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Fad Gadget was the pseudonym used by British musician, synthesizer pioneer, and performance artist Frank Tovey (September 8, 1956 - April 3, 2002), an influential electronic music/New Wave artist throughout his career.

Fad Gadget began his musical career after sudying performance art at Leeds University. The songs of his early career (under the pseudonym) all feature synthesizers plus, sometimes, machine sounds like that of an electric razor or of an electric drill. Almost all songs create a dark, mystical atmosphere, with Gadget's voice hovering monotonously over then unheard of, groundbreaking and still brilliant synthesizer sound effects. The lyrics are either very earnest, discussing subjects like guilt or life and death, or convey a black, sarcastic humour. (The song "Collapsing New People" is exemplary in many ways: (1) The title is a reference to the band, Einstürzende Neubauten (the English translation of the German band's name is collapsing new buildings), (2) whose members perform as guests on the line-up for the song, and the lyrics speak of the appearances of so many adherers of (3) New Wave at that time who all looked (4) so frail and ethereal as if about to collapse. "Back To Nature", performed with synthesizer and drum machine, satirizes a well-known topic. It somehow doesn't quite get you there (back to nature), but still manages to invoke the right pictures...) The collections The Fad Gadget Singles and The Best Of Fad Gadget probably provide the most accessible introduction to Fad Gadget's music for new listeners.

Hits included "Back To Nature", "Ricky's Hand" and "Collapsing New People". Fad Gadget was the first artist signed to the then-fledgling Mute label and released four full-length albums, Fireside Favourites (1980), Incontinent (1981), Under The Flag (1982) and Gag (1984). After Gag, Tovey released a compilation (The Fad Gadget Singles) and recorded five more albums under his own name, whose styles ranged from semi-industrial electronic ballads to folk-oriented protest songs. He last appeared on a European tour supporting his latest album in 1993 and then virtually disappeared for some eight years.

In 2001 Tovey resurfaced with a comeback appearance and subsequently supported Depeche Mode on the Exciter tour later that year, again under his pseudonym Fad Gadget and backed by members of Temple-X, whose album he had been producing. (Depeche Mode cite Tovey/Gadget as an icon and a paragon, and it shows in their music.) Tovey died of a heart attack on 3 April, 2002, aged 45.

Discography

Albums

under the name Fad Gadget

• Fireside Favourites (1980)
• Incontinent (1981)
• Under The Flag (1982)
• Gag (1984)
• The Fad Gadget Singles (1986)
• The Best Of Fad Gadget (2001)

under the name Frank Tovey

• Snakes And Ladders (1986)
• Civilian (1988)
• Tyranny & The Hired Hand (1989)
• Grand Union (1991)
• Worried Men In Second Hand Suits (1992)

External links

• Official Fad Gadget Fan Site
• Unofficial Frank Tovey Fan Site

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