CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE.

What does the audience of a man who is concurrently a one-hit wonder to the layman and the coolest name to drop into your MySpace “influences” list look like? Would we have a sea of over-the-hill music veterans, wanting to relive their – œ80s youth or a multitude of cult followers of Gary Numan’s latest doings? And would pricing tickets at above $100 each during an economic crisis affect any of this?

The answer is, strangely, all of the above. Between a good percentage of WSFM’s listening audience and an above-average amount of last-minutes scalpers circling the crowd on Enmore Road, were punters who, through dress code, made evident that they were the devoted fans of Numan’s “new stuff”. The question then became how this show would present itself to such a divided audience. While tour promotion, the selection of Pivot as support and the inclusion on the indie-heavy Golden Plains lineup gave the appearance of genre ambiguity, as the night progressed it became clear that Gary Numan would only be performing to one half of the audience.

Yet, this reviewer cannot go any further without making the following sentiment clear: Pivot are a magnificent live act. While dozens of bands are going into electronic-experimental territory, this formerly Perth-based trio (now “just down the road”, a call greeted with cheers from the crowd) can build musical soundscapes that are genre-pushing, hard-hitting and beautifully layered all at once. As they looped, delayed, riffed and fuzzed through their 45-minute set they demonstrated the simplistic power of melody, leaving the entire front row with mouths ajar. The only misstep throughout was a new track, featuring very prominent, yet very off-key vocals.

As the stage was filled by Numan and his five-piece band, one half of the audience lit up, while the other punters began to raise eyebrows. Opening tracks In A Dark Place and Blind all but confirmed the hopes and fears of the crowd. This was going to be a balls-to-the-floor rock show. Expect tattooed flesh, strobe lights, screeching vocals and heavy metal drumming.

As for those wanting nostalgia? Gary obliges to play hit largest hit, Cars . But don’t expect emotional input. Playing it early in his set, he sings through two verses reluctantly then leaves the rest to the audience. It’s all too apparent that his general evolution in style and possible aggravation at the Loser In The Crowd who constantly shouts “Play Cars!” for two decades have all but worn Numan paper-thin.

All things considered, Gary Numan never reaches beyond commendable, at best. At times, he screeches and howls, like the lovechild of Trent Reznor and Bono, running around the stage with self-indulgent glee, oblivious to his blotchy eyeliner and too-tight-for-his-age clothing. At others, he attempts to connect with his ageing audience only for the song to fall flat on a lacklustre performance. One positive note to take from all this is Numan’s vocal ability; it has thankfully not aged with time, no matter what form it takes.

The best moment, however, came during the end of the main set. Starting quasi-whispering, Numan leads both his band and the audience through a riveting reinterpretation of Are “Friends” Electric? It’s this unison of past and present fans that Numan should bank on if he wants to remain relevant for the future.