Winchester is poised to welcome electronic music legend, Gary Numan, to the city tomorrow. Ahead of his visit, he spoke to WARWICK PAYNE about his music career and his other role as DJ

Numan revealed that even now, 30 years after coming to prominence, he was still “flattered” when people cited him as an influence or asked to cover his songs.

When he visits the Railway Inn at St Paul’s Hill, Winchester, he will be the headline act at the Mirrorman Festival.

The eight-hour extravaganza of electronic music will also bring together six local bands including Capital X, I Am Immune, and Scarlet Soho.

Many of the Hampshire acts playing the festival have listed Gary Numan, whose works include Cars and Are Friends Electric, as a major influence.

He told Scene South: “I've had a few people say they were influenced by things I've done, or recorded their own covers of my songs, from Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson to Basement Jaxx and the Sugababes and I still haven't got used to it.

“I don't take it for granted at all, I find it very flattering. For people to cite me as an influence is a huge compliment and I'm very proud of that.”

On his visit to Winchester he will not be performing live, but stepping behind the decks in his other role as a DJ.

While looking forward to the event, he conceded that playing live was often a bigger buzz.

“The DJ thing is good fun and I enjoy it a lot but it doesn't really compare with playing live with the band.

“Playing your own music and seeing the crowd react to it will, in my opinion, always be more exciting and satisfying than playing other people’s music.

“Having said that, with the DJ gigs, we only play music that we really love so it's great to be able to share that interest and passion with, hopefully, like minded people.”

He added that he might choose some of his own records if modesty did not get the better of him. Then again if he did not play them, his support DJ, Ade Fenton, might oblige instead.

“I actually feel quite embarrassed putting my own stuff into the set so I don't really do much of that.

“Ade occasionally slips Numan tracks in without telling me he's going to do it, which makes me avoid eye contact with anyone while it's playing. I wish he wouldn't do that! I don't really see the DJ thing as an opportunity to push my own music on to people, more an opportunity to share the music that I find inspiring and exciting,” he said.

Now living in Sussex, he added that he often comes to Hampshire because he has a boat moored at Hayling Island.

He also made an unscheduled visit to Hampshire in the mid-1980s when he made an emergency landing near Botley when the aircraft he was piloting hit trouble.

Doubtless, he will be hoping for a less dramatic arrival in Winchester tomorrow.

n For more details about Gary Numan’s visit to the Railway Inn, log on to railwaylive.co.uk/mirrormanfestival.html..