FAGGADGET ***FLASHBACKCONCERTREVIEW*** 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 selfconfidence 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. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 26 - Fad Gadget himself, on the other hand, had taken Professor Barnabas time machine (Ref. Suske & Wiske)) 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!!
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