The Totally Tubular Festival returned to DC for a 2026 edition recently, filling the elegant Warner Theatre with big radio-friendly hooks and a potent dose of nostalgia for a crowd that was ready to dance the night away.
On August 7, the traveling festival bill boasted seven bands, all of whom came with a great deal of enthusiasm and earnest talent honed through decades of playing their signature tunes: Tommy Tutone, Escape Club, Animotion, The Producers, Men Without Hats, A Flock of Seagulls, and Thomas Dolby. All in all, this was a good time with a bustling crowd and cheerful musicians, all of whom were very happy to be there.
For myself, the show included several acts that I somehow never managed to see perform live, and so this was quite a treat. First up, Tommy Tutone, famed for etching the phone number 867-5309 into the national consciousness, was one of those acts I somehow never saw live. The quartet really delivered some old school rock and roll vibes in a substantive five-song set. They surprised out of the gate with a cover of “Wild World” by Cat Stevens. Tommy and Christy Lichtenstein rocked out at the front of the group while Jimmy James radiated those rock vibes from the drum kit. Greg Georgeson filled out the band on guitar.
Tommy Tutone closed their set on the inescapable Gen X anthem “867-5309,” much to my satisfaction.
Watch the official music video for “867-5309/ Jenny” by Tommy Tutone on YouTube:
The second band to perform was Escape Club. I probably wouldn’t have pegged the music of Escape Club for this lineup if you asked me randomly a few years ago: Their big hit “Wild Wild West” was a little too dance and a little too funk without specifically having new wave flavor. But then, headliner Thomas Dolby was on hand to present his most funk- and jazz-forward work with Aliens Ate My Buick, so what did I know? Escape Club fit into the lineup quite nicely, and the quartet played with grit and passion. Count me among those who would happily see them again!
Escape Club are still fronted by Trevor Steel and John Holliday, and they are instantly recognizable from their appearances in decades past. The band performed only three songs: “Shake for the Sheik,” “I’ll Be There,” and “Wild, Wild West,” pulling from their second (1988) and third albums (1991).
Watch the official music video for “Wild Wild West” by Escape Club on YouTube:
’80s festival stalwarts Animotion followed Escape Club. The group still includes Astrid Plane and Bill Wadhams at the forefront, and the two were happy to vamp and pose their way through a playful set of four songs, but on our date they skipped “I Engineer,” my personal favorite of their numbers. That said, they got everyone up on their feet for their perennial earworm “Obsession,” which was penned by Michael Des Barres.
Astrid and Bill sang with clear, effervescent voices, and you could feel the years peel away under their buoyant performances. Always a bit of a raconteur, Bill told the story of how young Astrid came to Los Angeles alone and broke back in the day with the ambition of starting a band, and that same youthful ambition remains prevalent in their songs.
Watch the official music video for “Obsession” by Animotion on YouTube:
As the fourth band on the bill, The Producers, a power pop group from Atlanta, was another band that I had never seen live. And so I was pleased Totally Tubular Festival allowed me to catch them on stage. Frontman Van Temple and bassist Kyle Henderson, along with keyboardist Wayne Famous and drummer Bryan Holmes seemed a little more down to earth after the bubbly bursts of “867-5309,” “Wild, Wild West,” and “Obsession,” and that’s the strength of a festival like this one: the opportunity to mix and match these various musical stripes.
The Producers quartet played with easy style and smart musicianship, highlighting two songs each from their self-titled debut album (1981) and sophomore record You Make the Heat (1982). Although they played only four songs, The Producers made the most of their time on stage, clearly relishing each moment. Van called out the band’s MTV days before their performance of “What’s He Got?”
Watch the official music video for “What’s He Got?” by The Producers on YouTube:
Men Without Hats were staples of the last Totally Tubular Festival, and I was pleased to see them join again this year. Frontman Ivan Doroschuk has maintained his distinct baritone voice and a love of stage antics. Ivan peppered his signature S-movement of “The Safety Dance” throughout the entire set, which of course culminated in “The Safety Dance.”
Almost as exciting as Ivan’s stage moves: The Canadian singer welcomed his brother Colin, a co-founder of the band who usually does not tour in recent years, to the stage in place of Colin’s daughter Sahara Sloan, and it was wonderful to see the two men together again.
Men Without Hats opened with a punchy new song called “I Love the ’80s,” which got off to a bit of a rock start because Ivan’s microphone wasn’t working for the first verse. The band dialed the energy up to 100% once it came online, and they proved once again to be irresistible scene-stealers on this tour.
Watch the official music video for “I Love the ’80s” by Men Without Hats on YouTube:
The penultimate band on the bill was A Flock of Seagulls, who have a terrific new album — 2024’s Some Dreams. They presented “Him” and the title track from that album, which clearly resulted from the band’s excellent on-stage chemistry. This 21st Century version of a Flock of Seagulls consists of frontman Mike Score, bassist Pando, guitarist God Deppe, and drummer Kevin Rankin, and they play with flair. At Warner Theatre, they presented synthpop classics including “Space Age Love Song,” “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You),” and “I Ran” with perfect pitch and timing for a truly excellent live experience.
A Flock of Seagulls have been quite active in the past few years, and I hope they continue to visit the DC area. In addition to festival appearances like this one, their touring strength and new tunes have carried them through to The Fillmore Silver Spring, The Atlantis, and the Tally Ho Theater. Let’s keep it going, Mike and company!
Watch the official music video for “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” by A Flock of Seagulls on YouTube:
I interviewed Thomas Dolby before this show, and he told me he was reforming his ’80s band The Lost Toy People in an effort to spread his wings and do something different. Thomas is an endlessly creative maverick who is compelled to change things up, and he’s received a platform for musical freedom as a professor at the Johns Hopkins University Peabody Conservatory’s Music for New Media. He’s been there in Baltimore for over a decade, and he’s a regular and welcome presence in DC, making this a bit of a hometown show for him.
At Warner Theatre, Thomas showcased Aliens Ate My Buick, the primary album recorded with The Lost Toy People. From stage, he recalled their biggest show ever opening for Depeche Mode for the famed 101 concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California in 1988. Dolby’s Totally Tubular band included guitarist Larry Treadwell, who performed with The Lost Toy People on that day.
Dolby and The Lost Toy People played a nine-song set on August 7, opening with “Europa and the Pirate Twins from The Golden Age of Wireless” (1982). I rank this among my favorite singles of all time, and it was great to hear it with the full band. They then pulled the next six songs from Aliens Ate My Buick, emphasizing what an experimental time it was for Thomas as he moved into jazz and funk. Although these numbers are not Dolby’s best-known work, I enjoyed hearing witnessing them on stage, and it was a wholly different experience than seeing Thomas solo or with trios or quartets.
Highlights included Buick’s lead single “Airhead” and the enduring “My Brain Is Live a Sieve.” I also enjoyed “May the Cube Be With You” as it flashed back to the ’80s side project Dolby’s Cube, which I enjoyed as a kid.
Watch the official music video for “Airhead” by Thomas Dolby on YouTube:
Thomas and the band closed their set with Dolby classics “She Blinded Me With Science” and “Hyperactive!” — both of which got the entire theatre dancing again.
Totally Tubular Festival 2026 was a smartly produced roster of great musicians worthy of the tour. It closed out in Illinois last night, but look for it to reappear perhaps in winter or summer editions in the near future. It’s very worthwhile for any ’80s music aficionado who was schooled through MTV.
Here are some photos of Thomas Dolby and The Lost Toy People performing live at Warner Theatre on August 7, 2026. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of A Flock of Seagulls performing live at Warner Theatre on August 7, 2026. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of Men Without Hats performing live at Warner Theatre on August 7, 2026. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of The Producers performing live at Warner Theatre on August 7, 2026. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of Animotion performing live at Warner Theatre on August 7, 2026. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of Escape Club performing live at Warner Theatre on August 7, 2026. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of Tommy Tutone performing live at Warner Theatre on August 7, 2026. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
