Blancmange & xPropaganda in Bristol

Blancmange are a British synth-pop group formed in Harrow in 1979 by Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe. Their electronic pop became widely known through “Living on the Ceiling,” “Blind Vision” and “Don’t Tell Me,” as well as the albums Happy Families and Mange Tout. Blancmange returned to British stages after re-forming in 2011 and releasing Blanc Burn. A Neil Arthur-led lineup later toured Happy Families Too, revisiting the group’s debut album in concert. The group has performed at Rewind Festival and at editions of the Let’s Rock series.

xPropaganda is a German electronic duo formed by Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag, both members of the original Propaganda line-up. The project revisits Propaganda songs including “Dr. Mabuse,” “Duel” and “p:Machinery” while extending that synth-pop sound on the album The Heart Is Strange. In 2018, xPropaganda played two debut concerts at The Garage in London, building the set around A Secret Wish and introducing music later released on The Heart Is Strange. The performances reunited Brücken and Freytag onstage with producer and guitarist Stephen Lipson.