On this day, XXXYEARSXXX years ago, Frank Tovey released his last studio album under his alter ego Fad Gadget. This album was called Gag and was released on 1 February 1984 by Mute Records. It features one of Fad Gadget's best-known songs and biggest club hits ‘Collapsing New People’ which was also released as a single and supposedly features German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten.

Almost sure is the fact the song was Frank Tovey’s tribute to his Mute label mates.

Blixa Bargeld, head and voice of Einstürzende Neubauten, once mentioned this collaboration in an interview which was recorded in the 2005 Einsturzende Neubauten out of print book ‘No Beauty Without Danger’.

“ We got together through a chain of coincidences. Fad Gadget did a record with Gareth at Hansa Studio and the lead singer Frank Tovey wrote the song “Collapsing New People” with the line: “Sat awake all night / But never see the stars / And sleep all day / On a chain-link bed of nails.” That was a direct reference to the Neubauten. Now Tovey had the clever idea to ask the Neubauten whether we’d play on it so that the whole thing wouldn’t be misinterpreted as criticism. That’s when we did our first recordings with Gareth. At the same time, those were also the first recordings that the Neubauten did at Hansa Studio. After all, in this session, Gareth was confronted with our instruments for the first time. That had sweeping consequences because directly afterwards he recorded Depeche Mode, also at Hansa, and used our overdubs from the Fad Gadget reels for “People Are People.” He later told me about that.”

At the time of the album's release, Frank Tovey made the decision to retire his Fad Gadget persona for good and released all future recordings under his own name.

Gag - Track listing

1. "Ideal World" - 5:39
2. "Collapsing New People" - 4:22
3. "Sleep" - 3:25
4. "Stand Up" - 3:30
5. "Speak to Me" - 3:23
6. "One Man's Meat" - 4:06
7. "Ring" - 3:53
8. "Jump" - 4:09
9. "Ad Nauseam" - 6:32

DISCOGS

31 years ago this month, the album “Technique” arrived as New Order closed out the nineteen-eighties with one, last breath of creative genius in FACT-275 (Released 30 January 1989).

This is an album which has split fans since it inception, between the dark-brilliance of “Power, Corruption & Lies”, to this their more accessible side.
“Technique” was more disco inspired effort, displayed fully in the track “Mr Disco”, highly danceable with that-orchestral-synth crescendo after the first chorus, it manages to still sound fresh against their previous work.
In the single “Fine Time", we find a satirical brilliance in the simplest of themes, based wholly on sex. With an eruption of drums and random guitar that cranks to the high point of eighties-music. Throughout the lyrics are more playful though remaining honest, this is by no means a commercial move but a natural progression in style.

The more mellow sides of the album have a charm all of their own, “Vanishing Point” is a more softly-constructed synth based song, reflective and mood ridden. Throughout “Technique” manages to balance evenly, the guitar-disco anthems and the euphoric dance style already verging on the horizon as ‘House Music’ made its entry into the world. This is the sound of a band at the top of their game, fearlessly treading waters of experimentation and executing with ease all manners of directions taken.

A submerged sound of progressive-rock can surprisingly be found in the abrasive “Run”, although certainly different in style, it does not so much take away from the flow of the album but adds that extra dimension instead. The proceedings close with heavy-synth and guitar solos in the glorious “Dream Attack”, a song built to bring not only “Technique” to a close but also the decade and this chapter in the story of New Order.

Dream Attack;

“Nothing in this world
Can touch the music that I heard
When I woke up this morning
It put the sun into my life
It cut my heartbeat with a knife
It was like no other morning
I don't belong to no one
But I want to be with you
I can't be owned by no one
What am I supposed to do”

Technique (Original 1989 Track List)

01. Fine Time 4:42
02. All the Way 3:22
03. Love Less 2:58
04. Round & Round 4:29
05. Guilty Partner 4:44
06. Run 4:26
07. Mr. Disco 4:20
08. Vanishing Point 5:14
09. Dream Attack 5:13

[Kevin Burke]

On this day, 37 years ago, Frank Tovey performed as Fad Gadget at the Amsterdam Meervaart Theatre (29.01.1983), as part of the second anniversary of the monthly Vinyl magazine. The event was given the name 'The Voice Of Mute' as reference to the, at that time, booming Mute records. Besides Fad Gadget, Mute also had artists like Yazoo and Depeche Mode signed to their label. But also because Fad Gadget was the first artist signed to Mute Records in 1979. Cocteau Twins and local Rite de Passage also performed at this event.

Frank Tovey, born 8 September 1956, died due to heart failure on 3 April 2002 at home, just days after returning from a European come-back tour.

It is mainly thanks to Hotel Suburbia, a music program of Dutch TV channel VPRO, that this historical remembrance exists.

The program interviewed Frank Tovey and recorded four tracks of his performance which they broadcasted one week later, on February 6th 1983.

Hotel Suburbia (1983 broadcast)

Life On The Life
For Whom The Bells Toll / Interview
Lady Shave
Back To Nature

These videos were later added to the 2006 post-mortem 2 x CD + 2 x DVD release Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey (Mute ‎– CDMUTEL13).

Watch and enjoy this incredibly talented man in this musical history document below.

Los Angeles’ darkwave trio has returned following a groundbreaking 2019 with a brand new, reworked single titled “All Yours All Mine (Darker Days Mix)” that is now available on all streaming services. In a continuous process of inspired creativity, the band has no plans to slow down this year with additional new music forthcoming.

SHRR recently debuted a music video, directed by Keith Musil (TWIN SHADOW, GRIZFOLK, TENNIS) that can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/3fzjJB-PobE

Commenting on the track vocalist Steven Davis says: “The song deals with confrontation of self and social anxiety. We have no better foil than ourselves. The video is about wrestling with yourself or different versions of how you perceive yourself.”

In 2019, ASHRR released their debut full-length album, Oscillator, which spun off several riveting singles (heard at the links below) that are familiar, recalling new-wave/synth driven rock style, and yet entirely unique with a signature blend of skilled and mesmerizing songwriting with brooding and dark mysterious undertones.

“Don’t Wait Too Long” Music Video – https://youtu.be/90Wuxx4-uiE
“Medicine Man” Music Video – https://youtu.be/0mqBtncnXIU
“Sometimes” Live @ The Moroccan Lounge – https://youtu.be/dcvY1TGCww4

ASHRR exists at the crossroads of analog synth ecstasy, underground industrial darkness, and a dash of Big Easy voodoo. At the same time, three individual journeys coalesce within the final aural transmission. GRAMMY® Award-nominated producer, mixer, engineer, writer, and multi-instrumentalist Ethan Allen boasts an impressive discography, spanning Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow, and Meg Myers, to name a few. Frontman Steven Davis draws from a fascinating well of experience, including performing in top live music venues from New York City to Tokyo, co-writing alongside John Oates, and contributing music to film and television productions such as Criminal Minds, Just Getting Started [Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman], and Startup. Mentored under Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® legend Dr. John, prodigious pianist/recording artist and multi-instrumentalist Josh Charles not only writes, records and produces for top artists, but he also crafts music for visual media and beyond.

A series of serendipitous events united the triumvirate in late 2017. They consistently rallied to conjure up music for ASHRR throughout 2018. In between regular live appearances and the self-titled ASHRR EP, the vision unfurled on the 2019 independent full-length debut, Oscillator. NPR touted the music video for “Don’t Wait Too Long” on its coveted “All Songs Considered” as acclaim came from POPDUST, AXS, LA Weekly, buzzbands.LA, airplay on KROQ , and many others. Maintaining a prolific pace, the Live in L.A. EP and single “Sacrifice” followed. A remix of “All Yours All Mine” closed out the year and heralded more to come in 2020 and beyond.

For More Information:
https://ashrrmusic.com
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Today, exactly 42 ago, Joy Division made their live debut at the Pips Disco in Manchester. Only a few years later it became clear they would become one of the most influential British bands in music history.

Originally, the gentlemen Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris were announced as Warsaw, their original band name, taken from one of Ian Curtis’ favorite albums, Low by David Bowie. However, when the concert was announced, it became clear there was already another band that called themselves Warsaw Packt. So to avoid confusion, a new name was quickly sought and it was singer Ian Curtis who came up with the name Joy Division. He found the name in a book that he was reading at the time. The book was called 'The House Of Dolls', written by Holocaust survivor Ka-Tsetnik 135633 alias Yehiel De-Nur. The number in the author's name refers to the number that was tattooed in his arm by the Nazis during the second world war. In this book, the author describes a brothel the Nazis installed in the concentration camp and wherein Jewish women were forced into prostitution to serve the camp guards and the nearby stationed and passing German troops. The Nazis called the brothel mockingly the Joy Division.

As a matter of fact, The House of Dolls topic is also mentioned in the Warsaw song No Love Lost, a song that would later be featured on the Joy Division debut EP ‘An Ideal For A Living'.

This sudden change of name right before their first performance on 25 January 1978 did not help the draw for this show. The public therefore mainly consisted of friends, something common for debut show. Witnesses described the atmosphere as very intense, even so intense Ian Curtis himself was thrown out of the venue, for breaking some beer glasses, and this happened even before their show had started. So the other band members had the greatest difficulty convincing the security people to let their singer back in. When they started playing eventually the tension was so high a massive pogo broke out which, according to witnesses, ended in one big fight.

During their short existence the band managed to build a bridge between 70's Punk and the emerging 80’s electronic music. Joy Division is also one of those few bands who still sees their fanbase grow and still appeal to the younger generations.

After the suicide of singer Ian Curtis (RIP 18.05.1980), the remaining band members, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris continued as New Order with Sumner becomming their singer. Bass player Peter Hook left New Order in 2007 to found his own band Monaco but in 2010 he changed the name to Peter Hook & The Light. With this project he successfully paid tribute to Ian Curtis & Joy Division since, playing Joy Division albums in their entirety, live.

Below the setlist of Joy Division's debut performance on 25 January 1978

• Exercise One
• Leaders of Men
• Warsaw
• Failures
• Reaction
• Inside the Line
• Ice Age
• Day of the Lords
• Novelty

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[NL]

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Het is vandaag precies 42 jaar geleden dat Joy Division zijn live-debuut maakte in de Pips Disco te Manchester. Enkele jaren later zou blijken dat zij één van de meest invloedrijke Britse bands uit de muziek geschiedenis zouden worden.

Oorspronkelijk werden de heren Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook en Stephen Morris aangekondigd als Warsaw, hun oorspronkelijke band naam. Die naam hadden ze genomen van één van Ian Curtis favorite platen, Low van David Bowie. Maar toen het concert werd aangekondigd bleek er al een band te bestaan die Warschau Packt heette. Om verwarring te voorkomen werd dus snel naar een nieuwe naam gezocht en het was alweer zanger Ian Curtis die met de naam Joy Division op de proppen kwam. Deze keer haalde hij de naam uit een boek dat hij op dat moment aan het lezen was. Dit boek was ‘The House Of Dolls’, geschreven door holocaust overlever Ka-Tsetnik 135633 alias Yehiel De-Nur. Het nummer in zijn auteursnaam verwijst naar het nummer dat in zijn arm werd getatoeëerd door de Nazi’s tijdens de tweede wereld oorlog. In dat boek beschrijft de auteur een bordeel dat de Nazi’s hadden opgericht in het concentratiekamp waarin Joodse vrouwen tot prostitutie werden gedwongen ten dienste van de kampbewakers en voor de nabij gelegerde en doortrekkende Duitsers. De Nazi’s noemden het bordeel spottend de Joy Division.

Het House of Dolls topic wordt trouwens ook aangehaald in het Warsaw nummer No Love Lost, een song die wat later ook op Joy Division's debuut EP ‘An Ideal For A Living’ zou prijken.

Deze plotse naamsverandering net voor dit eerste optreden op 25 januari 1978 droeg natuurlijk niet bij aan de opkomst voor deze debuut show. Het publiek bestond dan ook voornamelijk uit vrienden zoals dat meestal bij een debut optreden gaat. De sfeer was zeer gespannen, zo gespannen dat Ian Curtis zelf al uit de zaal gegooid werd voor het breken van enkele glazen, nog vóór het optreden moest aanvangen. De andere bandleden hadden de grootste moeite om de veiligheidsmensen te overtuigen hun zanger terug binnen te laten. Al van bij de eerste noten brak een massale pogo uit die, volgens getuigen, eindigde in één grote vechtpartij.

Met hun muziek slaagde de groep er in een brug te leggen tussen 70’s Punk en de opkomende elektronische muziek van het volgende decennium. Joy Division is één van die weinige bands, die postuum haar aanhang nog steeds ziet groeien en het ook nog steeds zeer goed doet bij nieuwe en jongere generaties.

Na de zelfmoord van Ian Curtis (18.05.1980) gingen de overgebleven bandleden Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook en Stephen Morris verder onder de naam New Order en werd Sumner de zanger van de groep. Bassist Peter Hook verliet in 2007 New Order en richtte zijn eigen band Monaco op.

In 2010 doopte diezelfde Hook zijn band om naar Peter Hook & The Light waarmee hij sindsdien succesvol een hommage brengt aan Ian Curtis & Joy Division door alle albums in hun volledigheid live te brengen.

Hieronder de setlist van Joy Division’s debuut optreden op 25 Januari 1978

• Exercise One
• Leaders of Men
• Warsaw
• Failures
• Reaction
• Inside the Line
• Ice Age
• Day of the Lords
• Novelty