At a brilliantly ramshackle debut Artrocker Music Awards at XOYO last night, Gary Numan was deservedly awarded the first ever Legend Award. Capping a career that began in the late 70s with a blend of electric, new wave, punk and synth influences, Numan put in a DJ set performance at the after show that is sadly hard to remember now.
The electro pioneer is probably best know for hits Are ‘Friends’ Electric? with Tubeway Army and Cars, but his back catalogue goes much further than that. Lesser known tracks like We Are Glass, Complex and Radio Heart help to make Numan the legend that he has become.
Numan’s genius was recaptured in the affection of Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh and it’s ace to see one of music’s great innovators credited with an award like this.
The ceremony also saw Tim Burgess pick up the Icon Award in association with Farah, best album went to Gruff Rhys for Hotel Shampoo and the best live band of 2011 to The Jim Jones Revue. Though it’s hard to agree with all of the nominations (how West and Veronica Falls weren’t in the best album slot is definitely difficult to fathom), the Legend Award for Gary Numan is impossible to disagree with.
The only downer to the night was Plan B’s Ben Drew, whose gangster wannabe introduction to Skins & Punks photographer Gavin Watson for the best photographer award seems to perpetuate a corrosively negative mentality.
