Review & photos by Jordan West
“Like, omigod. This is totally rad!” This was the phrase I actually heard from a very enthusiastic audience member, in between bands at a recent performance of the “Totally Tubular Festival” a multi act show featuring musical hit-makers that made their mark during the 1980’s. Whether or not this particular attendant was from the San Fernando Valley in Southern California is anyone’s guess. The land that spawned a vernacular that was made popular by Frank and Moon Zappa in 1982 has certainly made its mark in the entertainment world. A “Valley Girl” film and many other characters and mediums over the years since the songs release, have used its phrasings to describe its popularity, and this tour has kept the trend going.
A total of seven acts who had made their mark on radio as well as the new MTV medium during the “decade of excess” were featured. Most of them played very short, three to four-song sets. Starting things off were Tommy Tutone, a band famous for their huge 1982 hit “867-5309 (Jenny),” did their thing for the still arriving crowd. Leader and band namesake Tommy Heath was all business, and his four-piece band were solid, during their three-song set, that ended predictably with their big single, which was helped by the sing-alongs throughout the crowd.
British pop band Escape Club, featuring original members Trevor Steel and John Holliday on guitar and vocals, kept the party going after a quick set turnaround, and got the place jumping with their set-ending 1988 hit “Wild Wild West.” By now, the room was starting to fill and I noticed many were dressed in clothing reminiscent of the 80s with lots of bright colors and T-shirts bearing images of long forgotten bands and slogans. They danced and screamed and seemed to be having fun all evening, which is what this nostalgic tour is all about.
American synth-pop band Animotion were up next, and their 1984 international dance floor hit “Obsession” went over well with the enthused audience. Original vocalist Astrid Plane and guitarist Bill Wadhams looked absolutely thrilled to be there, as their huge grins on their faces stayed intact the entire time onstage. Plane, dancing and striking poses non-stop, is quite a joy to see onstage, and she had a great rapport with the people up front.
I have been a fan of Atlanta-based “power-pop” band The Producers for years. Their appearance on this tour is what initially piqued my interest. And to see the band’s long-term members, guitarist/vocalist Van Temple, keyboardist Wayne “Famous” McNatt, bassist/vocalist Kyle Henderson, and drummer/vocalist Bryan Holmes perform was a real treat. Although they were only allowed a very short set, some of my favorites, including the opener “Back to Basics” from their excellent You Make The Heat release of 1982, showed just how solid their material is. The combined “Beatlesque” vocals of Henderson and Holmes brought the lovable, sugar-coated 1981 pop song “What’s He Got” as well as MTV hit-for-a-minute “She Sheila” back to life in my eyes, as well as opened a few with some of the audience members, with their performance. The band does not play very often, and I’m glad that I have been able to see them a couple of times over the years. Tonight’s set was “Totally Awesome!”
By far the most energetic set of the evening was by Bow Wow Wow. Led by the whirling dervish vocalist Annabella Lwin who was a nonstop ball of energy, and the thundering combination of timbale drums and rockabilly-influenced guitar, the band rocked the House Of Blues quickly, blazing through their four-song set in the flash of an eye. Lwin, sporting a flowered hat and dancing across the front of the stage, without stopping, chirped out her trademark vocals on past hits like “Do You Wanna Hold Me? As well as the 60’s “Girl Group” sounding “Baby, Oh No” before the familiar drum and guitar intro to the huge new wave hit, their 1982 cover of the Strang Loves’ classic beach 1965 party song “I Want Candy” that had most of the audience bouncing around the room, just like Annabella Lwin. It really was so much fun to see.
The stage darkened, and the mood shifted to the synth pop of Flock of Seagulls. British born singer, keyboardist Mike Score, now shaved bald, and far away from his floppy “New Wave Hairstyle” of the early eighties, brought the music back with force. Indeed, bassist Pando announced mid-set that they were celebrating “45 years of music, right here.” Opening with “The More You Live, The More You Love” from their 1985 third album The Story of a Young Heart and then switched to some newer material, such as “Him” from 2024, before going back to their earlier material. Energetic drummer Kevin Rankin and smiling guitarist Gord Deppe kept the crowd entertained, while Score stood behind his keyboard rig most of the set. Finishing with their biggest hits “Space Age Love Song” as well as “Wishing” and their “signature” song “I Ran” the band had the entire audience singing and dancing in the aisles, and there was a huge shift from somber moods to uplifting joy in the room.
This was my first time seeing quirky synth pioneer Thomas Dolby and his band. They were exactly as I thought they would be. And that’s good. Appearing center-stage, and nattily dressed in a sharp suit, covered with with multiple wording and phrases, and wearing circular mirrored glasses, Dolby looked like the heir apparent of vintage 1983 David Bowie. Standing behind his keyboard, center stage, he led the band in the first few numbers “Europa and the Pirate Twins” as well as “The Key to Her Ferrari” all the while glaring at the audience and reminding me of another 80’s flashback personality, the computer based Max Headroom.
Dolby’s band “The Lost Toy People” featuring his longtime guitarist Larry Treadwell, as well as drummer Mat Hector, percussionist/singer Laura Creamer, bassist Divinity Roxx, and the outstanding trombonist/flautist Ethan Santos were on point throughout. The hilarious “Airhead” complete with the brilliant line “She thinks the fighting in Central America’s easily solved. But what to wear, to Bel Aire premiers is a problem she could never resolve. She’s an Airhead” is so delightful, as is so much of Dolby’s classic material. He chatted about various things in between songs, most of it charmingly sarcastic.
The one-two punch of his groundbreaking “She Blinded me with Science” got the biggest reaction of the night from the hit-loving crowd, but for me, it was the extraordinary “Hyperactive” with its ample use of trombone and incredibly tight tempo cuts. Dolby is an artist that deserves much more than a few songs onstage, he is fascinating to watch and has a vast catalogue of songs. Hopefully, he and his band will tour beyond the limits of the festival.
It was a very enjoyable evening for all. Kudos to all the acts for bringing this long-ago-feel-good music back to life for a crowd that really seemed to get in to it and have a good time. For all its goods and bads, the 1980s sure had a wealth of interesting artists that produced a huge variety of sounds. I look forward to hearing and seeing more of them at future groupings like this one. That would be “totally, bitchin’ dude!”
