An awe-inspiring career spanning over 30 years with 22 studio albums (3 No. 1s), 19 live albums and 59 hit singles, the 'Godfather of Electro' and true living legend Gary Numan will join the main stage line-up for a rare festival appearance at this year's Hevy Music Festival.

His first solo single 'Cars' spent weeks on the charts in 1980 and paved the way for an entirely new genre of 'alternative' music. That seminal track helped usher in the synth pop era on both sides of the Atlantic, where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hitmaker during the early '80s. Even after new wave had petered out, Numan's impact continued to make itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and industrial artists to come.

Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in the west London section of Hammersmith. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk group called the Lasers in 1976. The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed Tubeway Army, with drummer Bob Simmonds; they recorded a couple of singles that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, Tubeway Army cut a set of punk-meets-Kraftwerk demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978, which were released several years later as 'The Plan'. That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group's debut album, Tubeway Army, appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie's Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno, the album also displayed Numan's fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam (Roxy Music & Ultravox), as well as science fiction writer Philip K. Dick.

The group's second album, 'Replicas', credited to Gary Numan & Tubeway Army, was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, 'Are Friends Electric', was a left-field smash, topping the U.K. charts and sending Replicas to number one on the album listings as well. Numan had become a star overnight, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced Tubeway Army, keeping Gardiner on bass. 'The Pleasure Principle' was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan's international hit 'Cars', which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the UK; the album also became Numan's second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.

Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with 'Telekon', his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Five hits with 'We Are Glass' and 'I Die: You Die'. In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of 'The Dance'. While The Dance and its lead single, 'She's Got Claws', were both climbing into the British Top Five, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane.

His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with 'I, Assassin', which was another Top Ten album, and single 'We Take Mystery (To Bed)' another hit, the title track of 1983's 'Warriors' became his last British Top Ten hit. Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with 'Berserker' in late 1984 and 1985's 'The Fury'. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with Shakatak's Bill Sharpe, and went on to release yet more hit albums throughout the decade.

1994 brought the release of the industrial-tinged 'Sacrifice', a return to critical acclaim and underground success. Over the next few years, bands like 'Hole', 'Foo Fighters' and 'Smashing Pumpkins' covered Numan songs in concert, and 'Marilyn Manson' recorded 'Down in the Park' for the B-side of the 'Lunchbox' single. Furthermore, several modern rock bands including 'Nine Inch Nails' often cite Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997's 'Exile'. However, he didn't truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000's 'Pure', which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory.

With a guest appearance on cult TV phenomenon 'The Mighty Boosh', and bands including MGMT, Fouls, Late Of The Pier and Bloc Party bringing electronic music back into the mainstream once again, Numan has enjoyed a recent revival, and is often credited as being the 'Godfather of Electro'.