Tubeway Days and ULTRA:foxx, Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich, 8th July 2023

Line-up:

TUBEWAY DAYS:

Chris Fielding (vocals) 

Paul Hurst (synthesizers)

John Rose (synthesizers)

Jonny Phage (guitar)

Neil Bourne (bass guitar)

Ian Bourne (drums)

 

ULTRA:foxx (support):

Gary Pennill (vocals)

Rikk (guitar)

Mikk 'E' (keyboards)

Venue: 

The Maddermarket Theatre

St. Johns Alley

Norwich

Norfolk

NR2 1DR

U.K.

Before we get started, apologies for the VERY weird page formatting - Blogger seems to have a mind of its own at the moment. Please know that we are in the process of building something a little more flexible.

And after the best part of six years, now with a second contributor (Ebony Fellowes coming along this evening for her first gig shoot), Review Elektro is back and what a start it was. More of that in a bit.

So, Gary Numan, love him or loathe him, there's absolutely no denying the seismically massive global impact he had on the music world when he made his very first appearance in the Spring of 1979, a totally mesmerising performance from this unknown pale-skinned, android-like figure on  "Top of the Pops", which was the top music show in the U.K. at the time. The song "Are Friends Electric?" hit the number one spot and catapulted Numan into mainstream success as well as into music history. Along with hits such as "Cars", "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die", he became imprinted on the very fabric of the music that was to come, with many modern acts, such as Africa Bambaataa, Fear Factory, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and Damon Albarn of Blur, citing Numan as a significant influence. In 1979 and 1980, Numan performed a series of concerts that were to become the stuff of legend with elaborate stage sets and lighting and of course Numans alien-like presence and it was the essence of these concerts that Tubeway Days, the main act for the evening at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich, set out to recreate.

 

The Maddermarket Theatre sits in the centre of the East Anglian city of Norwich, Described by BBC Radio Norfolk as the "peoples theatre", it has since 1921 been something of a home for creatives, providing a place for artistes to perform, make friends and enjoy quality entertainment, surviving wars and pandemics through the unfaltering dedication of local volunteers, who upon our visit were friendly, helpful and generally really nice. 

 

 

Support for Tubeway Days was provided by a 3-piece band called ULTRA:foxx, a tribute band from the Midlands recreating the music of Ultravox (both the John Foxx and Midge Ure eras) as well as John Foxxs' solo material. They're normally a 4-piece, however, their drummer was unable to take part this evening. Having only 10 minutes to set up and sound check, these guys started their set seemingly unphased and got straight into the music with their rendition of Ultravox's "Sleepwalk". They then proceeded to belt out their versions of songs such as "Passing Strangers", "The Thin Wall", "Underpass", "Burning Car" (yeah these guys are real JF fans), "Slow Motion"', "Hiroshima Mon Amour", "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", "The Voice" and of course, "Vienna". The excellent guitarist and keyboard were really tight, the music was excellently performed and captured the necessary essence of the artists they were covering.

 

We need to talk about the lead singer Gary Pennill - we were seriously surprised that this was his "first ever gig in any form, so was nervous" (Gary's actual words), he took to the stage and sung his heart out, keeping things going between songs. Now what's essential to know here is that Gary simply didn't sound like either Midge Ure or John Foxx, but that seriously worked in his favour as he was able to put HIS stamp on the songs and, for us (we're BIG Ultravox fans!!!), that is what made this set so bloody good, providing the absolute essence of what a tribute band should be - a group of great musicians getting out there and covering well-loved songs, in their own way and making those songs their own. Now, we are quite sure Gary will absolutely hate us for saying this, but, and this is a genuinely positive comment, ANYONE who covers Midge Ure-era Ultravox MUST do one simple, but totally necessary, thing to completely nail the authenticity, the mood and the atmosphere - mash up the lyrics - he did on one song and yes, we looked at one another, we grinned widely, we punched the air and we absolutely applauded it!!!

As you may have read in previous reviews, the three elements of style, performance and presentation are essential for any successful act, and it has to be said that ULTRA:foxx ticked all three boxes; they had style (immaculately dressed in shirt, tie and grey suits), they didn't just stand there and play, they got up on stage and performed, and their presentation was excellent with a simple back drop (which matched their grey suits), the keyboard set up painted to match and of course, well thought out set. We thoroughly enjoyed ULTRA:foxx, as did all the people we spoke to afterwards (some of whom were performing musos themselves) and can confidently tell you that these are ones to watch, we'll certainly be keeping a close eye on their progress as they get their foothold on the gig circuit.

After the excellent ULTRA:foxx set, we were properly warmed up for Tubeway Days. The stage set looked like the 1979 Touring Principle set (lots of light panels) and a big neon triangle above the drum kit. We briefly spoke to Neil the bass player earlier in the evening and he was telling us that they weren't able to get the whole of their stage set into the theatre - we'll refer back to this comment later.

In true Numan style, a taped intro heralded the arrival on stage of the band, minus lead singer Chris Fielding. The five musicians briefly stood in a line at the front of the stage before taking their positions.
 

And then it started.

It was as though we were being transported back in time to Hammersmith Odeon in 1979, the light panels blazing, the spot lights cutting through the smoke and the power of the music pouring out of the PA - the mood was set ready for Chris Fieldings entrance and when he took to the stage, WOW, there were goosebumps because he looked just like Gary Numan, dressed in the black suit with the red and blue tie and the make up creating THAT face. 

Incredible.

Then he started to sing.

Wow again.

He sounded EXACTLY like Numan at that time, every nuance in his voice perfectly recreated.

It didn't stop there.

No.

The moves, the shapes, the attitudes, the stares, the manner, absolutely spot on.

It was, from the outset, very, very, clear that Chris Fielding had done his homework, everything was on the money and throughout the entire set, with no word of a lie, it was easy to believe you were listening to Gary Numan in 1979/80.

          Okay, the music.

The set was split into two, the first half being devoted to 1979 and the second half to 1980. Lead singer Chris Fielding changed costumes throughout, starting with the black suit synonymous with the Touring Principle (the jacket came off part way through this segment), the red lapelled military jacket (think the insert of the "Replicas" album), the "Telekon" jumpsuit complete with red straps, the "I Die: You Die" kung fu suit and the black bomber jacket (as seen in the end part of the Touring Principle shows). 

 

For these shows, Tubeway Days perform only Numans' music from the years 1978 to 1980, specifically the first "Tubeway Army" album, "Replicas", "The Pleasure Principle" and "Telekon". Putting Chris' incredible vocals aside (no really, we need to), mention has to be made of the musicians, bass player Neil Bourne effortlessly played Paul Gardiners sometimes demanding bass lines, guitarist Johnny Phage (great name by the way - we're also "Star Trek" fans) brought the punkier elements of the music to life on songs such as "Are You Real?" and "The Machman" and we think that keyboard player Paul Hurst may just be a clone of Billy Currie (Ultravox keyboardist who played synths and viola on Numans 1979 U.K. tour) highlighted by the ARP Odyssey solos (using the excellent GForce Software Oddity 3 emulation of that synthesizer) on tracks such as "On Broadway" and "Everyday I Die" plus an outstanding rendition of the instrumental "Airlane". It was great to hear some of the more obscure Tubeway Army material being played, particularly from the first album with songs like "Listen to the Sirens", "Are You Real?" and "My Shadow in Vain", as well "The Machman", "Praying to the Aliens" and Me, I Disconnect from You" from the "Replicas" album.

 

With tribute acts, you either like them or you don't and it would be easy for some to use the term "tribute act" in a dismissive manner. However, when you encounter the commitment and quality of the two "tribute acts" reviewed here, you can see the hugely important part they play in keeping the music of specific artists or genres alive. With Tubeway Days, they aren't so much a tribute band but more an experience, the way in which they have brilliantly crafted the 1979/1980 eras is about as authentic as it comes in terms of their look, the sound and the stage presentation. We said earlier in this review that TubewayDays couldn't get all of the stage set in to the theatre - what we had this evening was quite simply stunning, so the mind boggles at what it would have looked complete!!! A fair reason to see these guys again? Yeah. Gary Numan often bemoans having to play his old material, and that's completely understandable when he's pouring his heart and soul into new material, however, with acts like Tubeway Days, you can have a Numan experience that is as solid as concrete and know that you're watching and listening to commitment, dedication and skill which creates something unique through its authenticity. We heard die-hard Numan fans waxing lyrical about the performance and you can read on various Facebook group pages just how much people enjoyed and applauded this evenings performance. 

We make no apology for our enthusiasm, both acts were that good, and for sure, if we can to see them again, we will, with or without cameras. Style, performance and presentation were all in evidence by the bucket load, Tubeway Days and ULTRA:foxx complimented each other perfectly, so there's nothing further to add other than if either of these acts are performing near you, be it together or on their own, you owe it to yourself to get a ticket and go and see them.

 

Links:

TUBEWAY DAYS

ULTRA:foxx

MADDERMARKET THEATRE

Concert Images (courtesy of Neil Fellowes Photography  and Ebony Fellowes Photography):

Tubeway Days and ULTRA:foxx

 

 

WE'RE BACK!!!

Neil & Ebony Fellowes

After some six years, Review Elektro is back and slowly rising from the ashes!!!

The last few years have, to say the least, been eventful, what with life, death, life, work, life and COVID-19 :-D

Anyway, enough of that, let's get on with what's happening and have a little look to the future.

Just as a reminder, the Review Elektro blog was originally set up and run by me, Neil Fellowes, in 2014 to combine my passions for live music and photography. It didn't do too badly and got a little bit of recognition. This time around, it's still me, but I am now joined by my wife Ebony who, alongside me, will be providing photos under her Ebony Fellowes Photography moniker (watch out for her Instagram page VERY soon).

At the moment, Review Elektro is sitting comfortably on this 'ere Blogger site and for the time being, that's where we're going to keep it, but we wanted to get the content going as soon as possible. We have the .co.uk and .com domains ready bought and paid for, so over the course of the next week or two, we'll  set them up to re-direct here until such time as we can get round to building a full website.

Things will be as they were before, we can't see any point in changing what worked just fine. It's all about gig reviews with our photos and our words.

A number of emails have been sent out for prospective gigs and we've got the first two confirmed already, being Tubeway Days at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich on Saturday 8th July 2023 and Heaven 17 (working with Simon Watson Photography) at the Nick Rayns LCR UEA on Thursday 16th November 2023. We'll put up posts with details later today (7th July 2023).

We're also going to try and hunt out the reviews from the 2010s and get them back on here as well - no promises though as we had something of a catastrophic hard drive failure not so long back and it's horribly likely that they were on tha drive - BUT - we'll still check other drives nonetheless!!!

So, that's it for now, keep coming back and we hope you'll come along with us on this little journey back into the world of live music and concert photography.

Neil and Ebony