Fad Gadget (First comeback live show since 1988) >>>Photo Report<<<
(Elektrofest 15/04/2001, Mean Fiddler, London)
When I heard the first rumors about a possible comeback by this pioneer of New-Wave in its purest form, which flourished in the early eighties, I raised my eyebrows for a moment. It was the same disbelief that overwhelmed me about a year ago, when there was a lot of speculation about a real Skinny Puppy reunion. Although I must say that the disbelief immediately gave way to a feeling of euphoria. How many times had we already whined at some bar about the ideal comeback from the whole wave thing of the past twenty years? Each time, Frank Tovey's alter ego Fad Gadget emerged as the most wanted come-back artist. How did that proverb go again; a drunken mouth speaks the truth? Little did we know! So, we didn't hesitate and immediately ordered a ticket via the information highway. The concert was announced as a comeback performance by this artist, whose name was at the top of an otherwise mundane list. A poster that I will not elaborate on because 'it can also be seen at the local tripe fair', except perhaps an honorable mention for the industrial/techno-terrorists of Greenhaus who actually managed to create and rape “Transmission” (Joy Division) with their Underworld-is, without causing too much pain (on the contrary: it was very pleasing). But now on to what should be the event of 2001, at least for the first generation New-wavers. A first glance at the stage made clear driving force Frank Tovey had not come alone. An electronic drum kit was set up in the centre, flanked by a minimal keyboard installation, while a guitar and bass guitar were positioned to the left and right of the stage respectively (perhaps let's clarify for the electro-heads: it looks like a phallic symbol with a few strings attached) were waiting for their manipulators. Fad Gadget live as a real band? Something that could turn out to be either good or bad, I thought. Because about eighteen years ago - long before the days of minidiscs and DAT players - this man himself was often seen alone on stage, flanked by a cassette recorder (remember those?). To what extent would these “new” musicians be able to express this gentleman's classics? Or would they mainly play new material? Has the man become an old bald fart who can no longer pull a hair from his head, let alone his scrotum? We would soon find out... The lights went out, while the stage was filled with smoke … The tension was palpable! The venue was well filled, although I had imagined it to be a bit more crowded. Many “snoths” apparently did not feel the need to fill the gap in their cultural background and had already left the venue early, which of course resulted in more breathing space and the second row for the older “black coats” among us. As the musicians took their positions, we stared at the microphone stand as if some kind of angel was about to descend from heaven.
Amplifiers and synthesizer hum swelled; the drummer joined in... Immediately we knew this was “State of the Nation” as the opening song; a good harbinger, in my opinion. Neatly timed, Frank Tovey stepped out of the wings to his microphone and let his magical voice echo through the hall. Frank's appearance and voice made is seem if time had stood still all those years and had withstood the test of time formidably. Dressed in a white doctor's coat and latex gloves, he wriggled around his microphone stand a bit awkwardly at first, but that would only last a while. He had also taken the trouble to adapt his haircut to the occasion: close-shaven and with a fringe around his scalp, it looked as if he had undergone brain surgery. The warm welcome and loud applause that arose from the hall after their first song gave Mr. Fad Gadget probably immediately that little bit of self-confidence that he seemed to lack during the first minutes. We had not yet recovered from the wonderful feeling of euphoria when we recognized the first notes of “Ricky's hand”! This was going to be a downright “best of” performance, that much was clear.
Fad Gadget knew exactly what we came for... AMBIANCE!!! In the distant past, this would have been the time to hand in false teeth, glasses, and other orthopaedic accessories at the cloakroom, so one didn’t have to inspect the floor in vain after the concert. Tonight, however, I think everyone was watching this by everyone proclaimed long dead act too fascinated. So, for most of us our physical exertion was limited to the typical Mr. Oiso's Flat Eric (you probably know it from “Flat beat”)-rhythmic head shaking movement.
Fad Gadget himself, on the other hand, had taken Professor Barabas's time machine and flashed himself back almost two decades.
Armed with a cordless drill machine, he stepped forward and drilled through his left hand (glove), causing 'blood' to flow and spill freely over his clean white doctor's coat. He laconically announced for the gullible among us: 'Sorry folks, tonight you're getting the fake shit 'cause I spilled enough real blood in the past for you motherfuckers!'. And we could live with that, just like the fact that 'the fake shit' was spilled all over us in the front rows while he emptied the glove filled with red gunk above our heads, spinning around on the drill. It really couldn't go wrong anymore. Certainly not when songs like “Collapsing new people” and “Luxury” (The latter was the only post-Gadget Frank Tovey song) followed and blasted from the speakers.
Both songs with which Fad Gadget and later Frank Tovey scored high in both domestic and foreign music charts. The man is also no stranger to irony, as it turned out when he started playing “Fireside favorites” when he said: “I know that you goths are not into this stuff but I’m fucking gonna play it anyway!”. We had a good laugh of course, others who felt more addressed immediately forgave Frank after this “swinging song”, when his group flattened the audience with the dance floor hit “Love parasite”. This would be the only song from the album “Under the flag” they would perform tonight. In the meantime, Frank Tovey was warmed-up, and so he was ready for the next classic featuring his bare torso. No drill in his hand now, but a spray can of shaving foam... Indeed, “Lady Shave” was up!! Between the vocal parts, he slowly covered his entire upper body and face with this white sticky substance, and now the front rows participated in the Fad Gadget feast. I guess this is what happens when you really want to be in the front row.
Slowly it became clear with this song that Frank was increasingly reverting to his old Fad Gadget image and habits: tufts of armpit and pubic hair, his own that is, were torn out and eaten. Fad Gadget is back!!
Then a song, that appeared to have been heavily reworked by the band: cult hit “Coitus interruptus”, which, if even possible, has been made even more danceable than the original version. Stirred up by the horny groans of this mildly self-inflictor, the entire room was immediately in motion. But then suddenly silence fell, the spotlights went out and Fad Gadget disappeared from the stage like a thief in the night. We were momentarily torn from our dream, but it goes without saying that those present had no intention of returning home without any bis songs. 'We want more!!!' it sounds in English, something we had almost forgotten after hearing 'Zugabe' shouted unsolicited into my ears hundreds of thousands of times while attending concerts and festivals in Germany. And of course, after a few moments they stepped back onto the stage. Apparently, a real victory 'hug' had taken place behind the scenes, because now all the other group members showed traces of shaving foam and blood on their bodies. Then Fad Gadget asked which song we would like to hear, a persistent fan from the front row immediately got it his way with “Insecticide”. Frank wanted to try it but asked us not to be too critical, as they had not really rehearsed this song. As if we would ever dare to criticize the great Fad Gadget, especially after being so spoiled for the past hour. Even more, the version they performed of “Insecticide” sounded so great everybody was dancing again. I saw several people jumping around with bloody red faces and foam on the lips, I started to wonder if maybe it had something to do with the then prevailing foot and mouth disease epidemic in Great Britain. Ultimately, Fad Gadget commanded us to live a little closer to nature again and reminded us once again where we, homo-sapiens, are coming from, by climbing like a chimpanzee into the PA speakers to the right of the stage and dangling several meters above our heads, only to make some more of his craziest faces. Unfortunately, “Back to Nature” seemed to be the last song on their set list that evening, but most of us were so satisfied that we gave the man a well-deserved rest and decided to return to our hotel, tired but oh so satisfied. As we were leaving the venue we noticed some familiar faces, including Mute Records label boss Danïel Miller (who, by the way, was co-musician/composer of the early Fad Gadget singles) and Depeche Mode synth freak Andy Fletcher, which indicated this reunion not only made our hearts beat faster, but also the hearts of professional musicians and heroes. Later on, in the London tube (metro) to our hotel, we met some fellow countrymen who were also covered in shaving foam and fake blood, which provoked some strange looks from fellow passengers. But it didn't bother us at all, because we had a broad grin on our faces as our brains were still filled with adrenaline and endorphins from this great night.
Peter Mastbooms
>>>Photo Report<<<
All Photos © Peter Mastbooms
This review was originally published in
Dark Entries Magazine #34, June 2001.