FAGGADGET ***FLASHBACKCONCERTREVIEW*** 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 fewmoments 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 www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 28 - 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 All Photos © Peter Mastbooms This review was originally published in
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