There are at least two of these sort of eighties package shows each year in Los Angeles nowadays, pointing towards the enduring, persistent memory and energy of music from that decade. Often unfairly derided for being disposable and consumer-based, the eighties actually produced a gloriously eclectic array of artists. Yes, MTV amped up the visuals but, for our money, the music didn't suffer one bit.
The Totally Tubular Fest was held at the Hollywood Palladium rather than an outdoor venue such as the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater, largely because there wasn't a mega-successful headliner to top the bill. That said, seven acts rotated on and off the stage over three hours, offering up a ton of hits and a few precious deep cuts.
Tommy Tutone was first up, best known for the "867-5309/Jenny" single and that tune got an airing, though their cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" is worthy of a mention too. Similarly, everybody wanted to hear The Escape Club play "Wild, Wild West" and it really was awesome but that's not all the Brits have got. The super-moving "I'll Be There" raised more than a few hairs.
The intro to Animotion's "Obsession" is enough to instantly throw the crowd right back to the '80s, and vocalists Astrid Plane and Bill Wadhams have still got great chemistry. The band on the bill that we were least familiar with was Georgia's The Producers; apparently, they used to play shows with REM back in the day. They were great too, and "She Sheila" is a slice of power-pop that we're glad to have been ear-wormed by.
Bow Wow Wow was next, and we were delighted to find that it was the "real" version fronted by Annabella Lwin, as opposed to the other Bow Wow Wow that bassist Leigh Gorman has on the circuit. Lwin is a true star and, even though there was no "C·30 C·60 C·90 Go!" in the short set, "I Want Candy" was suitably sweet.
A Flock of Seagulls got eight songs, which was at least twice as many as the preceding acts. Mike Score and crew used it wisely though. Some would say that it's not wise to perform new material on these nostalgia dates, but "Him" and "Some Dreams" from the 2024 Some Dreams album were slices of superb, catchy new wave. Of course, "Space Age Love Song" and the closing "I Ran" were the crowd faves, and rightly so. But the shaven-headed Score (the famous wild hair is long gone) wants to keep creating and he should be commended for that.
That left Thomas Dolby (pictured top), flanked by the reformed Lost Toy People, to close the show. LTP was the band Dolby formed in L.A. to record the '88 album Aliens Ate My Buick. We got a lot of that jazzy gem here, with "Hot Sauce" and "May the Cube Be With You" the highlights. There are some new Lost Toy People, most notably bassist Divinity Roxx (Beyonce's long time musical director), yet the material from that album was note perfect. Dolby closed with a couple of hits though--the brilliant "She Blinded Me With Science" and "Hyperactive!" All the while, he strutted around the stage like the oddly sexy mad scientist that he is. Dolby worked with Bowie--he plays keys for the legend at Live Aid in fact. And he's taken on a lot of that effortless swagger. But when all is said and done, Dolby is a one off and he provided the perfect climax to this event.
