Fad Gadget – Mute Records – 1980

For Phil Ritchie who mentioned something about a Discharge and Fad Gadget gig that he never made it to…Can not quite figure that gig line up and no idea where it would have taken place, but it gives me a proper excuse to upload the debut LP by Fad Gadget, the Londoner’s Iggy Pop, straight after the Discharge post.

Frank Tovey’s (Fad Gadget) career was helped along by The Normal’s Daniel Miller. Miller performed as a musician on the fine set of proto-electro tracks on this LP and he also signed Frank onto his record label Mute, a label that would become huge worldwide with the success of the fine Depeche Mode and the not so fine Erasure.

Fad Gadget was actually the first artist to release material for Mute Records.

The frontman’s live performances were legendary, and gigs would normally end up with him being bruised black and blue by rolling and jumping about all over the stage, stage diving to attack audience members, covering himself in tar and feathers and other gooey stuff.

Do not think even the mighty Discharge would ever be able to top a Fad Gadget performance.

Fad Gadget was an inspiration for a more pop orientated approach by various band’s coming out of the early UK ‘Industial’ scene, in the early 1980’s, bands like Cabaret Voltaire, Chris And Cosey and the Human League.

He died of heart complications after a ‘reformation’ tour with Depeche Mode in 2002. He was back in the studio recording some new tracks which I think are available on the Mute website.

14 comments

Phil
June 1, 2008 at 8:41 am

OOOH! i love this album. there’s some great footage out there on you tube of him
doin his shaving foam thing!
Phil
June 1, 2008 at 8:46 am

Think the Discharge gig might have been the Lyceum ballroom in the Strand.
He cut his head open on the drum kit but just carried on performing
John Eden
June 1, 2008 at 8:27 pm

This is one of my favourite albums ever! The Mute retrospective with the DVD is well worth a punt.
Nic
June 2, 2008 at 8:48 am

This is a magic album: the early singles (‘Back to Nature’ and ‘Ricky’s Hand’) are great too…
If you haven’t heard them, check out the more ‘experimental’ recordings which he made under his own name (Frank Tovey) with Boyd Rice…

The Discharge / Fad Gadget concert did take place – at the Lyceum on 30/11/1980 (supporting Killing Joke)…
If you think that is weird, the first ever Discharge concert in London was a month earlier supporting Slade and U2 at the Lyceum…
Nic
June 2, 2008 at 8:48 am

Ah – an ‘Edit’ feature…nice one!
Phil
June 2, 2008 at 5:15 pm

Maybe I didnt go to the Discharge Fad Gadget gig cos Throbbing Gristle were playing at Heaven that night.
Phil
June 2, 2008 at 6:03 pm

Oh no that was new years eve.
Can anyone remember a band called Wasted Youth? They had an album called Wild and Wandering. It sort for made up for my disapointment with the second P. Furs album
Penguin • Post Author •
June 2, 2008 at 7:41 pm

Loads of Wasted Youth uploaded on this site Phil, use the search function top right enter the name of the band and as if by magic…
Phil
June 2, 2008 at 8:05 pm

Cheers Penguin… I also sent a photo to Tony of the Heretics but looks like I should be sending stuff to you..But how?
Jah Pork Pie
June 2, 2008 at 11:43 pm

@Phil-> Which Tony was that in The Heretics? Did I miss a meeting?
betab
June 5, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Fad gadget was such an inspiration… Oddly I was just listening to some of his stuff when I opened the post – synchronicity or just the pervasive effect of good music?
Tony Puppy
June 7, 2008 at 12:24 am

Hey Phil, I forward stuff to Penguin.

Keep it coming.

Wasted Youth – I Wish I Was A Girl

Superb.
Phil
June 7, 2008 at 9:44 am

Cheers Tony. Thanks for all your work, and a superb site.
Big hug
Jim V
June 10, 2008 at 7:48 pm

lovin this ….