ZANG TUMMM TUMB ARTICLES “the first draft of history”

GOOSED!

PROPAGANDA
London Hammersmith Palais

ABSENCE OF 21st Century energy. No chills. No frills. Just detached, aloof, indifferent coldness. No noise. Some Poise. Dignity. High young Tory count. Popshow. Horrorshow. Death to Hack- Tradrock. Rock Kills.

The souvenir (‘broughsure’ — ZTTspeak) carried the day, effortlessly containing as it did, vid-stills, sundry quotes, colour and Penman on ‘Style’. The gulf between this artefact and said performance was pretty goddamn wide… say ‘bout a thousand miles.

Blame the session musicians. That infernal Kevin Armstrong, again I (last seen with Prefab Sprout) axegrinding beyond the call of duty; Derek Forbes (ex U3) adding a Duranesque edge and an atrocious soundmix to boot. Depressing as hell. ‘Dream Within A Dream’ was ugliness incarnate-a real throwback to ‘71 regression.

Couldn’t ruin ‘Doctor Mabuse’ (and ‘Duel’) though — Lord knows our Kevin tried his damndest. Two shimmering splinters of unpure beauty and ‘Jewel’, “song of the evening”; potent electro-punk prototype, with Suzanne’s excellent non-singing adding an edge to an already jagged, devil-maycomplain Fairlit fiasco.

It’s an extremely sad illusion of life-fighting fire with words — hoping to rearrange the flea-ridden ‘system’ from within; predestined failure is mocked by former ardent supporters the auld “I told you so” routine. OK, I’ll spare ya the quarterbaked existential cowdung; PROPAGANDA were CRUSHINGLY ORDINARY. It brought tears to unseeing eyes. Shit, don’t misconstrue this missive as part’n’parcel of some fictitious ZTT ‘backlash’ I’m just telling the true lies — Propaganda were a major disappointment.

I wanted to rave a little, foam at the gills ‘bout ZTT’s positive action, unchallenged supremacy. Heck, I figured I was in for some serious sinnin’, Y’know

THREAT… Unhappily, ‘twas business as usual. dodgy business. Propaganda. Botched swindle.

Paul Morley should cry too. How could he allow such gratuitous ‘rockism’? Where are the ‘new schemes’? New ways of seeing live acts? Where’s the ‘power ofthe imagination’?

Dele Fidele