Gig review: John Foxx and The Maths, Glasgow Arches

BEST known as the frontman of Ultravox pre-Midge Ure, John Foxx is one of the lesser-recognised godfather figures from that late 70s/early 80s juncture when synthesisers were the preserve of moody, slightly nerdy guys who made music that fancied itself as the scary sound of a dystopian tomorrow.

Having melted into cultish obscurity over the last 30 years to craft ambient sound art and work as a college lecturer, he’s recently gone back to the future with Interplay, an impressive new album recorded with The Maths – aka electronic composer and synth collector Ben “Benge” Edwards, who appeared here on synth-drums.

Flanked by pretty young ice-maidens Hannah Peel and Serafina Steel on synths plus violin and bass respectively, Foxx’s trademark shimmering, sinister soundscapes and doomy effects-treated vocals felt over-familiar – but then, having influenced everyone from Ladytron to The Knife, how could they not? This was a show whose brilliance lay not in outmoded style but chilly atmosphere and the pure Vorsprung durch Technik precision of the playing.

The menacing Catwalk could have been dance music custom-made for robots, and as a train rumbled overhead while Foxx sang about “listening to the music the machines make” during the sparse Just For A Moment, you had to wonder if he had synchronised his show with the Central Station timetable.

Closers don’t come much more spine-tingling than his modest 1980 hit Underpass – its spooky, cut-glass synth riff still sounded like it will one day soundtrack the coming of the Martians.

Rating: *****