Music: Gary Numan to perform at El Rey on Thursday

Gary Numan is back in the U.S. for a 16-date tour centered on “Pleasure Principle,” which spawned Numan’s biggest stateside hit, “Cars.” Numan burst onto the music scene at the end of the ‘70s, using keyboards to create futuristic, alien soundscapes that matched well with his androgynous robotic aesthetic. He became a chart-topping artist in Europe but failed to gain much traction in America beyond that one ubiquitous new wave classic. El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Thursday. $35. (323) 936-6400.