“A Secret Wish” is one of my favourite albums of the 1980s.
It sounded futuristic in 1985, and still sounds fresh today, certainly standing the test of time.
For a long time I thought it was Trevor Horn’s best production work – so it was a surprise to find that although the band were signed to his ZTT label and had the hallmark Trevor Horn sound, he was busy with Frankie Goes to Hollywood at the time (who were at the height of their success) so was in fact produced by his assistant Stephen Lipson who is clearly a quick study!
The phrase “all that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream” both opens and closes the album, and everything in between is pure pop perfection. It even manages to pack in a cover of Edinburgh Post Punk band Josef K’s “Sorry for Laughing”.
I’ve wanted to see Propaganda since I first heard their bit hit “Duel” back in 1985. After they split, it seemed a forlorn hope, though lead singer Claudia Brucken’s work with Thomas Leer as The Act and her solo material has also been excellent, so I hoped I might be able to catch live next year.
But this is brilliant news – Claudia Brucken along with fellow original band member Susanne Freytag have announced today they are to perform the album in full at The Garage, Highbury, London on Saturday 24th March 2018 as xPropaganda.
If this footage from a 2016 Propaganda concert is anything to go by, it should be a night to remember!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmZHepGaft4
Tickets on sale now from Ticketmaster and AltTickets but hurry, they are bound to sell quickly!
NEWS FLASH – As predicted, the tickets for the 24th March have already sold out, however all is not lost – they are now doing an additional performance the night before, Friday 23rd March 2018 – tickets available here
