Released on September 1, 1982, Today 43 years ago, Under the Flag marked an important turning point in the career of Frank Tovey, better known as Fad Gadget. Coming after his first two albums, Fireside Favourites (1980) and Incontinent (1981), this third full-length release was both musically more sophisticated and lyrically more personal. Whereas his earlier records leaned heavily on satirical social critique, deadpan irony, and abrasive synth-punk minimalism, Under the Flagintroduced a new level of emotional depth, reflecting Tovey’s shifting circumstances as a new father living under the looming shadow of Cold War tensions.

The early 1980s were marked by a widespread fear of nuclear war, and Under the Flag is imbued with this anxiety. Much of the album is concerned with generational responsibility—what kind of world parents are passing on to their children—and with the pervasive influence of authoritarian systems, surveillance, and control. Tovey himself stated that the birth of his daughter in 1981 pushed him toward more personal, urgent songwriting. The title itself implies a sense of enforced unity, suggesting that individuals are subsumed beneath political symbols and national power.

Musically, the album shows a clear evolution in Fad Gadget’s sound. Produced with greater polish than his earlier efforts, it employed the technological innovations of the time: sequencers, drum machines, and synthesizers are central, but they are layered with more nuance and care. The result is colder and more precise than his raw debut, but also richer in texture. This approach aligns the album more closely with contemporaries in the emerging synthpop and industrial scenes, such as Depeche Mode (who were labelmates on Mute Records) and Cabaret Voltaire.

One of the standout tracks, “Life on the Line,” balances mechanical rhythms with tense vocals, underscoring the fragility of existence in a precarious world. The song “Love Parasite” typifies Tovey’s ability to merge dark humor with biting commentary, equating emotional dependence with infection. The title track “Under the Flag” and its sequel, “Under the Flag II,” bring together the themes of personal entrapment and political oppression, culminating in a bleak but compelling statement. “Scapegoat” and “For Whom the Bells Toll” further highlight the atmosphere of dread and inevitability that permeates the record.

Tovey’s vocal delivery is a crucial part of the album’s character. He alternates between icy detachment and urgent, almost desperate intensity, embodying the tension between human vulnerability and mechanized control. His lyrics, while stark, retain a poetic edge, often layering metaphor with biting social observation.

Critically, Under the Flag was recognized as a significant artistic step for Fad Gadget. It didn’t achieve major commercial success—like much of his work—but it cemented his reputation as one of the most daring and forward-thinking figures on Mute Records. The album influenced later generations of electronic and industrial musicians, many of whom admired Tovey’s willingness to confront uncomfortable themes with honesty and experimentation.

In retrospect, Under the Flag stands as a defining work of early ’80s alternative electronic music. It captures both the political paranoia of its time and the personal anxieties of its creator, fusing them into a stark, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant whole. For listeners today, it remains a powerful statement on fear, responsibility, and the struggle for individuality in a world dominated by systems and symbols.

DISCOGS

Today it’s exactly 42 years ago that Iggy Pop released Lust for Life (29th August 1977). It was his second solo studio album and also his second collaboration with David Bowie, following The Idiot that was released earlier in the same year. As well as achieving critical success, it was Iggy Pop's most commercially popular album to date, and remains his only Gold-certified release in the UK. The recording sessions for this album took place at the Hansa Studio by the Wall (Berlin) between April and June ’77, almost immediately after the The Idiot promotion tour which ended on 16th April.

Pop has stated, "David and I had determined that we would record that album very quickly, which we wrote, recorded and mixed in eight days and because we had done it so quickly, we had a lot of money left over from the advance, which we split.”

Lust for Life reached number 28 in the UK Album Chart and is his second highest-performing release in that country after 2016's Post Pop Depression. Initially the album did well in the US too but the sudden death of Elvis Presley (16th August 1977) caused record label RCA to quickly reissue Presley's catalogue and any promotional focus for Pop's album was lost.

Bowie, Pop and engineer Colin Thurston produced the album under the pseudonym "Bewlay Bros”, a name retrieved from a track on Bowie’s album Hunky Dory.

Besides probably the most popular track Lust For Life, The Passenger also found its way to alternative clubs and dance floors all over the world. Even if it was initially released as the b-side track of the 7” single Success.

Siouxsie and The Banshees made a cover of The Passenger in 1987 for their all-cover-versions album Though The Looking Glass. Iggy Pop praised their version and stated: "That's good. She sings it well and she threw a little note in when she sings it, that I wish I had thought of, it's kind of improved it … The horn thing is good."

David Bowie covered Tonight (minus the opening lines referencing drugs) with Tina Turner, along with Neighborhood Threat, on his 1984 release Tonight.

Lust For Life (tracklist)

A1. Lust For Life
A2. Sixteen
A3. Some Weird Sin
A4. The Passenger
A5. Tonight
B1. Succes
B2. Turn Blue
B3. Neighborhood Threat
B4. Fall In Love With Me

DISCOGS

On this day, 32 years ago, Front 242 released their seventh studio album 05:22:09:12 Off or simply pronounced as “EVIL Off” as each letter preceding “Off” is represented by its equivalent numerical position in the alphabet. It was released by Red Rhino Europe, a sub-label of Play It Again Sam, on 23 August, only three months after their sixth studio album, 06:21:03:11 Up Evil. Sony released 05:22:09:12 Off worldwide on 2nd November 1993 through their Epic sub-label.

Upon its release the album was received with mixed feelings by fans and music critics. For the first time it featured female vocals, those of Christine "99" Kowalski, while Jean-Luc De Meyer only appeared on a few tracks. EVIL OFF also seem to have had no significant input from Richard 23 who also didn’t get cited on the album's liner-notes. On the other hand, a variety of new contributors were listed as members of Front 242 on these albums, for instance Jean-Marc Pauly and Pierre Pauly of the Belgian electronic band Parade Ground.

While most electro industrial bands stuck to their ‘successful’ 4/4 beat formula, Front 242 decided to leave this well-trodden path behind and embraced new musical styles and elements emerging in the electronic scene music at the time. The ambient and rhythmic atmosphere on the album can be seen as groundbreaking and innovative in those days, however the sudden style change left many Front 242 confused ranters behind.

However, we at Peek-a-Boo Magazine encourage you to dig these albums up from your archive and to listen to them again at high volume! Just like wine, this music, and most likely your brain too, needed some aging!

Front 242 ‎– 05:22:09:12 Off (RRE 22 CD)

DISCOGS

Today, it’s exactly 32 years ago that Nitzer Ebb released Join In The Chant (12mute64 / 10th August 1987).

It was the 3rd and last single to be taken from their debut album That Total Age. Like the album this 7” / 12” was released by the renowned British label Mute Records. The song hit #9 on the US dance chart in 1987 and became a Balearic Beat anthem in clubs around the world. Even to this day this track is still a dance floor filler.

Tracklist 12"
A1. Join In The Chant (Burn!) - Remix by Phil Harding
B1. Join In The Chant (Gold!) - Remix by Miller*, Flood
B2. Join In The Chant (Lies! - Instrumental)

Lyrics
Lies, lies, lies, lies
Gold, gold, gold, gold
Guns, guns, guns, guns
Fire, fire, fire
Gold, gold, gold, gold
Church, church, church, church
Guns, guns, guns, guns
Fire, fire, fire

Muscle and hate
Muscle and hate
Muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle

Lies, lies, lies, lies
Books, books, books, books
Burn, burn, burn, burn
Fire, fire, fire

DISCOGS

On this day, 35 years ago, MOEV released its fourth album, Head Down (8 August 1990). It was their last album released on Nettwerk Records and the last one featuring singer Dean Russell, who died in 1994 of complications due to AIDS. In an interview Dean Russell once explained what the name of the band meant, he stated that "Mauve - M.A.U.V.E is a pretty purplish pink, and Moev - M.O.E.V. is the colour of insanity". After Dean's passing the band took a 10 years break and returned in 2011 with a new studio album Ventilation. In 2014 they released their, up to today, latest album "One Minute World, albeit only in digital format.

The album features Sarah McLachlan on backing vocals on a few tracks.

MOEV - Head/Down (1990 LP/CD)

1. In and Out 5:43
2. Sadistic Years 4:32
3. No Flash in the Sky 4:23
4. Fear 4:07
5. Noise 4:20
6. Head Down 5:02
7. Smog 3:53
8. Face 4:23
9. Miracle 4:29

CD bonus tracks
10. In and Out (Extended Mix) 7:30
11. Head Down (Extended Mix) 6:24

MOEV

Dean Russell – vocals, production
Tom Ferris – keyboards, programming, production
Kelly Cook – bass, drums, programming, guitar, keyboards, production
Sarah McLachlan – background vocals (4, 5, 7)

Producer
John Fryer – Producer, Drum Programming, Recording

DISCOGS