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Live at YouTube Theater

July 1, 2024 Review by Michelle Cooper

What a totally bodacious night to be thrown back into our youth with this lineup of Totally Tubular bands at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles! The Totally Tubular Festival is making its way across the US now and features a lineup of ‘80s names we love: Thomas Dolby, Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins, Modern English, Men Without Hats, Annabella’s Bow Wow Wow, Tommy Tutone, Eddie Munoz of The Plimsouls, and The Tubes.

It is truly amazing when you put it into perspective that these artists have been singing and dancing for us for 40+ years and can still get us up dancing and feeling youthful – even if just for a few hours.

The evening started off with Eddie Munoz of The Plimsouls singing the iconic song “Million Miles Away.”

I could have closed my eyes and been transformed back into the days of listening to this in my room; it sounded that good.

California gents Tommy Tutone followed, singing their hits “Wild World” and “Jenny/867-5309.”

Front-man Tommy Heath was surprised to get a pair of hot pink panties – printed with the iconic phone number – tossed up on stage to him, and it left him stumbling a bit for words!

The only female-led band was the iconic and youthful punk Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow, getting the crowd up with “C30 C60 C90 Go,” “Do You Wanna Hold Me,” and of course ”I Want Candy.”

It’s hard to stay seated with the drums, bass, and guitar ripping through those upbeat tunes as Lwin is bouncing around, singing in a youthful manner, transforming you back to the ‘80s.

Out of San Francisco, The Tubes had some energy in their joints while singing “She’s a Beauty.”

Of course every woman in the building joined in and felt that song was about them, just as they did in their teens. The Tubes ended their spirited set with the ever-so-popular “Talk to Ya Later.”

The group with the most energy was the Canadian synth band, Men Without Hats. Front-man Ivan Doroschuk came out full of spunk, and he looked like he was a 15-year-old boy dancing his way through the club.

The crowd was dancing right along with him the whole time – from “Where do the Boys Go” to their mega hit, “Safety Dance.”

The crowd stayed up as English rockers Modern English took to the stage and started their set with “Gathering Dust,” “Someone’s Calling,” “Long in the Tooth,” and left us with their iconic hit, “I Melt with You.”

Vocalist Robbie Grey always delivers his songs so deliberately and gently; such an amazing performance.

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins had the longest set with eight songs, which included “Love on Your Side,” “Lay Your Hands on Me,” “Doctor! Doctor!” and ended with “Hold Me Now.”

The Englishman had the crowd sing on the verses, and as we swayed with the band, it was an electrifying and moving set.

The standout performance though was from Mr. Thomas Dolby. He truly performed as a solo artist – no backing band; just his laptop with a soundboard, and his keys.

His incredible synth sounds were on full display as he did a tribute to David Bowie (featuring footage from Live Aid that he recorded on his own 3mm camera), a cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday,” his own monster hit “Hyperactive,” and of course the song we all love from him, “She Blinded Me with Science.” Dolby interacted with the audience throughout the set and even did a little dancing himself.

It was a full house at YouTube Theater; full of energy from the artists and the crowd. The bands delivered what the crowd came for, and the bands truly complemented each other. The festival has a nice flow to the lineup, so I conclude: Totally Tubular is Totally Bodacious!

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