Halloween Concert Special: Oingo Boingo, Bow Wow Wow, General Public, & The Untouchables!

We had great VIP seats to watch a marathon of a concert, that was almost 4 hours long! with 4 big time Bands from the 1980’s, at the beautiful and scenic outdoor stage theater: Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay on Shelter Island, in San Diego. Many people were dressed up in their costumes for this: Halloween Concert Special that opened up with The Untouchables, then Bow Wow Wow, and then General Public, and then the closing act was an incredible performance by Oingo Boingo:  Oingo Boingo is an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the years previous.  Their highest-charting song, “Weird Science”, reached No. 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100.  Oingo Boingo is known for their high-energy live concerts and experimental music, which can be described as combining elements of music such as art, punk, ska, rock, pop, jazz, and world, amongst other genres. The band’s body of work spanned 17 years, with various genre and line-up changes, and they still perform great concerts today! Their best-known songs include “Only a Lad”, “Little Girls”, “Dead Man’s Party” and “Weird Science”. The band had experienced multiple line-up changes, with Leon Schneiderman, Dale Turner, Sam Phipps, Danny Elfman, Steve Bartek, and John “Vatos” Hernandez being the constant members for most of their history. As a rock band, Oingo Boingo started as a ska and punk-influenced new wave octet, achieving significant popularity in Southern California. During the mid-1980s, the band adopted a more pop-oriented style, until a significant genre change to alternative rock in 1994. At that point, the name was shortened to simply Boingo and the keyboard and horn section were dropped. The band retired after a farewell concert on Halloween 1995, for which they reverted to the name Oingo Boingo and readopted the horn section, and since then they are giving special performances as of today.Danny Elfman continued composing for film and has been nominated for four Academy Awards for his work. He has scored the majority of Tim Burton’s films since Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1985, including Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Big Fish (2003). Other scores include Good Will Hunting (1997), Men in Black (1997) and Spider-Man (2002). Elfman has also written themes for more than a dozen TV series, including The Simpsons, Batman: The Animated Series, Tales from the Crypt, and Desperate Housewives. Elfman almost exclusively employs former Oingo Boingo guitarist Steve Bartek as his orchestrator. Leon Schneiderman – baritone and alto saxophones (1972–1995)

• Dale Turner – trumpet, trombones, background vocals (1972–1995)
• Sam “Sluggo” Phipps – tenor and soprano saxophones (1973–1995)
• Danny Elfman – lead vocals, rhythm guitars (1974–1995)
• Steve Bartek – lead guitars, background vocals (1975–1995)
• Johnny “Vatos” Hernandez – drums, percussion (1978–1995)
• John Avila – bass guitar, background vocals (1984–1995)
• Warren Fitzgerald – guitars, background vocals (1993–1995) The Untouchables (above photo) are a soul and mod revival band from the Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California area. Described by original lead singer Kevin Long as “mods who played ska music,” The Untouchables are credited with being America’s first ska band.

They formed in 1981 as part of the embryonic L.A. mod revival, after being inspired by the ska revival and punk rock band The Boxboys. Since some could not play instruments, they either hastily learned, or became vocalists. The original lineup included Kevin Long (vocals), Chuck Askerneese (vocals), Terry Ellsworth (rhythm guitar), Clyde Grimes (guitar), Rob Lampron (drums), Herman Askerneese (bass) and Jerry Miller (vocals, timbales).  After a shaky start playing at parties, the integrated septet were eventually booked at the O.N. Klub (known as the On to regulars). The band had guaranteed the club that they would pack the venue, and they did not disappoint. In middle of that year, they released their first (ska-styled) 7″ single, copies of which were snapped up by local mods. Late in 1982, the band began a stint as the house band at the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Terry Ellsworth left the band in the summer of 1983, at the height of the California mod revival. Josh Harris was added on keyboards, Timothy Moynahan on trombone and Will Donato (who became a successful smooth jazz artist) started on sax. Their second single, “The General”, became a minor local hit, despite poor distribution. The band performed “The General” in the 1984 comedy The Party Animal, and they appeared as a scooter gang in the movie Repo Man. In early 1984, they were signed to Stiff Records. Concerts with The B-52’s, Black Uhuru, Bow Wow Wow, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, No Doubt, R.E.M. and X all over California gave the group a disparate following of whites, blacks, mods, Latinos, Asians, punks, surfers and rockabilly fans, with the local performances drawing up to 1,500 people. The band appeared in the 1984 film Surf II, performing “Dance Beat”, and 1987’s No Man’s Land, performing “What’s Gone Wrong”, as well as the surf film Beyond Blazing Boards performing four tracks from their Wild Child album.

& Speaking of Bow Wow Wow – they performed 2nd- right after The Untouchables, at this concert! Bow Wow Wow are an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980. McLaren recruited members of Adam and the Ants to form the band with then 13-year-old Annabella Lwin on lead vocals. Who is much older now, but still gives an energetic, fantastic singing performance!

They released their debut EP Your Cassette Pet in 1980 and had their first UK top 10 hit with “Go Wild in the Country” in 1982. The band’s music was characterized by a danceable new wave sound that drew on a Burundi beat provided by Dave Barbarossa on drums, as well as the subversive, suggestive, and sometimes exuberant lyrics sung and chanted by their teenage lead vocalist.

In 1980, former Sex Pistols manager McLaren persuaded David Barbarossa (also known as Dave Barbe), guitarist Matthew Ashman and bassist Leigh Gorman to leave Adam Ant and form a new group under McLaren’s management. The band embarked on a six-month audition process for a lead singer. Talent scout Dave Fishel heard 13-year-old Lwin singing along to the radio at a West Hampstead dry cleaner where she worked, and Fishel persuaded McLaren to audition her. Shortly after Lwin joined the group, McLaren added a second lead singer, George Alan O’Dowd, dubbed “Lieutenant Lush” (in an early version of “Mile High Club”, Annabella refers to herself as “Captain Lush”). His stay was short-lived, however; O’Dowd soon formed a new band called Culture Club and went on to stardom under the name “Boy George” !

Bow Wow Wow signed with EMI Records in July 1980 and released their first single, “C·30 C·60 C·90 Go!” shortly after that. One notorious track from the mini-album was “Sexy Eiffel Towers”. It was credited to Ashman, Barbarossa, Gorman, and McLaren and included suggestive moaning and heavy breathing performed by then-14-year-old Lwin. Other controversial tracks included “Louis Quatorze” (which called attention to Lwin’s young age), “Uomo Sex Al Apache,” and “Radio G-String.” All tracks on My Cassette Pet are credited to the four men except “Fools Rush In.” McLaren was already renowned for his creative use of provocation to raise public awareness of his projects (and for occasionally taking things too far). Both “C·30 C·60 C·90 Go!” and Your Cassette Pet ranked among the top 10 “Tracks of the Year” for 1980 by NME.

Their first full-length album was released in October of 1981: See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! The cover photograph (by Andy Earl) depicted the band recreating Édouard Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe with a then 14-year-old Lwin posing nude, with her side turned toward the camera and arm and leg positioned to hide explicit content. The cover caused outrage, and Lwin was almost made to quit the band due to the controversy. Lwin’s mother alleged exploitation of a minor for immoral purposes and instigated a Scotland Yard investigation. As a result, the band was forbidden to leave the UK until McLaren promised not to promote Annabella as a “sex kitten”. Regardless, the photo appeared a second time on the cover of the band’s follow-up EP The Last of the Mohicans.

From See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!, Bow Wow Wow scored its first UK top 10 hit with “Go Wild in the Country” in early 1982. The single featured a third appearance of the band’s take on Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe on the sleeve. Around the same time, Bow Wow Wow toured the US, opening for the Pretenders and the Police. The band was set to tour Europe, opening for Queen (who were supporting their dance-oriented Hot Space album), but they were poorly received by Queen’s fans and were dropped from the tour before the dates were completed.

In May, they toured Japan, supporting Madness. In May 1982, RCA Records released the four-track The Last of the Mohicans, produced by Kenny Laguna and containing their biggest hit single, “I Want Candy”. In 1983, RCA released Bow Wow Wow’s second full-length album, When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going. At the behest of Ashman, Lwin wrote all the lyrics on the album. The cover photography was by David Bailey, and the album credits gave “a kiss” to “Jim” (James Honeyman-Scott) and John Belushi, who had both recently died.

Known simply as “Annabella”, Lwin remained with RCA Records, and her first solo release was the 1985 single “Don’t Dance With Strangers,” produced by the System. She followed up with the album Fever in 1986. The title track, a cover of the Peggy Lee classic, was recorded with and produced by multi-instrumentalist Jim Lea of Slade. She formed a new band, Naked Experience, and collaborated with seasoned musicians and songwriters such as Billy Steinberg and Ellen Shipley. In 1994, Sony Soho Square released two singles, “Car Sex” and “Do What You Do”, billed as “Annabella Lwin”. “Car Sex” made the Top 10 in the UK Dance Chart, while the remixed dance follow-up “Do What You Do” (1995), produced by Steve Lironi, spent one week at No. 61 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1999, Cleopatra Records released Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Volume One. It contained a cover of “Like a Virgin” credited to “Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow”.

Bow Wow Wow performed at the KROQ Inland Invasion festival in September 2003, with a lineup including Los Angeles guitarist Phil Gough (of Novacaine) and drummer Adrian Young (of No Doubt). Bow Wow Wow songs “Aphrodisiac”, “I Want Candy” and “Fools Rush In” (the latter two remixed by Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine) were included on the soundtrack of the 2006 Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette. The band performed on 2 November 2006 at the Maritime Hotel’s Hiro Lounge in New York City to promote the film. They have since been described as new wave, pop and worldbeat.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers name-checked the band on their 1992 single “Suck My Kiss”, which included the lyric “Swimming in the sound of Bow Wow Wow”, and Peppers guitarist John Frusciante has listed Ashman as an influence. No Doubt’s Adrian Young said of the opportunity to play drums for Bow Wow Wow from 2003 to 2005, “It is a dream come true to play with a band I grew up idolising. I feel like a kid back in the sand box”. Film director Sofia Coppola drew inspiration from Lwin when conceiving the style for her film, Marie Antoinette. Said Bow Wow Wow’s tour manager in 2006, “They actually based Marie Antoinette, from a styling point of view, on Annabella Lwin. They drew parallels from the fact that they were both young girls who found fame and fortune at a ridiculously early age.” On 25 May 2018, Cherry Red Records released the three-disc set Your Box Set Pet (The Complete Recordings 1980–1984).

Current members– Bow Wow Wow Band:

• Leigh Gorman – bass (1980–1983, 1997–1998, 2003–present)
• Dame Madelyn – vocals (2021–present)
• Zachary Throne – guitar (2014–present)
• Les Warner – drums (2014–present)

Annabella’s Bow Wow Wow: 

• Annabella Lwin – vocals (1980–1983, 1997–1998, 2003–present)

Former members:

• Boy George – vocals (1980)
• Dave Barbarossa – drums (1980-1983, 2010)
• Matthew Ashman – guitar (1980–1983; died 1995)
• Dave Calhoun – guitar (1997–1998)
• Eshan Khadaroo – drums (1997–1998)
• Phil Gough – guitar (2003–2011)
• Adrian Young – drums (2003–2005)
• Devin Beaman – drums (2005–2011)
• Will Crewdson – guitar (2010)
• Jimmy Magoon – guitar (2011–2012)
• Dylan Thomas – drums (2011–2012)
• Chloe Demetria – vocals (2012–2019)
• Matthew Fuller – guitar (2012–2014)
• Lyle Riddle – drums (2012–2014)
• Sean Winchester – drums (2012–2014)
• “Dinzy” Kristen Dinsmore – vocals (2020–2021)

The 3rd AWESOME band to play was: General Public who are an English new wave band, formed in Birmingham in 1983, by vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger of the Beat, and which also included former members of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Specials, and the Clash. They are best remembered for their hits “Tenderness” and “I’ll Take You There”

After the break-up of the Beat in 1983 (known as the English Beat in North America), vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger decided to continue working together in a new venture. They joined up with keyboardist Mickey Billingham (Dexys Midnight Runners), guitarist Mick Jones (the Clash), bassist Horace Panter (the Specials) and drummer Stoker (Dexys Midnight Runners/the Bureau) to form a supergroup of the UK punk and ska scene. They named the band General Public and were rapidly signed to Virgin Records in the UK and I.R.S. Records in North America. The band recorded and released the album All the Rage in 1984. Their second single “Tenderness” was a Top 30 hit in Canada (No. 11) and the US (No. 27). The song’s success benefited from appearing in the John Hughes films Sixteen Candles (1984) and Weird Science (1985) from the time period, and it would later appear in Amy Heckerling’s Clueless (1995) and in the horror film Devil’s Due (2014). Meanwhile, another General Public song, “Taking the Day Off” was featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).

“I’ll Take You There” was a Top 40 hit in the US and Canada and a minor hit in the UK (No. 73). Jacobs and White then left the group, and new drummer Dan Chase was brought in. The sextet released the album Rub It Better for Epic Records in 1995, recorded in the US with the aid of Jerry Harrison, the former keyboardist and guitarist for Talking Heads producing. Guests on the album included former bandmate Mick Jones, Saxa, Pato Banton, and Chris Spedding; ex-band members Horace Panter and Stoker also participated in the album’s creation, co-writing one song apiece. (Stoker also received an “additional recording” credit.) The single “Rainy Days” met with limited success in the US, but fared better in some international markets, notably Brazil. Sales were less than earlier albums, however, and Roger became tired of traveling to America, and they soon broke up again. Since 2004, Dave Wakeling has toured the US with a full backing band as the English Beat. They often perform General Public tracks. “Ranking” Roger Charlery died at his home in Birmingham on 26 March 2019 at the age of 56.