MANILA, Philippines?Either the venue was too big, or few people were keen on the idea.

Though ?The Lost ?80s Live? concert Saturday night at the Araneta Coliseum that featured A Flock of Seagulls, When in Rome and Real Life attracted only a few thousands, the performers should be commended for zeal and energy.

It helped that the young local band Hilera opened the show with a wildly kinetic act, highlighted by a cover of ?Stray Cat Strut.?

Another Pinoy band, the seven-man Urban Nation, followed with a dancehall reggae sound that mixed The Cure?s ?Boys Don?t Cry? and Akon?s ?Don?t Matter.? Another number had the band?s two vocalists jamming melodically on a rap tune.

It took some time before the main acts took the stage, and during the lull the crowd increased in number, though still too few to fill up the Big Dome.

Lively dance beats

Only vocalist John Cerevelo was around to represent When in Rome, and guitarist David Sterry for Real Life. Both were accompanied by an Australian on synthesizers and an American on electronic drums.

The question of whether Cerevelo and Sterry were just remnants of British groups that have long disbanded was somehow ignored as the music brought back the glory days of synth-pop?the subgenre of New Wave to which these acts belonged to.

Cerevelo had a despondent voice that captured the gloomy atmosphere in six songs that began with ?Heaven Knows.?

Whatever sullenness was prevalent in most synth-pop was compensated by lively dance beats. When ?The Promise? came on, scattered groups in the audience stood up and tried to have fun like they were in a party.

Sterry was apologetic for having taken more than 20 years to make it here. When he started his set, a more desolate mood prevailed?with songs about frustrated desires (?If I could be God tonight/I?ll lay my hands on you ... ?) and lost loves (?Now you found somebody new ... ?).

What made them connect, aside from the lyrics? simplicity, was the beat?programmed from multifunction keyboards that were all the rage in the post-punk years (early to mid-?80s), and which was eventually overshadowed by hip hop, though still a major influence among techno acts emerging in Europe.

Sterry?s last two songs, ?Catch Me I?m Falling? and ?Send Me an Angel,? were the stuff that used to jump-start dance parties. They were among the most anticipated numbers at the Big Dome show.

A Flock of Seagulls had a full band, though only its founder/front man was left from the original lineup: lead singer/keyboardist Mike Score, who has gained weight and lost his famous cotton-candy hair, which was now braided and covered with a baseball cap.

But the sound was intact; Score even switched to guitar to emphasize the new songs he had written?some of which were about alienation and technology. Sadly, when he played the classic ?I Ran,? many in the audience have walked away.

Part 2 of the ?Lost ?80s? gig will have General Public, Thompson Twins and Wang Chung. It may gauge whether local fans still care about reliving a past chapter in their lives.