might want to be fashionably late and swap set times with Gary!! Just like the Roundhouse

Thanks for the reply Rob, that is something to really look forward to!

55 minuten is, gezien de omstandigheden, genoeg!

Ik denk nog steeds dat het een belediging voor de man

Quite nice dutch Garry
I prefer "a night with John Foxx" as well (and don't get me wrong on this one now )
Sadly enough the other headliner is better known with the masses and I guess thats why things go as they go.
I can understand where the frustration comes from though.
But...history is cruel now and then.

I love you Fons...in a manly bear-hug kinda-way of course!

But I still want justice...

JUDGE DREDD JUSTICE...

Gonna stop now...cos I can't work out if I sound like Charles Bronson in a 'Death Wish' movie...or Tammy Wynette seeking her man...

Please find attached, a vision of the immediate future -

Me outside The Troxy, gettin' medieval on yo' bastaaah's asses...

I AM THE LAW

haha

Garry & Cathedral Oceans in a deadly mix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvSe9PzX0I8&feature=related

these movies are great btw, but nothing beats the mighty "Rambu"!!!! my all-time favourite!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBlM6CSZDIc

what car does Mark Jones have? lol

btw. notice how he manages to smash open windows

I'm bypassing everything by making my own crossbow - Rambo-style! I intend to ensnare the organisers in Epping Forest...using a very nice Chablis and the rattling of jewellery as bait

...but smashing open windows...that is pretty cool!

I've just received the following statement regarding the Back To The Phuture shows at The Academy in Manchester and The Troxy in London...

*****

Due to unforeseen production issues and illness to key people, it is with regret that Back To The Phuture Live and Dennis Music have reluctantly decided to postpone the shows at Manchester Academy on 2 December and London Troxy on 3 December until the New Year. Everyone involved in these events is extremely disappointed, however we have rescheduled the events as follows; Manchester Academy Fri April 1st, London Troxy Sat April 2nd. All tickets will be valid for these rescheduled dates. If necessary, refunds are also available from the point of purchase.

*****

Rob

Call me a cynic. But I recieved my ticket today and then they postpone it! If they had done this before issuing tickets, then they might have had to refund the money automatically, but this way they keep our money!

P*ssed! You bet I am!

P!ssed? guess what I am! there you are with your non refundable bloody eurostar tickets and non-refundable pre-paid hotel on 3 december in east london...
The artists aside, they can't find people to replace the ill ones on this? I am not buying that at all.
To whoever responsible...thanks a lot (I deleted the, quite substantial, swearing bit)

I AM R E A L L Y P!SSED
fons

For me it's two people in a London hotel - non-refundable

It's very unfortunate so close to the date(s) but if "key players" are ill or in no state to perform, then what can you do, they're only human.

Must be something serious (hopefully it isn't) to call it off a good couple of weeks ahead though

can,t belive this,hope all concerned are all right, but bang goes to my xmas present to myself.

Not at all!
Just booked a flight and a hotel in London.
I was REALLY looking forward to this.

Sightseeing London I guess ...

Cancelling a gig at a location like the Troxy must also incur a non refundable deposit, so I doubt if this has been an easy decision, and I really feel for those who have made arrangements to get there. I'm luck as I haven't done mine yet, that would be 1,000quid + (still not sure if I could have gone). But at least I have other reasons to go to the UK.

Ah, Great!

I don't think I want travelling to London in April, 'cause of having the costs two times for one gig is a bit too much for my opinion.

Is there any chance we can get the money back for the tickets (Troxy ) ?

Ah, yes - and I'm pissed too...

Sorry, read the mail from Rob again . There is a chance to get the money back.
So I will do it soon.

Any interest into a meeting without a gig ?

According to the statement Andreas, you can get a refund for your ticket.

I really feel you and for everyone who was due to travel from abroad, as I know you can't normally get a refund for trains or flights, and they're much more expensive then the ticket price.

It must be a very difficult decision to make; I don't doubt a lot of time and money has already been put into hire, production, rehearsals etc, so that's money lost by the artists and the fans. It can't be an easy thing to do, knowing that not only are you going to really piss the dedicated fans off, but also make them lose money as it were, especially at this time of year.

Hopefully soon there might be more details and clarification behind the decision.

Makes you wonder if they'll get the same ticket sales and interest in the re-scheduled dates.

Perhaps you can turn the day into a FoxxGate and invite John along for a pint?

This is the risk you go for if you coming from overseas. BTW: It's my second experience into this....

But I'm sure we will have a nice weekend in London - without a gig (Though it would been the highlight).

And a Foxxgate would be nice...

Why do I get the feeling Gary Numan has something to do with this cancellation??

I suggested the same to Garry.
Let's have that meeting anyway! (including a few beers to drink our sorrow).
John F., if you are reading this as well...you are invited!

Topicwise, I read more and more suggestions it has to do with the sale of tickets (or better, the lack of sales).
It has nothing to do with Mark Jones's health since he's, trying, to spin discs the 1st of december ( http://www.backtothephuture.net/
Depending on where you go 1 or 2 days earlier.
Rumours rumours, sure...but if they mess up a perfectly good weekend for me it is my right to go along with them.
Unless one of the artists falls out, even when that happens I am sure they can find someone else(!), I am not buying it.
The rest is not replaceable? We all are...

It is a possibility poor ticket sales I suppose, I mean Numan fans have been treated to the same live set list for the last few years so interest Numan wise would certainly be very limited. Not sure i'm buying "Unforseen Production Issues" to be honest.

A few beers would be nice... So let's do the meeting. Me and Michaela would be there.
And John - if you prefer a wine for a pint, it's no problem. You are invited for both..

Lack of sales... - would not really surprising me, if I think of the costs for the VVIP (147.50) and VIP(47.50) tickets.

I would never pay so much money only for say hello and shaking hands with the artists.

Extremely sorry to hear about this for everyone who was looking forward to the show, and particularly those who have booked non-refundable travel and hotels. I was really taken aback when I read about it. I would now be totally fuming, and up sh!t creek minus a few hundred quid or a pointless journey to London if I'd been tempted to do the same, and right up until last month I was very tempted to put myself out

Hopefully some of you will decide to meet up and have an enjoyable time there. As for the rumours or reasons for canceling the gig, well ever since the gig announcement I have remained sceptical over the price range and idea of those 'elitist' tickets...

Much as I'd love to hear John Foxx & the Maths have another go at getting their live analogue set cooking, I just couldn't afford the ticket price for this event in the first place.

Anyways I hope none of the musicians has any nasty health problems - the announcement sounded a bit worrying in that respect!

It did sound worrying, being so vague, as one naturally interprets "key players" as either Gary or John; although of course, it could be band members. Either way since both shows have been cancelled, it does sound like a decision from the Numan camp, since it was kind of his show, but all parties must have been in agreement with the reasons. I know Gary doesn't take canceling shows lightly - I think the cancellation of one of the recent US tour dates was the first time he'd ever had to pull out of a gig.

Low sales might not be surprising. The 'big' Roundhouse gig was only 6 months ago, and everybody has had a chance to see Numan more than once over the last year. Personally I was never a fan of the idea of both artists appearing on the same bill; they both deserve to headline such an event but musically they're miles apart, particularly when it comes to Numan's new music.

What I suspect may have also put a lot of people off is the whole VIP/meet & greet thing. It's just wrong, especially knowing both artists usually go out of their way to meet with fans after the gigs (for free!) and sign things, have photos taken etc, particularly John. I thought that aspect of the whole thing was quite disgusting. That's where it's all about money. Other gigs have been offering similar packages, I guess it's the latest fad.

Anyway, hopefully by April, hopefully both artists will have new material out, or at least ready to play live. The few fragments I've heard of The Maths album sound fantastic, and it's about time Numan's tired, predictable setlist got changed and more than 2 plodding dirge-like new songs played.

Where have you read that, fons??

ALex picked up on it too, but unless I've missed something - there's been no indication that sales of tickets were low?

I was only following on from Fons' comment and stating my opinion. I have however, read mutterings on Numan forums, but again, it's unjustified with nothing to back it up.

Either some folk are somehow in the know and put information out there, or just like to stir things - who knows?!

I'm still more concerned about the 'health' issues, personally.

I have mixed feelings about the postponement. I don't know if there are other reasons besides the ones in the official statement, but I can't imagine they would postpone it on a whim--something has to be quite serious.

For me--I am losing some money, but not that much compared to others--at least I can get my airline miles back for my plane ticket. I would love to come out just for a FoxxGate, but honestly, I can't afford to--I was selling off prized possessions just to have money for this trip, and I really need the money for other things--like food and petrol. So, financially, the postponement is a relief. I'm more upset that John has done only 1 public appearance this year. But maybe he'll make up for it next year, who knows.

I have to say, from the moment this gig was announced, I had a bad feeling about it--like it was going to be plagued with difficulties. Given how harrowing the setup for the Roundhouse was--and just for John's portion--I'm surprised they agreed to another live analogue show. But it sounds like they've had LOTS of difficulties, and not just with equipment.

Like many others here (and not on here), I was not thrilled with the VVIP thing, and I'm still not certain how that will work. But from what I understood, just having a VIP ticket would get you into the aftershow. Which is good enough--I don't need a special autograph session with John and Gary, and if a dinner out is involved (at least one rumor I've heard about VVIP), I'd rather it not be under those circumstances. And given that a lot of this show sounds like a repeat of the Roundhouse (even though Gary's doing a real live set at this one), I would not be surprised if it's not selling tickets except among diehard loyal fans like ourselves. But I don't know what the numbers are there, either.

So--those of you who meet up for FoxxGate, please have one for me, I'll be thinking of you. I am going to save my money and my miles for April...

x

Like Alex said, picked that up in the numan camp here and there.
If it's true or not...no idea.

I think cancelling a multi-artist festival gig due to illness, can not be the reason to cancel the whole thing.
Think they would cancel the whole of Glastonbury if the singer of the opening act has flu?
Same for production issues, thats something I am not buying at all...hell, we had people walking on the moon!

It'll be interesting to see how the re-scheduled show is presented, (mind you, my ticket still hasn't turned up for the cancelled one - not that there's any hurry now)

So. It's cancelled and there will be theories flying round about why; etc etc.

Well, the best way to discuss such theories is...DAHN VER PUB!

Let me know who's definitely coming and I'll once again sacrifice myself for the good of the people and will suffer the trauma of visiting lots of pubs - I know - I'm just too selfless sometimes.

Also - we don't have to go anywhere near The Troxy as it really is hole round that area, so maybe along the Thames or something.

So, as Errol Flynn once said;

"Who sails with me!?"

Aye,Aye captain!
We will sailing with you!


Thank you Garry !!
Andreas and Michaela

Will be there!

And I thought the pressure was off for me to get there for that date!! I'm hoping I can go more than ever now, as the gig would have interrupted some serious interaction time with you guys!! Fingers crossed, but only a slim chance.

hmm, now it's been change we are considering travelling down in April for this one, I have a couple of questions though...

is it looking likely that it will actually take place or will it simply be canceled this time?

secondly, is there an age limit for the concert?

thanks

It was never the intention for the gig to be postponed the first time. As far as I'm aware, everyone is now working towards the revised date of the 2nd of April, 2011.

I've just spoken to The Troxy and they have confirmed that this will be an '18+' show.

Rob

oh dear, that may scupper our plans slightly, my girlfriend will be fine but I'll be about 2 months short

thanks for the response

You don't hear that here too often.

there certainly don't seem to be too may under 18 Foxx fans, so I suspect making the gigs over 18 is not much of a problem, though there are always ways around it...

It's great that you're here Chris - living proof that John Foxx has a new audience.

How does his music sit alongside your other tastes?

Do people ask 'who???' like they did when I was seventeen and Burning Car was in the charts, or is Foxx more widely known among your peergroup now?

Hi Martin,

being a fan of electronic music (as you may have guessed form my username) John sits very nicely in my music taste alongside more modern and, for want of a better word,'retro' acts,

Sadly, though, John is still fairly unknown amongst my age group other than the occasional flicker when it is mentioned that he was once in Ultravox :rolleyes: but that doesn't really phase me,

I'd really love to come down for this concert but I would hate to go all the way just to be turned away at the door

Love it - I aged in seconds!!

I hope we can get you in somehow!

I have 2 1/2 days now in London (and no gig).
So, let me know where to meet, and I'll be there!

Cheers all, Lody

yup, where do we meet?

Just to add to this--in America, no one has ANY idea who John Foxx is, unless they were an Ultravox fan in the 1970s, or are very much into electronica, which is not as popular overall here. Numan doing "Cars"? Yes. Foxx doing anything? No. None of John's albums have been seen/heard here in mainstream media. I was a teenager in the 1980s, and watched MTV nonstop when it came out. Never once did I see a John Foxx video.

The only thing I saw was the "other" Ultravox, and I despised them. I thought Midge Ure was a whiny no-talent (still do), and never gave them a second thought until 2 years ago when my friend played "Saturday Night in the City of the Dead" for me, as well as a bunch of other Foxxvox tunes. I discovered his solo work on my own.I was absolutely amazed that no one ever made an effort to market his work in America (besides the 1979 tour, which I would not have heard about). And I have been skeptical of top-selling records here ever since. I think we lack taste. (Though the Brits put Gary Glitter at the top of the charts, so maybe we're even on some score).

So--it's not just the 25 and under audience--it's also the whole American audience. He had quite a good turnout in Hudson--one guy even flew in from Los Angeles 3,000 miles away--but most of them were old Ultravox fans. He's never been "Top 40" here. On the plus side--there still seem to be a lot more fans than I would have expected, given the lack of exposure. So, he still has a reason to play here. I'm betting he could build an audience...I know I'd be spreading the word.

looking at the weather gig being called off,not such a bad thing tryed to get to work last night had to turn back.might have been tricky and dangerous for a lot of us to get to the gig.

I was thinking the same with that and the Tube Strikes despite losing money,I'm glad not to be going to London in this weather.

funny how things work out sometimes.well for me anyway.

Snow? I'll drive my Burning Car through the Chunnel, maybe I'll Crash and Burn

What do you think of meeting 4pm at Sister Ray ? So, after watching the shop we could go to a pub nearby...?!

Andreas

Nou Fons,

ik denk dat de dutchies het initiatief zullen moeten nemen.
Er even van uitgaand dat de vluchten doorgaan; heb jij zo een pub voor ogen die geschikt is?

Groetjes

Garry, where are thou?

Prima hoor, we kunnen altijd nog verplaatsen (fine with me, we can move elsewhere later if needed).
Andreas, I'll be arriving by train at about 15:30
given some transporting time we can meet at Sister Ray...fine with me (overrated shop btw, but thats my opinion )
I look like this btw --> (no hair )
Anyone else coming?? Join in now! Its free!

I was about to suggest here;

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/40/4000/Captain_Kidd/Wapping

But it's miles away from Sister Ray, so I'll try and find somewhere else that's much nearer

Right,

If it's Soho, then here will be good;

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/14/1421/Duke_of_Argyll/Soho

The Duke of Argyll
26 Great Windmill St,
London, W1D 7LQ

And it's just a short walk from Sister Ray. I'm still stuck in Sheffield, but should get there for about 7.30pm.

WEATHER ALERT

For those travelling from afar - please be aware that the UK has been completely useless at coping with snow since the ice age. Many transport links are operating at a reduced capacity, Gatwick airport is currently closed, but due to open again tomorrow.

I suggest you check your travel plans etc. Regular updates can be found here;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2010/dec/02/snow-uk-travel-disruption-live

Just to backtrack a bit to the conversation about John Foxx's musical importance to young people, I have a little anecdote regarding Mr. Foxx.

I'm 19, and here in Australia, John Foxx is for the most part unheard of. Even Ultravox's work with Midge Ure was mostly disregarded except for "Vienna".

I only heard of John Foxx due to my passion for electronic music from the 70's and early 80's, so I picked up Metamatic having read about it on wikipedia or various other places. Needless to say, I loved it.

A week or so after I got it, my friend's computer crashed resulting him in losing all his music, so I lent him Metamatic and funnily enough he didn't bother replacing his music library for a month or so after. We'd just hang out every day listening to Metamatic. Singing along to "Metal Beat" and every other song on there.

So, basically, I'm saying that John's music would definitely still hold up against today's youth, if they'd only search outside the Top 40.

Perhaps it is better to meet later 'cause the time for you is very short after your arriving and Garry will come later in the evening.
What do you think of meeting at 5.30 pm at Sister Ray?. So you could check in at the hotel before (me too).

Garry, many thanks for the pub.
I'm arriving in the morning and meet with Peter. I don't know if he comes to the pub too in the evening, but me and Michaela will be there.

Okay, I'll check The Duke out before I go!
And try to be at Sister Ray's at 5.30 (never been there before, so I'll check out their catalogue).
On the 4th there is a Leftfield (with John as surprise act? ) at the Brixton Academy. Any-one interested in visiting? I think I will, if there are any tickets Left of course.

Hi Lody
Nice you will come too.
Here is the address of Sister Ray
34-35 Berwick Street
London W1F 8RP (Soho)

See you there at 5.30!

Fons - have you read about the new meeting time?

I had an E-mail with Peter and he will come too...

So I did...

Eurostar is telling you to stay at home and reporting cancellations on their site!

Seems we are meeting the mother of "production problems" here...sigh :rolleyes:

Hi Andreas, will give Eurostar a call a bit later on how long delays might be.
As I understood quite long, I'm not sure about the time yet.

Oh S..t!
Is your train cancelled too?

I really hope I can start tomorrow. Will fly from Lübeck to Stansted with Ryan Air. I called the airport this evening and they told me it is all okay. But we have a lot of snow since some hours...

They have a schedule and my train is still on the list, the one after mine got cancelled already.
I see they write "We are offering free exchanges or refunds for customers booked to travel on one of our services between Thursday 2 December and Sunday 5 December, who are unable to travel or no longer wish to do so.
You can do this until 60 days after you were originally due to depart."

Think they have the same problems in Russia with trains?
If I can get it redirected to April I'm done as well only the hotel left then

I really hope it all works out well for you!
And me too...


Hopefully we meet tomorrow at Sister Ray 5.30!

Are you going to have a drink or two somewhere in London tonight 3rd December? If so, where?

Hi Tapio,

I put the info here;
http://www.metamatic.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000039;p=11

and here;
http://www.metamatic.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000602;p=2#000026

I'm sorry you didn't see it - hope you still had a good time!

as this concert to end all concerts draws ever nearer, I feel I should be getting plans in place for making the trip down...but still have the hurdle of being 2 months under the age limit to overcome...normally I would chance it, and have in the past, but it's an awful long way to go without being certain...

On the plus side, I've just pre-ordered Interplay

Its a bit of an awkward one with having to go and pay the distance, and not just being the other side of the town. Maybe someone who's been to the venue before might be able to advise you on how casual or otherwise they are likely to be on the door of the Troxy.

that would be helpful of course, but there's still no way of being certain...I suppose I could view it simply as a trip to London with the possibility of seeing John Foxx...but it would be harder to justify it that way.

I did just have a thought though, although I don't really agree with these 'VIP tickets', would that in any way provide a solution to the age limit problem?

Just announced via John's Twitter that Mirrors are also on the bill as well as synth maestro & Mute label boss Daniel Miller.He will do a DJ set at the Foxx Numan Motor show in London on 2 April.

sounds like it will be a good evening but I really cannot afford the trip :rolleyes:

Will Mirrors be appearing in London? Motor certainly do not inspire me to arrive early, after seeing them support Numan last November in San Francisco. They sound great for one song but then after several more you can't help feeling they all sound exactly the same!

Daniel Miller. Synth maestro???!!! What's the world coming to?!

Meh. I'm only coming to see John. No offense to anyone else on the bill, including Gary, but I wouldn't spend my money to see anyone else.

This gig's either going to have to start very early or everybody's set last 10 minutes, there's that many people on the bill! I suspect there'll be an audience surge just before (and maybe in reverse after) the John Foxx set!

So,to get it straight, we have

Motor
The Whip
Mirrors
John Foxx
Gary Numan

plus DJ sets between each act.

Did I miss anyone\thing?

I wouldn't mind if they came on in that order, but that's not going to be the case methinks.

I think some strategic retreats to the bar will be in order.

Posted on NuWorld:

The running order for The Troxy show on April 2 is as follows:

18:45 - 19:15. Mark Jones. DJ (30 mins)
19:15 - 19:45. Mirrors. (30 mins)
19:45 - 20:00. Mark Jones. DJ (15 mins)
20:00 - 21:00. John Foxx. (60 mins)
21:00 - 21:15. Mark Jones. DJ (15 mins)
21:15 - 21:45. Motor (30 mins)
21:45 - 22:30. Daniel Miller. DJ (45 mins)
22:30 - 24:00. Gary Numan. (90 mins)
24:00 - 00:30. DJ TBC. (30 mins)
00:30. Non VIP Doors Close
00:30 - 01:30. VIP Aftershow
01:30. VIP Doors Close

looks like a good evening. Hope it all goes well for the organisers and performers. I would so love to be able to go

So 'The Whip' have been dropped? Personally, I think four acts is more than enough.

I saw the Mirrors as support band for OMD in Hamburg and for my opinion they were better than OMD. A very good band live on stage. Sounding like the early OMD.

Hi all. I have moved this very live topic into this 'John Foxx' forum for discussion as it is now much more than an 'announcement'.

You'll see the copy there is closed.

Thanks

A very commendable debut album , but I can hardly see them as being better than OMD ... 20 (30?) years younger perhaps..but not 'better' !!

Ok offtopic . .sorry!

John and Louis were better than the Human League when I saw them in 2003...

I think it has something to do with I like the early OMD (until A&M) a lot . I'm not so keen of the later stuff. I was surprised to see those new band with their fresh music. Never heard of them before. This is the music I would love to hear from OMD these days. I bought their tour edition CD and I like what I hear on it. Will buy their debut CD too.


And I second Alex comment of John & Louis supporting the Human League in 2003...

Just finished! Apologies, I'll be more competent later, but just to let you know that there were some searing, blistering analogue editions of; shatterproof, burning car ( ripped the roof off...no joke), underpass, and a shed-load of Ultravox! With Robin Simon; quiet men, Hiroshima mon amour, the man who dies every day aaaaand; walk away!

I wanted Can't stay Long! Alas it wasn't to be, but nevermind! Great gig! Much better than the Roundhouse and Foxx's vocals - woah! Best he's ever sounded since the Shifting City gigs. Less FX more Foxx and it worked!

It has to be said, and fair play to him - Numan has almost won me over with a fantastic set. Aside from a handful of his industrial stuff, so far it's been; down in the park, films, oh that's too bad, we are glass, mr. Smith/zero bars and crash!

Bloody he'll! More of this and I might go see him willingly! Honest! He's in good form, fantastic light show and... Are friends electric is starting... T'ra!

I was there in the Roxy last night. A very good evening ensued. John came on after some youngsters had done their set. Sweet lads I'd better not name, on account of their love for 80's synth presets...more presets...oh dear. Still, they tried.

John and The Maths gave a good account of Catwalk, Running Man and a few good ones from Interplay. Well they were all good really. He moved, or should I say shifted and floated like a miracle, through a metamatic set of The Plaza, Underpass, and No one driving to his Ultravox works such as Dislocation. Quiet men and a few others. He gave them what sounded like a new polish, but I imagine that they also used such as the original ArpOdyssey voices so there. I lived and learned.

Dignified and clearly into it, he made a few moves too. Great to see him so animated. So were many of us at the front. Cool to be around people with the same love.

Then a New York duo came on and tried to convince us you could manage with one single, raucous preset for every single song, if you kept modulating it. They chased me out of the auditorium and I ended up exploring the back of the roxey and finding various quiet nooks and crannies, watching Benge walk past me etc. Finally I got my industrial noise protectors on until they'd finished. Lads...suicide had more imagination!

Then Gary came on and did a very good set indeed, using the hanging radiators behind the stage that until then had looked like a load of....hanging radiators. Pixel-light grids. Very effective. That went down a storm.

I looked behind me on the balcony of the huge, art-deco palace of a venue. There at the top , silently watching, was John himself. Finally, everyone came back on stage and John and Gary shook hands. Very well done everyone. xxx

MIRRORS MIRRORS MIRRORS MIRRORS

Not sure why you though you could not name them. Perhaps a little unimaginative but a good way to start the gig.

I like you had the misfirtune to see MOTOR, unfortunatley in my case for the second time, having seen them support Numan on his North American Tour last year. Totally agree with your comments.

Mirrors, John and Gary were on top form, but I do wonder about the DJ's.

Mark Jones again, a 'professional dj. Surely not!

When Daniel Miller came on a lot was expected, becuase after all he is 'Mr Mute', but unfortunatley if was awful. There was an ironic cheer when he finally played something that sounded like a tune (Lawn Chairs by OWD), instead of the dirge he had been playing. Don't expect many invitations for DJ slots Mr Miller I'm afraid.

That said, overall a fantastic night!

I never knew Samantha Fox was a Numan Fan!

Where are Brian's photos and films?

Just put on me laptop,only just got back home.Patience

In the meanwhilst, here's last nights set-list in all its glory...

01. Shatterproof
02. He's A Liquid
03. Burning Car
04. The Running Man
05. No-One Driving
06. Underpass
07. Catwalk
08. Dislocation
09. The Quiet Men
10. Walk Away
11. The Man Who Dies Every Day
12. Hiroshima Mon Amour
13. Slow Motion

Rob

Sounds like it was great.

Ooh, would have been nice to have heard Walk Away again ... hope everyone had a great time!

cheers for the set list Rob

Anyways back to work

Thanks for the first comments and the set list.
Sounds like it was a great evening (of course!)
Think Walk Away with Robin on Guitar was the highlight. It was the second time I missed John played this song live (2006 tour too).
One day... (Hopefully)

Looking forward to Brian's photos

Hope John and Benge will continue performing live this year.

I’ve just arrived home to a rather wet Wolverhampton. It was a great gig last night. John has never sounded better and the live band really worked. In fact the whole hour just flew by and the whole thing just fell into place. The analogue synths just blew me away - they sounded great!

However, and this is where I suspect I will be swimming against the tide, I’m not sure about the set-list. John has just released a simply brilliant album, and he had all the guys on stage to play it. We did get 3 Interplay songs, but did we need 5 from Systems Of Romance? I would have flipped that around 5 to 3 the other way.

I’m not sure about the set-list order either. During John’s hour the venue was filling up rapidly, and for the second half of the set I imagine John had one of the biggest audiences he’s ever had. I think the classic Metamatic tracks and something from Interplay deserved the prime end of set slots. After all, they represent what John is all about as a solo artist.

Anyway, I’m sure all you SOR fans out there appreciated the album being given star billing.

This was the fourth time I have seen Gary Numan, and he seemed as good as ever. Some great early tracks combined with the heavy industrial stuff. Got some brand new stuff too, including a track written just days before. My stamina was starting to suffer after standing in the same spot for over 4 hours (blumin’ back ache) and that did prevent me enjoying Gary’s set as much as I normally do.

Mirrors were okay, Motor - every track seemed the same.

I’m sorry I couldn’t make the pre-gig meet, but on this occasion I travelled down with my better half and we decided to go out for a pre-gig meal on the banks of the Thames. Rather nice it was too. I did see and say hello to Brian in the Holiday Inn on Sunday morning.

Cheers,
Mike.

Nice to meet you this morning Mike,all too briefly.

Sorry I had to go had train to catch I was on the way to check out when I bumped into you.

Brian

To be honest, I'm quite disappointed in the Foxx set. I'm sure had I been there, it'd be a totally different story, but it does look very similar to the Roundhouse(?) gig.

Same old Metamatic tracks and just a smattering of the new Interplay tracks, which is a great shame. I really go hope there's some sort of Maths tour to promote the album. It's brilliant and it deserves it.

Maybe John also ought to get the whole SOR thing out of his system and play SOR live in full with Robin Simon.

yes Destination wouldn't have been out of place... and speaking of which I found this from the roundhouse gig last year.

Hmmm - it is an interesting one. My take on it though is exactly the opposite. :p

Given that most of the Numanoids came in later on during the set, I'm not surprisd that's when a) the guitar-based tracks featured most strongly and b) as a 'tribute' to Numan, Foxx played the stuff that influenced him most ie Systems of Romance.

Not only but also, most of us 'whinged' (myself included) after the Roundhouse when we felt Rob Simon's role and presence on stage was underplayed. Seems like this set more than compensated for that!!

It is always impossible to please everyone all the time at these events, especially when Foxx doesn't play live very often. Reads like a good, tight set to me that ticks most of the boxes for most of the people and works well in the context of the billing.

Those 'same old' Metamatic tracks will be the ones that the majority of the live audience want to hear

Gary Numan and John Foxx together on stage Troxy London

Destination from last year went a bit pear shaped so I didn't record it.

Alex the sound and the way that they were played on all of last night's Foxx tracks was a magnitude above last years Roundhouse versions.


Brian

Back in Holland since 3 hours

The afternoon started with a really nice meeting in the Queens Head before the gig.
Dumped my camera at the hotel because I didn't think it was bootleg-friendly really...and with last year in mind... :rolleyes:
So no pics & movies from me this time

I thought John's Troxy set was superb.
In my opinion it completely beats last years Roundhouse gig!
They should have filmed this one
Yes, with a new album out one might expect more "promotion" of that.
But the majority knows him for the older stuff I think.
Anyway, he can play whatever he wants...I like them nearly all
Was really great to hear "Walk Away" live for the first time.
In my experience "Hiroshima mon Amour" went not as planned at the beginning?
Ah well, all part of the package

After John Chris & I watched Motor...yes, Motor *sigh*
Wasn't that impressed with Daniel Miller as well really.
Gary Numan was nice, but I have enough of all this "industrial" stuff (I work in heavy industrial environments and I still don't get the connection really...)
I have seen him a bunch of times now but I even got a bit bored towards the end.
Was really nice to hear them old Tubeway Army songs though.

I only got to say bye to Tapio, the rest disappeared all out of my sight. Sorry for that!
Was great meeting you all!
Till next one!

Seen a few clips and twitpics etc (and Brian's photos. Great!!!)

The visuals look quite different to Roundhouse.
Any observations on these?

The visuals stopped abruptly a few songs in.

I asked Karborn what happened and he said there were technical problems with the venue's equipment.

Brian

Oh no!!!!!

There was a new set of visuals for Shatterproof which you will see once I've uploaded.

Real shame all the work that went into it & Barnbrook being unwell as well

Thanks for your informative and interesting reviews MikeG, Sam Vox, and Fons, and I particularly like this part from yours Paul:

Absolutely fantastic.
Thankyou Brian!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b6Tu-36oW4

I assume the Numan set was the same as Manchester?

1. Down In The Park
2. Films
3. That's Too Bad
4. Crash
5. Captured Underground Noise Transmission
6. I Die You Die
7. Jagged
8. The Fall
9. Obelisk
10.Zero Bars
11.Listen To The Sirens
12.When The Sky Bleeds
13.Are Friends Electric?
14.Haunted
15.Crawl
16.Pure

Encore
17. Cars
18. Halo
19. A Prayer for the Unborn

Numan's statement in The Quietus was ominous to say the least:
Shame.

Here's a rather unusual, though probably accurate review of the gig...

Minimalist!

Here is the Benge-eye view..

..and a Busch eye (pre)view...

quote:-

"I usually greet pretension like the plague: with irritation and bad manners"


"Mysterious to some; condescension to others. At the set’s climax, loyal fans pumped their fists to Underpass – It is a great song. Only, the organ-esc melody, and the fists, reinforced the image of a priest at a pulpit"

'condescension to others'?

"What was so brilliant about the night was the diversity of age. Of course, this is just a polite way of saying that the place was full of an older generation, but I do not mock. As a novice, it was interesting to see how important this music was to people. Soppy and sentimental – it was part of their history"

'soppy and sentimental - it was part of their history'

So, Back To The Phuture was a potential evening of pretension, Johns performance is condescending to some, and us oldies that deemed to be there were all wispy-eyed and gooey about the nostalgic music...

Who is the moron that wrote that review?

What a fantastic day out, I’ll never forget it. As the gig was happening ‘on my manor’ so to speak, I made it a big day out. An espresso at The Eagle on City Road, then a wander past Tabernacle Street and on through Great Eastern Street, Holywell Lane, Commercial Street and eventually on to Commercial Road.

It was really good to catch-up at The Queen’s Head too with Gem, Fons, Brigid, Tapio, Brian, Paul, Pippa and Phil among others – I really hope there are more days like this to come.

We lighted out for The Troxy under a blazing sunset – a good sign, the end of a perfect day and the evening had yet to begin. A few of us had heard the Mirrors album and thought it was better to remain in the pub and skip the performance, which from most accounts, was a wise decision. I caught the tail-end of Mirrors, and…well…maybe I’m just old enough to know where their bodies are buried, where their moves were studied, where their lines were copied. It left me cold with a sense that I’d been there before, such is their perfect identi-kit synth pop. The Pepsi challenge to end all Pepsi challenges.

The Troxy is a beautiful Art-Deco venue – the detail, the architecture, the paintwork etc all beautifully restored. All wonderful; even the very modern neon is subtle and follows the original elegant lines and curves of the place. The only oddities were; facing the stage, you had a nice long well-designed bar to the left and to the right a sort of trestle-table frenzy of drinks and food. At the back was even stranger – large circular tables with Numanoids looking as if they’d been left stranded in Pontins or a wedding reception styled by Tamara de Lempicka.

At last! The lights go down and Foxx arrives to a large welcome and kicks off with Shatterproof. There’s something immediately noticeably different (in comparison to The Roundhouse) from the start, and at first it’s hard to put your finger on it. Yes, immediately, it feels much more dynamic and BIG – but the sound-system at The Troxy is much better than The Roundhouse, and hearing all those analogue synths with a fantastic sound system does have it’s own shock and awe quality to it.

BUT there’s something else. And it only really dawned on me after the seriously bass’d-up über-boom of Burning Car – it’s Foxx. Well, obviously it’s Foxx, I mean – it’s his gig, but, well – this time it’s über-Foxx. His vocal performance tonight is electric. There’s a lot less FX processing (for much of the performance there doesn’t seem to be any at all) on his vocals and he’s all the better for it! And shapes! The man is throwing shapes, his voice is soaring – he’s really enjoying himself. And all played out to a backdrop of some wonderful projections by Johnathan Barnbrook, most notably The Running Man, where a blistering live performance is played out beneath 1960s cold-war Berlin with the Running Man Leslie Charteris-ing his way across the danger zones through the tunnels of Bernauer Straße.

And it continued. It’s hard to single out a highlight amongst a tightly packed and highly charged performance from Foxx and the Maths because it was all so good. All of it. Flicking through the memories, stand-outs for me; were Burning Car, The Running Man and Underpass but I couldn’t tell you why.

Robin Simon arrives, bringing with him a stellar performance with Dislocation, The Quiet Men, Walk Away, The Man Who Dies Every Day, Hiroshima Mon Amour, and Slow Motion. The Quiet Men was just perfect, but then so was Walk Away – Simon delivering that ‘hairs on the back of your neck’ solo that we all love. Hiroshima Mon Amour came in to its own with another fantastic solo by Simon and it all finishes too soon with Slow Motion. Hard to believe it was only an hour.

From the blisteringly sublime to the frankly ridiculous.

Motor. Oh dear. What a come down. If you; a) come from New York and; b) wear big shades and; c) are a synth-duo, then; d) you should be Suicide – the “Kings of the 212”. If you are not Suicide, if you can’t even hold a candle to Suicide then perhaps you should stop imitating them in such a flaccid and weak manner. When you make A.R.E. Weapons look respectable, it might be time to change your career.

Mark Jones was disappointing. I’d been to see Blancmange a few weeks before and he had DJ’d at that also. And tonight he played exactly the same songs, in the same order. Throughout the evening he’d do his best to flit between ‘Superstar DJ’ poses and Mockney Bingo-Caller. I didn’t even notice Daniel Miller.

And then Numan.

I’d be lying if I said I was looking forward to this.

I really wasn’t looking forward to this.

No way.

Not so much Numan himself, but the boorish behaviour of his fans at The Roundhouse last year left a lot to be desired to say the least. What a difference a year makes. Really. Numan was brilliant, his fans were brilliant – who knew!?

A great set from Numan – from memory there was; Down In The Park, Films, That's Too Bad, Crash, I Die: You Die, Zero Bars/Mr. Smith, Listen To The Sirens, Are ‘Friends’ Electric? and an encore that included Cars. The LED screens were great; and there was a wave of nostalgia seeing Numan with a light-show. He finished on a touching song that utilized ultrasound images of an unborn child, that in places was quite soulful. Yes, Numan. Soulful. Not in the Stax/Chess/Atlantic sense, but still…soulful. Yes, Numan.

I’m unlikely to join the Scientol…Numanoids by jumping camp or anything, but if tonight’s performance is anything to go by, I’d definitely see him live again.

An absolutely perfect day. When’s the next one?

Good review.

I've walked out of some gigs in the past (not Numan ones, mind), where the fans (usually drunk ones) have basically spoiled things, so I relate to your anti-Numan experience.

However I'm pleased to read that Saturday's show changed things for you. And I think, credit to Gary, he's finally getting to where he's been striving to get to for the last few years. Bigger stage show, a refreshed set list and new material. It's been far too long.

Very good Rads. Sounds like it was a jolly good night. Perhaps I would've given Mirrors more of a run for their money, but your comments are fair.

Maybe they should've given Foxxy a bit more time to get more Maths numbers in. Discuss.

Ha ha - oh dear.

Yes, "Maths / numbers" pun intended...

But seriously folks, perhaps they deserved more time, like Numan?

A couple of DJs could surely have been scrapped in favour of at least another half hour for John.

Anyway, let's hope there's some sort of Maths tour...

Yes I think that would add up to something good.
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coat already in hand.... :rolleyes:

That was just a fraction funny.

Cheers guys!

Re; The Maths+Foxx+extra 30 mins, well, i might be speaking for myself, but on the night, I didn't feel cheated or that Foxx had been cheated either. It was a fantastic hour, and yes, I'd of liked and extra 30 minutes (who wouldn't?) but also - I can't fault the hour either.

Lets just hope the talk of more shows really does happen, preferably not under that '...Phuture' banner.

For what it's worth, my ideal Foxx gig would be;

An all-dayer in June/July at Alexandra Palace.

Supported by Aphex Twin, Fennesz, Burial or Four-Tet

DJs: Juan Atkins, Mary Anne-Hobbs

Visuals by Barnbrook


That whole '80s/Phuture' schtick would be binned from the off.

I'd settle for just John - who needs any support when you've got The Maths?!

But I agree on the retro/80s/Phuture thing. Get rid. And whoever came up with writing future like that, should be sent to bed with no supper!

Interplay may touch on several aspects of John's career, but 80s retro is is not. The sonics and sounds prove how timeless those analogue sounds are, sounding as good today as they ever did. Modern and futuristic at the same time.

Hi, everyone--back in the States, and still feeling like I'm in London...

I posted my review of the show to my blog, for what it's worth. Here is the link:

http://bit.ly/gXXD42

It was lovely to see everyone and meet some of you who I've never met before as well. Hopefully we won't have to wait long to do it again.

Enjoy!

10 out of 10 for that!

To be fair, the DJs were mostly filling in whilst the stage was being updated for the next act. On one occasion at least (for John?) a record was cut short because the act was ready to come on.

Wouldn't a full Maths tour be great? Bearing in mind what has been said on this forum before (I.E. John winding down his live electro performances) I can't see it happening. I think we will have to make do with occasional one-off shows and be grateful we have got those.

Foxx made more impact in 60 minutes than Gary in 90!
*mumbles* ...less is more...

This is excellent John is throwing 110% behind this track and judging from this clip it sounds like his best live performance.

Excellent quality. Much praise and thanks.

So excellent. Live drums! Yes!

John Foxx hits EVERY NOTE!

Wish I'd been there.

Robin Simon: Amazing!

Been noticing, as of a few months ago, that various footage and pics of John Foxx, Clint Eastwood and Zbigniew Brzezinski almost make it appear that the three men could be from the same family.

This was the gig I have been wanting to see for a long time!! I am SO pleased to have made the journey over.

The Good
The set list was divine. A perfect balance of old and new, perhaps geared towards a mixed crowd, but it suited my taste perfectly. The crowd loved it too, judging by their actions and applause. The peak was Walk Away - powerful, and one of my favourite Foxx tracks. It was all good.

The Bad
Motors - why were they part of this?
DJ's - The music in between sets was needed and often good, but a DJ that can't operate the equipment is always going to be a liability! Having the DJ on stage makes people think they have to watch them - better out of site, out of mind, and maybe cheaper(assuming they warrant payment for services). I know this is all done under Mark Jones "Back to the Phuture" brand (in which case, how do you pronounce Phuket?), but in some cases DJ's should be in the background - heard and not seen!!

The Ugly
People like me who bought VVIP tickets. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for "access" to people like John and Gary, but at the same time I really did feel out of place. It made me really glad that I'm not famous and have to interact with a million people who know volumes about "me" whilst knowing absolutely nothing about "them". I won't be doing that again, or if I do, I'll just be happy watching the sound check and getting a feel for the pre gig atmosphere - that was actually worth a lot to me, as I do like the technical side of gigs, and am in awe of people who man sound desks, and our good forum friend Chris C, manning the lighting desk. Seeing them operate just elevates my opinion of them even more.
I'm also slightly sad to report that I only partially share Garry's view on the Numan crowd. Downstairs I believe it was quite a good atmosphere, but upstairs it seemed to be a race to drink the bar dry, with obvious consequences. SOME (minority) people were obnoxious through the gig, and got worse through the night. Problem may have stemmed from having a free bar at the beginning where people just had way too much "warming up". It got to the point where I just wasn't having fun, so went back to the VIP bar and found some people with a similar opinion!

That didn't spoil it for me though. It was great night and meeting Rob, Brigid, Phil, Fons, Lieutenant030 aand his daughter, et al was fantastic. Getting that behind the scenes glimpse was great too, but missing Garry and everyone else was annoying - something to correct later in the year I hope!

Oh, and Mirrors were not that bad! I actually enjoyed them a lot, apart from the fact that they all seemed to resemble Jimmy Carr with Andy McClusky's dancing skills!

It was more than worth it. To cap it all, I brought the family as far as the UK (they didn't go to the gig) and they had a cracking time too.

Long way for a weekend break, but one of the best weekends in recent memory for me!

Many thanks Brigid!

Great review. Yes it was a shame about the visuals, but from the front, I was totally overawed by the performance and didn't notice too much that the visuals had switched off. It's a shame that Karborn never got to show his work as I understand that these were new visuals of his. Hopefully there'll be a next time.

And glad to see you're getting to grips with London patois! If Foxx goes to NYC you'll have to teach us some of yours!

Thanks, Garry! It really was a spectacular gig--I think even better than the Roundhouse, at least in terms of how it sounded. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you for the rest of the evening!

I'm sort of back from London mentally, but not really. Let's hope I'll be advising you on New York places to stay and meet up in the not-too-distant future! (I doubt before 2012, but I can dream...).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wjA7ieQL0

Thanks for your great reviews Garry, Brigid, and Chris, it’s a pleasure to read them, there's so much to absorb from your enthusiasm, observation, and insight on what seems to have been a truly memorable gig.

Having looked at the youtube clips up now and gleamed some fascinating detail from all your comments about the people and the place, such is the effect of this online world of sharing others experience its like I’m recalling a dream of almost having been there (if only) - but sadly its more like having to settle instead for the equivalent of one that’s been implanted in the brain by the Tyrell Corporation, (and very soon I’ll be making a paper unicorn next )

Hi Chris,

Shame we didn’t get to see each other – maybe next time! (pleasepleasepleaseanaloguegods-let there be a next time) Great review; thanks to Brigid and yourself, I now have a perfect view from the balcony…will avoid the bar though!

This is a neat omnibus Darren! Great stuff! Makes you want to hear more!

Nice footage too Darren, looking at the angle you were standing next to a few of us here

This is really good but at that same time I am frustrated. I want more!

What makes it worse is that its plainly clear that this was a better gig than the roundhouse. I chose the wrong gig to come and see. I am really thinking of coming over again this year if there are more gigs. I might even bring my wife. She doesnt like foxx. She is Brasillian and she just did not get into this electronic stuff. But what the heck.....Maybe seeing Foxx might change her mind.