Francis John Tovey (8 September 1956 – 3 April 2002), known also by his stage name Fad Gadget, was a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both new wave and early industrial music, fusing pop-structured songs with mechanised experimentation.

As Fad Gadget, his music was characterised by the use of synthesizers in conjunction with sounds of found objects, including drills and electric razors. His bleak, sarcastic and darkly humorous lyrics were filled with biting social commentary toward subjects such as machinery, industrialisation, consumerism, human sexuality, mass media, religion, domestic violence and dehumanization, often sung in a deadpan voice.

Early years

As a child, Frank Tovey lived in Bow. His father, Frank Tovey, Sr. was a porter in Billingsgate Fish Market.

At school, Francis tried to learn many different musical instruments. He realised he did not have the co-ordination to be able to play any of them really well. Tovey drifted away from the idea of playing music, and began getting involved in other art forms instead. He later studied visual arts and mime at Leeds Polytechnic. He felt the need to give his mime act some sort of musical accompaniment so he went back to the idea of recording music. The initial musical pieces were formed of sound manipulation using tape recorders.

Tovey began experimenting using an old Grundig tape recorder. He disconnected the erase head from the playback head and installed a simple switch between the two. This gave him control over what sounds could be erased or kept. He spent a lot of time building up sound collages using this method. After finishing full-time education Tovey began working at various jobs and around the mid 1970s managed to set up his own home studio. At the time he was living in London, in a small house. The only space where he could set up his studio was in a cupboard. The initial equipment he used consisted mainly of his Grundig tape recorder. At this time he was using no musical instrument at all. The first keyboard instrument he owned was a Crumar Compac electric piano. He also bought a Korg Minipops drum machine from a home organ shop. He eventually decided to purchase a Korg synthesiser. He thought that due to his lack of musical ability he would be able to create some impressive sounds. After the purchase of this equipment he began writing music seriously; it was at this time he sent a demo tape of "Back to Nature" to Daniel Miller, In 1981 Gadget released another one-off single on Mute Records, "Make Room",

Recording

Fad Gadget recorded two more albums for Mute Records at Blackwing Studios which was using more complex recording equipment. Incontinent and Under the Flag showed a progressive change in Gadget's music;

In 1989, he changed musical tactics in his criticism of industrialisation, recording a mostly acoustic album of protest and labour songs Tyranny and the Hired Hand,

Legacy and influence

Despite a lack of commercial success, Fad Gadget is regarded as a pioneer in synth-pop, electro and industrial music. He influenced bands and artists such as Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke (of Erasure), Boy George (of Culture Club), Information Society, cEvin Key (of Skinny Puppy), Liars, The Twilight Sad, and DJ Premier. EBM band Suicide Commando also credit him with influencing their sound in an interview with journalist Ramona Depares.

His album Gag was ranked number 76 in Treblezine's list of "The Top 100 Best Post-Punk Albums".

Discography

Studio albums

  • Fireside Favourites (1980)
  • Incontinent (1981)
  • Under the Flag (1982)
  • Gag (1984)

As Frank Tovey

  • Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing (with Boyd Rice) (1984)
  • Snakes & Ladders (1986)
  • Civilian (1988)
  • Tyranny and the Hired Hand (1989)
  • Grand Union (1991)
  • Worried Men in Second-Hand Suits (1992)

Footnotes

Further reading

  • Frank Tovey Feature
  • Official Fad Gadget Site