Secret Affair

Formed in London around singer Ian Page and guitarist David Cairns after the end of New Hearts, Secret Affair took shape in the late 1970s in the wake of the British mod revival. The band developed a sound that blends nervous power pop with soul references and mod heritage, featuring straightforward, melodic and rhythmic songs often driven by a brass section or saxophone. Secret Affair's first period, between 1979 and 1982, included Dennis Smith, Seb Shelton and later Paul Bultitude, as well as Dave Winthrop, and was active in the new wave and mod circuits of the time. The group released three studio albums: Glory Boys (1979), Behind Closed Doors (1980) and Business as Usual (1982), with tracks like Time for Action, Let Your Heart Dance and My World that helped define their distinctive identity. Split up in the early 1980s, Secret Affair reformed in 2002 initially for a few concerts before resuming more regular live activity in the UK and internationally. This second phase resulted in a fourth album, Soho Dreams, released in 2012. Since then Secret Affair has continued to tour around the core of Ian Page and David Cairns.