28 July 2013
22 July 2013
Ladytron in China diaries (2004)
Shenzen 21st – 25th September
Helen
Before going to China I had no idea what to expect. Shenzhen is a city of skyscrapers, revolving hotel restaurants, chaotic roads, and concrete surrounded by lush green countryside. Also, this is my first taste of real Chinese cuisine, and its amazing. I won't want to eat a Chinese meal in the UK for quite some time!The gigs in the true colour club went really well, especially the second night. I haven't had so much fun on stage in ages.
Danny
We began our China tour in Shenzhen, a 1970s purpose built 'special economic area' across the bay from Hong Kong. Played two ecstatic shows, a lot of fun, The second night, the audience being predominantly those who'd made the short (but apparently tough) trek from Hong Kong itself. We amused ourselves in the interim with fake Rolex. Shenzhen is interesting, but we expect it to be little like the real China.Mira
Taking a rickshaw ride with a huge bunch of flowers through the streets of Shenzhen surrounded by golden skyscrapers at 6am was a pretty good way to finish off the night of our first gig for over a year. Even if riding on the wrong side of a dual carriageway with trucks speeding towards us did feel more like a ghost train ride at times.We had landed in Shenzhen 4 days earlier after more than a day spent in the air making full use of the Virgin Atlantic on board entertainment system or at airports trying out exciting new packages of super noodles. We arrived in the midst of a tropical rainstorm so it felt like we had been teleported straight into the opening scene of Blade Runner. As soon as we checked in the lovely Echo and Suzanne from the British Council took us out to a restaurant. I kept an eye out for origami unicorns on the short walk through rain-drenched streets reflecting colourful neon. At the restaurant about 15 of us sat around a huge table with a revolving glass plate in the middle on which the waiters kept on piling delicious food that none of us save for maybe Reuben knew what it was. Whatever it was after a few days spent wrestling food off revolving tables with chopsticks or spinning around food in revolving roof top restaurants we just learnt to accept that Chinese cuisine is about orbiting around food and it tastes great.
It didn't take us long to find the revolving bar at the top of our hotel, but it took us much longer getting to it since it was on the 55th floor and to get to it we had to negotiate a network of lifts. Not an easy task on a jet lag and a few glasses of rice wine. We ended most nights before the gigs there, though we did venture out to the near by 'Piano Bar' on John's (bass player) birthday. The name of the bar turned out to be a bit deceptive since the DJ was playing the theme tune from 'The Omen' to a hard trance beat. The music was so loud the speakers were making the flames from the candles dance around the empty room. That, the full on laser show, a Hong Kong cyber sex flick projected on one of the walls and waiters dressed in suits serving us water melon on the side of our drinks made for quite an experience.
We spent most of our days at press conferences, rehearsing, swimming in the outdoor pool surrounded by skyscrapers or going to the local market where we learned how to bargain for Rolexes, clothes, sunglasses, visors and bags. We were yet to discover the joys of DVD shopping. Shenzhen is brand new city, which until 1979 was a tiny fishing village on the Pearl River on the border with Hong Kong. Deng Xiaoping developed it into the metropolis that it is today as the first Special Economic Zone, i.e. an area of free trading and market economy. We were aware that the real China was yet to come.
The gigs took place in a state of the art modern venue called True Colour. Most of the kids on the first night were local. They had either heard a few songs on the internet or were just keen to find out what a Ladytron is. It felt great playing after a year break and the response was amazing. We played a few new songs as well, but I guess to these kids most of our songs were new. Most of the kids on the second night had come from Hong Kong and were hardened fans who had waited to see us for a while. We had a lot of people singing along and a crowd surfer. There was a whole lot of hand shaking going on with the first couple of rows of the audience. We probably felt as ecstatic as the crowd.
After the gig each band member was given a gigantic bouquet of flowers. After the second gig we were spoiled with Ferrero Rocher. The Ambassadors reception. We stayed out drinking in the club and watched a Chinese trio do covers of The Beatles, Oasis and ouch... 'no more tears in heaven' by Eric Clapton. On the second night Reuben and our Chinese guardian angel Nee Bing took over the decks. Nee Bing put on Pixies and we all fought our way onto the dance floor. Meanwhile, on the other side of the building the ceiling opened up and the stage on which we played and which had only just been cleared up got flooded. Had it happened a second earlier our precious ancient synths would have been killed. Had it happened 30 minutes earlier a band member or two would have been electrocuted. Time to move on.
Chongquing 26th September – 1st October
Helen
I think I had the best room in the Hilton hotel we were staying in. From the 33rd floor I looked out over the tops of skyscrapers, a massive sports stadium, and in the distance, through the smog, the mouth of the river.There aren't many westerners here, which accounts for the stares we get from passers by. Children are especially curious. It's funny. I even got girls in the market giggling at me and pointing to my eyes. Very strange considering blue eyes are so common over here.
The gig is in one of the weirdest and most wonderful parks I've been to Shaping park. First there was the miniature world landmarks, then there were the singing Mynah birds in tiny cages strapped to the trees, and then we stumbled across a ladies choir singing away surrounded by all these trees. I wanted to take a little boat ride across the lake, but Danny put my off - scaring me with tales of disease from water. Oh well.
Chongqing is like no place I've been to before and I'm glad I've experienced it. However, I can't wait for Shanghai!
Danny
Now we're 1000km inland in what we're told is the Real China - Chongqing, in the southwest, the biggest and most polluted City in the country.It's completely breathtaking, newly constructed tower blocks sit side by side with shanty houses, ancient alleys and street stalls. Apparently 4(!) British people live in this municipality of 30 million. Less than 500 westerners total. We've met half the Brits, indeed our party quadruples the British population here. This is very near the site of the three gorges dam, a hydroelectric generation project originally conceived in 1919, which will create an inland sea 550km long, submerging 11 cities and 180 towns in the process. Scale. Spent a lot of time in the pool and jacuzzi as the experience became increasingly like 'lost in translation'. Heading for Shanghai on Friday, where the future is happening.
Mira
Airborne treats on China Southern airlines included dried beef, some odd tasting peanuts, a lovely China Southern wallet and a body art TV talent show in which kids used their hands, knees and legs as part of the structure of musical instruments, 2 guys formed a car while a couple of rotating girls dressed in pom-poms acted as the brushes at a car wash. One gentleman's 'talent' was to simply put a mask on the back of his head thus pretending to have his head screwed on the wrong way around. Genius. We landed in Chongqing in thick fog. The skies there only clear up for 20 days a year and when they do the sky is green because of the pollution. As a result of that, we were told, Chongqing girls have very pale skin and are very beautiful. The three things everyone had mentioned to us about Chongqing were the traditional hotpot dish, the fact that it's built on steep hills and so there aren't any bikes around and the beautiful girls with pale skin.Chongqing, population 13 million, is southern China's dynamo and China's most industrial city. It is a busy port based around the peninsula at the junction of the Yangzi and Jialing rivers 2400km upstream from Shanghai. In 2009 it will find itself on the banks of the Three Gorges Dam. The controversial dam will be constructed by blocking and diverting the Yangzi river 670km upstream from Chongqing, thus creating a lake the size of lake Michigan. In doing so thousands of villages, hundreds of towns and cities and countless historic relics will be submerged. 10 million people will have to be relocated, but when completed the dam will provide 10% of China's power.
The views from the window were very different to those of Shenzhen. Tall concrete blocks, lots of flyovers tiny workman shops, kiosks selling building materials, machinery and food. Not much neon or not much that we could see through the fog. We spent the days before the gig doing press conferences, answering questions such as 'Are you planning on incorporating human voices on your next record? Did you choose Reuben to be in the band because he is Asian for his special effects? Will your show be adequate for Chinese audiences?'. In between we relaxed in the pool and Ivy showed us around some shopping centres.
On the morning of the gig we went out for a walk to the river. At first we followed the main busy roads, but then we noticed narrow winding staircases that lead away down the hills into a dark abyss. Following these staircases was like stepping through the looking glass. Tucked away behind the flyovers and skyscrapers are urban villages. Crowded little houses, people on the alleyways selling food, tiny markets, men sitting outside their houses playing MoJong, a man getting his hair washed ready for a haircut and everyone looking at us smiling and waving hello. When we stepped out of the looking glass we found ourselves on yet another busy road, but the river was in sight. The only way to actually get to see it was for us to buy tickets to a Wedding park. A very snazzy enclosed area where people could do everything from buying their wedding dress, to getting their wedding photos taken, to having the reception and staging a party. The Yangzi was the colour of the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the distance we saw a woman raking out a solitary plot of land on the riverbank for cultivation. All in all a pretty surreal start to a pretty surreal day.
The gig took place in Shaping Park, an amusement park containing some ancient rides spinning around and miniature landmarks from around the world. We saw Sydney Opera House, the tower of Pisa, Notre Dame, the statue of Liberty. Apparently there was a Big Ben but we didn't find it. And where was mini Southend Pier? From the stage we could see people sitting on top of Mount Rushmore to the left. A huge Ladytron poster with 'Way to Toilet' written on it was draped on top of Arc de Triumph on the right. The gig fell on the night of the mid-autumn festival and we were told there was a full moon, only we couldn't see it through the fog. Around 3500 kids came to the gig. The show was free to get into but you had to phone up for tickets in advance. As there are only 4 other Brits residing in the city we weren't expecting a lot of ex-pats to turn up. Most of the people had either heard a few of our songs on the internet, came to see the support Flowers, a Chinese version of Busted, or just came for the party out of curiosity. The reception was great. Kids had made reversible heart shaped banners with Ladytron written on one side and Flowers on the other. Everyone was waving glow sticks and occasionally throwing them in the direction of the stage. There was a 90 year old raver in the front row dancing his socks off. After the 2nd song a six year old came on stage to present us with flowers on behalf of the mayor. He said 'We love you Ladytron, you rock!', then shouted something in Chinese and threw a glow stick at the crowd. After the gig we signed a whole lot of autographs. We hadn't even left the venue before the builders started tearing down the dressing rooms and stage they had built for us by hand the day before. Efficiency. Nee Bing took us to the grand former French Embassy for an after show cocktail.
We had a couple of days off after the gig. The first day we spent walking around the city and taking a cable-car over the chocolate river. On the other side we went to a Hotpot restaurant. The Hotpot turned out to be a Chinese version of Fondue. You order a bunch of different raw vegetables and fish and dip them in the boiling broth full of spices and chillies in the middle of the table to cook. We caused the usual amount of commotion as our table caught fire. On our last day the British Council had organised a daytrip to the Dazu rock carvings. These are a series of impressive 8th century Buddhist statues and images carved in rocks and caves. To get there we travelled for a couple of hours through misty mountains and paddy fields farmed by ox and hand, girls sweeping up the motorway. When we arrived a bunch of smiley 6 year olds ran towards us. I looked in my bag and all I could find was a Ladytron laminate pass to give to them so I chose one of them at random and there and then recruited him as a new crew member. I took a photo of him so we can track him down in a few years time when he grows up to be stronger. My favourite bit of the trip was visiting the Dazu Buddhist temple. We got sung to and blessed by a monk. A very beautiful experience. Then we got pointed in the direction of the cash box and after contributing got asked to bow down three times to it. Nice to know they hold the money God in high esteem. We lit gigantic incense and left after tour manager Chris set off some fire works off the edge of a mountain.
On that last night in Chongqing it rained and the skies cleared for an hour to reveal a beautiful mountain range on the edge of the city. It was strange to see clearly after a week of seeing everything in a kind of soft focus.
Shanghai 4th October
Helen
I almost thought we weren't going to make it. The internal flight from Chongquing to Shanghai was awful! My fear of flying is not getting any better.Shanghai is a breath of fresh air though. I love it. The tree lined streets are so pretty and remind me of New York. With all the fake Prada I've bought I feel like a girl from Sex and the City. I've never shopped so much in my life! The clothes are so cheap in the markets I've been snapping everything up.
It seems like there's a lot going on in Shanghai. A lot of clubs/bars/restaurants. It's a fun place to be. At night everything turns to neon and the city glows.
The gig at Fuxing park was another good one. I think we may have converted a few people. What better way to top off a gig than with karaoke!
At first everyone is a little shy, but after a few more drinks everyone's dying to sing. For some reason Danny keeps putting all these really high and difficult songs on for me like "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton. Yikes! Its a lot of fun tho, whether you can sing or not. Singing "Like a Prayer" with Bamo was a great laugh.
On the morning we leave Shanghai we get one last treat a first class ride on the Maglev high speed train to the airport. I cannot believe a train can go so fast. When we reach 450kmph it feels like we're flying, and as I mentioned before I am not the worlds greatest flyer! I must admit I was a little nervous, perhaps a little scared and thanks to Jackie, it's all been captured on camera!
Danny
Arrived in Shanghai yesterday, already in love with it. The New York/Paris/Barcelona/Milan/Sao Paulo/Osaka......etc...etc of China. The French/British colonial influence is all around, but this is a distinctly Chinese city overall, and there seems to be a new energy and optimism here that is infectious.Been shopping all day, bargaining in markets and visiting traditional tailors for measurements. Tonight a few of us are going to a Chinese football game, followed by karaoke, a full report of which will follow.
Reuben
We spent five days in Shanghai and had only one show scheduled, so you can see how much free time we had to entertain ourselves. Shanghai is twinned with Liverpool because of its trade links from the turn of the century. There were a few striking similarities, including an almost replica waterfront, apparently to give Liverpudlian sailors a sense of home from home, a city-wide arts biennial event happening at the same time and the bizarre habit of girls roaming streets in nothing but pyjamas.The clubs and bars here play a lot of funky house and jazzy beats - there's not much electroclash going on in this town, which suits us fine. Bassist Pop Levi played an impromptu set at a cool bar called Tang Hui and was later joined by the rest of Ladytron to perform a Francoise Hardyesque version of "He Took Her to a Movie". Our karaoke session at Shanghai's 'Partyworld' took place in a private room and lucky participants were privy to Helen's rendition of "Genie in a Bottle", Danny's version of a "View to a Kill", Mira's deadpan remix of "Centerfold" and Reuben's E Smithesque rant of "It's Tricky".
The scratch-built venue at FuXing Park took a couple of days to come together. Thanks to Ladytron's talented crew, the band played an hour-long set, with full brand new visuals and light show, including a some new tracks from the new album. A few thousand people turned up, some of whom had flown in from Beijing to see us, some of whom had heard "Playgirl" on the internet and some of whom had no idea who the band were at all. One irrate old man even turned up and started shouting at 'everyone' to pack up and leave because the show had disturbed his sleep from a late night of MaJong... We ended the show with an encore of "Playgirl" and a decelerating version of "USA vs White Noise".
Support band Supermarket played an interesting electronic set beforehand, sounding like a cross between old LFO, The Beloved and slower Orbital... Flowers, coming on like the Chinese version of Busted, ripped the crowd into a frenzy with their camp kung-fu flower show... fantastic.
After 3 weeks of being in China, we've only just started getting used to the lifestyle here, even with it mainly consisting of fake Rolex, pirate DVD, bartering, magnetic levitation, incredible food and intrusively rude Chairman Mao musical lighters... that's our Christmas shopping done already...
Source
21 July 2013
"Once Upon a Time in the East: Ladytron in China" documentary
In 2004, Ladytron were booked to play a series of shows in China as part of an exhibition tour set up by the British Council. They played on 24 and 25 September 2004 in Shenzhen, 28 September 2004 in Chongqing, 6 October 2004 and 7 October 2004 (DJ set) in Shanghai.
The documentary Once Upon a Time in the East: Ladytron in China is based on their short 2004 tour in China. It appeared on the bonus DVD of Extended Play and also on the bonus DVD of a special edition of Witching Hour.
The documentary Once Upon a Time in the East: Ladytron in China is based on their short 2004 tour in China. It appeared on the bonus DVD of Extended Play and also on the bonus DVD of a special edition of Witching Hour.
20 July 2013
Ladytron tour dates
Here's a list with almost all Ladytron tours. For a list with Marnie tours go here.
This gigs list is based on Setlist.fm page for Ladytron, past events on Ladytron's official Facebook page, old versions of their official site and their record labels sites stored on Web Archive. Some dates are missing from these lists (esp. on 604 and Light & Magic tours).
Early years
01 Jun 1999 - Cabaret Sauvage, Paris, France
27 Nov 1999 - The Lomax, Liverpool, UK
29 Feb 2000 - Etoile Foch bowling alley, Paris, France
22 Sep 2000 - Nasti Club, Madrid, Spain
20 May 2000 - Astin, Barcelona, Spain
02 Jul 2000 - Den Leerstehenden Räumen der Berliner Bank, Berlin, Germany
604 tour
10 Feb 2001 - The Leadmill, Sheffield, UK (sup. Soulwax)
11 Feb 2001 - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, UK (sup. Soulwax)
14 Feb 2001 - Rock City, Nottingham, UK (sup. Soulwax)
15 Feb 2001 - Manchester University, Manchester, UK (sup. Soulwax)
16 Feb 2001 - London Astoria, London, UK (sup. Soulwax)
17 Feb 2001 - Southampton University, Southampton, UK (sup. Soulwax)
14 Apr 2001 - London Calling, Amsterdam, Netherlands
16 Jun 2001 - Tivoli Oudegracht, Utrecht, Netherlands
04 Aug 2001 - Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, Spain
10 Aug 2001 - La Route du Rock, France
26 Aug 2001 - Reading Festival, UK
12 Nov 2001 - BBC Radio 1, Steve Lamacq Evening Session, UK
05 Dec 2001 - John Peel Session, London, UK
Light & Magic tour
13 Nov 2002 - Pavilion Theatre, Brighton, UK
02 Dec 2002 - Barfly, Glasgow, UK
03 Dec 2002 - La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, UK
05 Dec 2002 - Barfly, Sheffield, UK
06 Dec 2002 - Manchester University, Manchester, UK
13 Feb 2003 - Barfly, London, UK
16 Feb 2003 - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA, USA (with Simian)
17 Feb 2003 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, USA (with Simian)
19 Feb 2003 - Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, USA (with Simian)
20 Feb 2003 - Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, USA (with Simian)
21 Feb 2003 - Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USA (with Simian)
22 Feb 2003 - Club Soda, Montreal, Canada (with Simian)
24 Feb 2003 - The Phoenix, Toronto, ON (with Simian)
25 Feb 2003 - St. Andrew's Hall, Detroit, MI, USA (with Simian)
27 Feb 2003 - Wexner Center, Columbus, OH, USA (with Simian)
28 Feb 2003 - Metro, Chicago, IL, USA (with Simian)
01 Mar 2003 - First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA (with Simian)
04 Mar 2003 - Chop Suey, Seattle, WA (with Simian)
05 Mar 2003 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada (with Simian)
07 Mar 2003 - Bimbo's 365 Club, San Francisco, CA, USA (with Simian)
08 Mar 2003 - Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, CA, USA (with Simian)
20 Mar 2003 - Electric Ballroom, London, UK
25 Mar 2003 - Manchester University, Manchester, UK
04 Apr 2003 - Tivoli Oudegracht, Utrecht, Netherlands
26 Apr 2003 - Coachella Festival, Indio, CA, USA
13 May 2003 - La Locomotive, Paris, France
16 May 2003 - Central Army Club, Sofia, Bulgaria
17 May 2003 - Voenen klub, Sofia, Bulgaria
14 Jun 2003 - Hultsfred Festival, Sweden
15 Jun 2003 - Berlinova, Luckau, Germany
16 Jun 2003 - Backstage, Munich, Germany (opening - Client)
17 Jun 2003 - Die Röhre, Stuttgart, Germany (opening - Client)
18 Jun 2003 - Schlachthof, Hamburg, Germany (opening - Client)
19 Jun 2003 - Gebäude 9, Cologne, Germany (opening - Client)
10 Jul 2003 - Arvikafestivalen, Sweden
13 Jul 2003 - Witnness Festival, Ireland
22 Aug 2003 - Reading Festival, UK
23 Aug 2003 - Leeds Festival, UK
29 Aug 2003 - Lowlands Festival, Netherlands
18 Sep 2003 - Astoria Theatre, London, UK
19 Sep 2003 - Carling Academy, Liverpool, UK (Lamacq in the City event)
04 Dec 2003 - John Peel Session, London, UK
24 Sep 2004 - True Color Club, Shenzen, China
25 Sep 2004 - True Color Club, Shenzen, China
28 Sep 2004 - Shapingba Park, Chongqing, China
06 Oct 2004 - Fuxing Park, Shanghai, China
07 Oct 2004 - Fuxing Park, Shanghai, China (DJ set)
Witching Hour tour
29 May 2005 - Dot-to-Dot Festival, Nottingham, UK
09 Jul 2005 - Exit Festival , Novi Sad, Serbia
06 Aug 2005 - Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, Spain
19 Aug 2005 - Pukkelpop Festival, Belgium
16 Sep 2005 - Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY, USA
16 Dec 2005 - Razzmatazz 2, Barcelona, Spain
01 Apr 2006 - Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin, Ireland
14 Apr 2006 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, USA
15 Apr 2006 - Irving Plaza, New York City, NY, USA
16 Apr 2006 - Philadelphia Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA
17 Apr 2006 - Boston Paradise, Boston, MA, USA
19 Apr 2006 - Club Soda, Montreal, Canada (with The Presets)
20 Apr 2006 - Opera House, Toronto, ON, Canada (with The Presets)
21 Apr 2006 - Metro, Chicago, IL, USA (with The Presets)
22 Apr 2006 - First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA (with The Presets)
25 Apr 2006 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, USA (with The Presets)
26 Apr 2006 - KEXP Studios, Seattle, WA, USA
26 Apr 2006 - Neumo's, Seattle, WA, USA (with The Presets)
27 Apr 2006 - Berbati's Pan, Portland, OR, USA (with The Presets)
28 Apr 2006 - Mezzanine, San Francisco, CA, USA (with The Presets)
29 Apr 2006 - Coachella Festival, Indio, CA, USA
01 May 2006 - 91X Radio, San Diego, CA, USA
02 May 2006 - El Rey Theatre, Hollywood, CA, USA
03 May 2006 - Glasshouse, Pomona, CA, USA
04 May 2006 - KCRW Radio, Morning Becomes Eclectic, Santa Monica, CA, USA
06 May 2006 - South Fest, Buesnos Aires, Argentina
10 Jun 2006 - Oxygena Festival, Cordoba, Spain
01 Jul 2006 - Izmaylovskiy Park, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
07 Jul 2006 - Open'er Festival, Gdynia, Poland
15 Jul 2006 - Arvikafestivalen, Sweden
20 Sep 2006 - Studio A, Miami, FL, USA
21 Sep 2006 - The Social, Orlando, FL, USA
22 Sep 2006 - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA, USA
23 Sep 2006 - Orange Peel, Asheville, NC, USA
25 Sep 2006 - 9:30 Club, Washington D.C., USA
26 Sep 2006 - Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA
27 Sep 2006 - Webster Hall, New York, NY, USA
28 Sep 2006 - Webster Hall, New York, NY, USA
30 Sep 2006 - Avalon, Boston, MA, USA
01 Oct 2006 - Metropolis, Montreal, PQ, Canada
02 Oct 2006 - The Docks, Toronto, ON, USA
04 Oct 2006 - Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH, USA
05 Oct 2006 - Wexner Center, Columbus, OH, USA
06 Oct 2006 - Vic Theater, Chicago, IL, USA
07 Oct 2006 - The Granada Theatre, Lawrence, KS, USA
09 Oct 2006 - Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO, USA
10 Oct 2006 - The Depot, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
12 Oct 2006 - Berbatis Pan, Portland, OR, USA
13 Oct 2006 - Showbox, Seattle, WA, USA
14 Oct 2006 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, USA
16 Oct 2006 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA
17 Oct 2006 - John Anson Ford Amphitheater, Los Angeles, CA, USA
18 Oct 2006 - Belly Up Tavern, San Diego, CA, USA
20 Oct 2006 - Gypsy Ballroom, Dallas, TX, USA
21 Oct 2006 - Stubbs, Austin, TX, USA
22 Oct 2006 - The Meridian, Houston, TX, USA
24 Oct 2006 - The Clubhouse, Tempe, AZ, USA
26 Oct 2006 - El Foro, Tijuana, Mexico
27 Oct 2006 - City Hall, Mexico City, Mexico
28 Oct 2006 - Salón 21, Mexico City, Mexico
25 Nov 2006 - Nokia Trends Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil
01 Dec 2006 - Teatro Lux, Bogotá, Colombia
07 Dec 2006 - Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, CA, USA
03 Feb 2007 - Jövö Haza, Budapest, Hungary
22 Feb 2007 - Capitale, New York City, NY, USA
25 Feb 2007 - Carling Apollo, Manchester, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
26 Feb 2007 - Carling Apollo, Manchester, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
28 Feb 2007 - Glasgow Academy, Glasgow, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
01 Mar 2007 - Glasgow Academy, Glasgow, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
03 Mar 2007 - Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
04 Mar 2007 - Birmingham Academy, Birmingham, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
05 Mar 2007 - Birmingham Academy, Birmingham, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
07 Mar 2007 - Brixton Academy, London, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
08 Mar 2007 - Brixton Academy, London, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
10 Mar 2007 - Brixton Academy, London, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
11 Mar 2007 - Brixton Academy, London, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
12 Mar 2007 - Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, UK (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
14 Mar 2007 - Palladium, Cologne, Germany (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
15 Mar 2007 - Westfalenhalle 2, Dortmund, Germany (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
16 Mar 2007 - Tillburg 013, Tilburg, Netherlands (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
18 Mar 2007 - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
19 Mar 2007 - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
21 Mar 2007 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
22 Mar 2007 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
24 Mar 2007 - Circolo degli Artisti, Rome, Italy
25 Mar 2007 - Transilvania Live, Milan, Italy
27 Mar 2007 - La Locomotive, Paris, France
28 Mar 2007 - Zenith, Munich, Germany (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
29 Mar 2007 - Gasometer, Vienna, Austria (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
30 Mar 2007 - Gasometer, Vienna, Austria (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
01 Apr 2007 - Alcatraz, Milan, Italy (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
02 Apr 2007 - Volkshaus, Zurich, Switzerland (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
04 Apr 2007 - Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, Germany (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
06 Apr 2007 - Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
07 Apr 2007 - Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
08 Apr 2007 - Globen Annexet, Stockholm, Sweden (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
09 Apr 2007 - Debaser Medis, Stockholm, Sweden
10 Apr 2007 - Jäähalli, Helsinki, Finland (sup. Nine Inch Nails)
11 Apr 2007 - Nosturi, Helsinki, Finland
08 May 2007 - Playa Club, Corunna, Spain
09 May 2007 - Sala Heineken, Madrid, Spain
10 May 2007 - Festa Major, Lleida, Spain
11 May 2007 - Razzmatazz, Barcelona, Spain
12 May 2007 - Festival Observatori, Valencia, Spain
18 May 2007 - Darkroom, Chicago, IL, USA
01 Jun 2007 - Plaza Mayor, Salamanca, Spain
07 Jul 2007 - Les Ardentes Festival, Liège, Belgium
24 Aug 2007 - Feest in het Park, Oudenaarde, Belgium
25 Aug 2007 - Creamfields Festival, UK
28 Aug 2007 - Carling Academy, Birmingham, UK
30 Aug 2007 - The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, UK
31 Aug 2007 - ULU, London, UK
01 Sep 2007 - Electric Picnic Festival, Ireland
24 Sep 2007 - Riviera Theater, Chicago, IL, USA
27 Sep 2007 - Hollywood and Highland Center, Hollywood, CA, USA
29 Sep 2007 - Mezzanine, San Francisco, CA, USA
30 Sep 2007 - 12th Street Stage, San Francisco, CA, USA
07 Dec 2007 - Plano B, Oporto, Portugal
Velocifero tour
24 Apr 2008 - BBC Studios, London, UK
29 Apr 2008 - The Picket, Liverpool, UK
30 Apr 2008 - Manchester Academy 3, Manchester, UK
01 May 2008 - Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium
02 May 2008 - La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
03 May 2008 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
06 May 2008 - Backstage, Munich, Germany
07 May 2008 - Magazzini Generali, Milan, Italy
10 May 2008 - Forward Festival, Valencia, Spain
15 May 2008 - Astoria Theatre, London, UK
27 May 2008 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA
30 May 2008 - Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, CA, USA
02 Jun 2008 - In The Venue, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
05 Jun 2008 - Palladium Ballroom, Dallas, TX, USA
06 Jun 2008 - Stubb's, Austin, TX, USA
07 Jun 2008 - Meridian, Houston, TX, USA
08 Jun 2008 - LA at House of Blues, New Orleans, LA, USA
11 Jun 2008 - Studio A, Miami, FL, USA
12 Jun 2008 - Club Firestone, Orlando, FL, USA
15 Jun 2008 - Bonnaroo Festival, USA
16 Jun 2008 - The Pageant, St. Louis, MO, USA
18 Jun 2008 - Saint Andrew's Hall, Detroit, MI, USA
25 Jun 2008 - Terminal 5, New York, NY, USA
26 Jun 2008 - The Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA
27 Jun 2008 - Sonar Club, Baltimore, MD, USA
28 Jun 2008 - Merriweather Post Pavillion, Washington DC, USA (with TC and TVoTR)
30 Jun 2008 - Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USA
02 Jul 2008 - Metropolis, Montreal, QC, Canada
03 Jul 2008 - Int'l Summer Festival, Theatre Imperial, Quebec City, QC, Canada
04 Jul 2008 - Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
05 Jul 2008 - Bluesfest, Ottawa, ON, Canada
08 Jul 2008 - Apollo, Manchester, UK (with Interpol)
09 Jul 2008 - Academy, Sheffield, UK (with Interpol)
12 Jul 2008 - Creamfields Festival 2008, Breclav, Czech Republic
16 Jul 2008 - Astoria Theatre, London, UK
31 Jul 2008 - Emmaboda Festival, Emmaboda, Sweden
01 Aug 2008 - Venice Airport Festival, Venice, Italy
03 Aug 2008 - MTV Sunset Festival, Ravenna, Italy
11 Aug 2008 - BBC Studios, London, UK
14 Aug 2008 - Frequency Festival, Salzburg, Austria
29 Aug 2008 - Hydro Connect Festival, Invenray, UK
23 Aug 2008 - Malindi Bikini Beach, Cattolica, Italy
29 Aug 2008 - Hydro Connect Festival, UK
30 Aug 2008 - The Magic Loungeabout, North Yorkshire, UK
06 Sep 2008 - Beat It Festival, Porto, Portugal
27 Sep 2008 - Parklife Festival, Adelaide, Australia
29 Sep 2008 - The Metro Theatre, Sydney, Australia
30 Sep 2008 - The Metro Theatre, Sydney, Australia
01 Oct 2008 - The Tivoli, Brisbane, Australia
02 Oct 2008 - Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
03 Oct 2008 - Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
04 Oct 2008 - The Great Escape Festival, Sydney, Australia
05 Oct 2008 - Bakery Artrage Complex, Perth, Australia
09 Oct 2008 - Popkomm, Berlin, Germany
12 Oct 2008 - Prinzenbar, Hamburg, Germany
13 Oct 2008 - Cocoon Club, Frankfurt, Germany
14 Oct 2008 - Projekt 7, Magdeburg, Germany
15 Oct 2008 - Gebäude 9, Cologne, Germany
17 Oct 2008 - Free Form Festival, Warsaw, Poland
18 Oct 2008 - Klub Studio, Kraków, Poland
20 Oct 2008 - Lucerna Music Bar, Prague, Czech Republic
21 Oct 2008 - Arena, Vienna, Austria
22 Oct 2008 - Abart, Zurich, Switzerland
24 Oct 2008 - Estragon, Bologna, Italy
25 Oct 2008 - Circolo degli Artisti, Rome, Italy
27 Oct 2008 - Apolo, Barcelona, Spain
29 Oct 2008 - Joy Eslava, Madrid, Spain
30 Oct 2008 - Cafe Antxoki, Bilbao, Spain
31 Oct 2008 - La Industria Copera, Armilla, Spain
01 Nov 2008 - El Loco, Valencia, Spain
03 Nov 2008 - Casa da Música, Oporto, Portugal
04 Nov 2008 - Lux, Lisbon, Portugal
06 Nov 2008 - Rockhal, Luxembourg
07 Nov 2008 - Botanique, Brussels, Belgium
08 Nov 2008 - Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
14 Nov 2008 - The Cockpit, Leeds, UK
15 Nov 2008 - Kasbah, Coventry, UK
18 Nov 2008 - Zodiac, Oxford, UK
19 Nov 2008 - Carling Academy, Bristol, UK
20 Nov 2008 - The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth, UK
21 Nov 2008 - Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, UK
23 Nov 2008 - Concorde 2, Brighton, UK
24 Nov 2008 - Manchester Academy 2, Manchester, UK
25 Nov 2008 - Carling Academy, Sheffield, UK
26 Nov 2008 - ABC, Glasgow, UK
28 Nov 2008 - Moshulu, Aberdeen, UK
29 Nov 2008 - The Stiff Kitten, Belfast, Northern Ireland
30 Nov 2008 - Tripod, Dublin, Ireland
01 Dec 2008 - Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
03 Dec 2008 - Debaser, Stockholm, Sweden
04 Dec 2008 - Brew House, Gothenburg, Sweden
05 Dec 2008 - Kulturbolaget, Malmö, Sweden
06 Dec 2008 - Loppen, Copenhagen, Denmark
07 Dec 2008 - Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo, Norway
01 Apr 2009 - Turner Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI, USA (with The Faint)
02 Apr 2009 - First Venue, Minneapolis, MN, USA (with The Faint)
03 Apr 2009 - Metro, Chicago, IL, USA (with The Faint)
04 Apr 2009 - Metro, Chicago, IL, USA (with The Faint)
06 Apr 2009 - Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada (with The Faint)
07 Apr 2009 - Theatre Telus, Montreal, QC, Canada (with The Faint)
08 Apr 2009 - House of Blues, Boston, MA, USA (with The Faint)
10 Apr 2009 - Webster Hall, New York, NY, USA (with The Faint)
11 Apr 2009 - Webster Hall, New York, NY, USA (with The Faint)
13 Apr 2009 - Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA, USA (with The Faint)
14 Apr 2009 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, USA (with The Faint)
15 Apr 2009 - Sonar Club, Baltimore, MD, USA (with The Faint)
17 Apr 2009 - Orange Peel, Asherville, NC, USA (with The Faint)
18 Apr 2009 - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA, USA (with The Faint)
20 Apr 2009 - Warehouse Live, Houston, TX, USA (with The Faint)
21 Apr 2009 - Stubb's, Austin, TX, USA (with The Faint)
22 Apr 2009 - Granada Theater, Dallas, TX, USA (with The Faint)
24 Apr 2009 - Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ, USA (with The Faint)
25 Apr 2009 - The Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA, USA (with The Faint)
27 Apr 2009 - KCRW Studios, Santa Monica, CA, USA
27 Apr 2009 - Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, CA, USA (with The Faint)
29 Apr 2009 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA (with The Faint)
30 Apr 2009 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA (with The Faint)
01 May 2009 - Roseland Theater, Portland, OR, USA (with The Faint)
02 May 2009 - KEXP Studios, Seattle, WA, USA
02 May 2009 - Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA, USA (with The Faint)
03 May 2009 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, USA (with The Faint)
05 May 2009 - Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO, USA (with The Faint)
08 May 2009 - Arma 09, Moscow, Russia
10 May 2009 - Zal Ozhidaniya, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
14 May 2009 - Fuzz Club, Athens, Greece
03 Jun 2009 - Opera House, Sydney, Australia
05 Jun 2009 - Hi-Fi Club, Melbourne, Australia
07 Jun 2009 - Hi-Fi Club, Brisbane, Australia
13 Jun 2009 - Rabarock Festival, Järvakandi, Estonia
02 Jul 2009 - Volt Festival, Sporon, Hungary
04 Jul 2009 - Ruisrock Festival, Turku, Finland
10 Jul 2009 - Traffic Festival, Turin, Italy
11 Jul 2009 - International Video Music Festival of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
17 Jul 2009 - London Matter at O2 Arena, London, UK
31 Jul 2009 - Standon Calling Festival, Standon Area, UK
01 Aug 2009 - Atlantis Summer Challenge, Split, Croatia
15 Aug 2009 - Beatday Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
22 Aug 2009 - Electrosonic Festival, Burgos, Spain
Best of 00-10 tour
30 Apr 2011 - Ping Gu Valley Festival, Beijing, China
07 May 2011 - Donaufestival, Krems, Austria
05 May 2011 - Aquarius, Zagreb, Croatia
13 May 2011 - Kosmonavt, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
14 May 2011 - The Circus, Helsinki, Finland
03 Jun 2011 - Selector Festival, Kraków, Poland
08 Jun 2011 - HMV Forum, London, UK
09 Jun 2011 - Arches, Glasgow, UK
10 Jun 2011 - St Georges Hall, Liverpool, UK
11 Jun 2011 - Tripod, Dublin, Ireland
15 Jul 2011 - The Brandery, Barcelona, Spain
16 Jul 2011 - Hegyalja Festival, Hungary
Gravity the Seducer tour
22 Sep 2011 - Six Flags Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
23 Sep 2011 - House of Blues, San Diego, CA, USA
24 Sep 2011 - Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA
25 Sep 2011 - The Grand Ballroom at The Regency Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
27 Sep 2011 - Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA
28 Sep 2011 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada
29 Sep 2011 - Decibel Festival, Seattle, WA, USA
01 Oct 2011 - Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO, USA
03 Oct 2011 - Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, MN, USA
04 Oct 2011 - Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA
05 Oct 2011 - Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada
06 Oct 2011 - Theatre Telus, Montreal, QC, Canada
07 Oct 2011 - Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USA
08 Oct 2011 - Terminal 5, New York, NY, USA
09 Oct 2011 - The Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA
11 Oct 2011 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, USA
13 Oct 2011 - The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA, USA
14 Oct 2011 - DeLuna Fest, Pensacola, Florida, USA
15 Oct 2011 - Grand Central, Miami, FL, USA
17 Nov 2011 - Cine Jóia, São Paulo, Brazil
18 Nov 2011 - Vivo Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
19 Nov 2011 - Grande Teatro do Palacio das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
23 Nov 2011 - Industria Cultural, Santiago, Chile
07 Dec 2011 - LED Club, Bangkok, Thailand
09 Dec 2011 - Djakarta Warehouse Project, Jakarta, Indonesia
10 Dec 2011 - Zouk Festival, Singapore
Ladytron tour
02 Nov 2018 - Queen Margaret Union (QMU), Glasgow, UK
03 Nov 2018 - O2 Academy, Liverpool, UK
04 Nov 2018 - Roundhouse, London, UK
27 Feb 2019 - El Plaza Condesa, Mexico City, Mexico
28 Feb 2019 - Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA
01 Mar 2019 - Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA
02 Mar 2019 - CRSSD Festival, San Diego, CA, USA
31 May 2019 - Kraken, Stockholm, Sweden
06 Jun 2019 - Investia Hall, Moscow, Russia
26 Jul 2019 - Low Festival, Benidorm, Spain
27 Jul 2019 - Razzmatazz, Barcelona, Spain
28 Jul 2019 - La Riviera, Madrid, Spain
02 Oct 2019 - Brooklyn Steel, NYC, USA
03 Oct 2019 - Boston – Royale, Boston, USA
04 Oct 2019 - Le SAT, Montreal, Canada
05 Oct 2019 - Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, Canada
18 Oct 2019 - La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, UK
19 Oct 2019 - O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK
24 Oct 2019 - Heaven, London, UK
11 Dec 2019 - Metro, Chicago, USA
12 Dec 2019 - Neptune, Seattle, USA
13 Dec 2019 - Wonderland Ballroom, Portland, USA
14 Dec 2019 - The UC Theatre, Berkeley, USA
TOP
Disturb.org interview (2001)
New Liverpool Fab Four, with 2 DJs and 2 singers, Ladytron was spotted by the NME, always looking for new sensations and trends, which awarded the title of "single of the week" to all the band's releases. These strange, black-clad characters, Kraftwerk-style, great eighties fans, release their debut album, 604. We met one of these men in black, Daniel Hunt, who is certainly less austere than we might think.
Where does the name Ladytron comes from?
There's a song called like that, written by Brian Ferry on the first Roxy Music album and also the Disney film "Tron". It's a nice idea. That's just a name that suits us.
And this title: six-o-four?
You know this film called The Andromeda Strain? It was actually a reference to that film. We wanted a number, something that was really pure and open to interpretation. Since then, people have come up with hysterical interpretations of it. It's just a nice thing that looks good on the cover of the album.
Your singles have all been singles of the week for the NME: how do you live it and what do you wait from success?
We're still in a learning process, cause everything has happened so accidentally. It seems more coherent over here, because we've signed to labels and everything's organized, but in England, it's been a really slow build, with a little bit of press here and there. The NME have never given us a feature, just a few singles of the week. It all feels quite strange and accidental, so all we really wanted from success was some kind of recognition. In 10 or 15 years, if some kid goes to a second-hand record shop and buys our album, that'll be in a way more appealing than anyone buying it now, because of the idea we might do something that might last.
The newspapers have described you as "the eighties dreaming of year 2000": is it a good definition of Ladytron?
I think it's a valid definition. When I was about 17, I started acquiring synthesizers and I really wanted to find avenues that music never took, but nowadays, we just think our music is our version of "now". It's not a revivalism of anything or an anticipation of the future, it's just our version of the present.
What were your influences? Kraftwerk? Depeche Mode? Chemical Brothers? Gary Numan? Magazine? Devo? Brian Eno / Bowie? NIN?
I started doing music when I was about ten years old, I was into Duran Duran, things like that. My older brother didn't like that and got me into Mantronix and electro records. I had a Casio keyboard and I tried to make music and record it to cassette. The first thing I did was a sort of copy of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" featuring Michael Jackson.
The bands from the past that people compare us to aren't as influential to us as it might seem. People pick upon Kraftwerk, Human League, etc., but they're not as influential as it might seem they are. They are more reference points than influences. I think the songwriting is something more classic, it's a pop sensibility, whereas Kraftwerk never did songs like that. I feel more affinity with The Chemical Brothers as I do with some of the other bands we get compared to. We're all into dance music.
I have heard you like Black Sabbath too?
I'm a fan, there's a song we did that ended up sounding like Black Sabbath although it wasn't intended to. It appears on Mu-Tron, an EP that wasn't released in France. It's called "USA vs. White Noise".
You only use keyboards and voices, but no guitars at all: why?
We wanted to construct it from the ground up with keyboards, cause mainly I think in England people rely too much on building songs with guitars. When a band says it will go into an electronic direction, it just means they add some analog synthesizers in the background and it's still the same guitar sound. Moreover, these were the only instruments we had, we just had one guitar with 4 strings on it. We hadn't changed the strings in 6 or 7 years. We had the synthesizers lying all around, we just used what we got.
Is your look on stage very important to your music?
When we're together, we dress the same. It's important in a way, because we want to be a unit. It's not a purely stylistic thing, it feels like the right thing to do. It also distances us from a kind of revival in fashion from the 80s and things like that, because, as a band, we are not interested in the visual element of the 80s at all. We like the technology from that time, but not the graphic design or the fashion. If you listen to a record like "Fade to Grey" now, the production is amazing, it sounds modern, but then you've got Steve Strange, with his harlequin costume... We're not into that side of it. It think in England, the credibility of that music suffers because of the image in a way. People don't take this music seriously because they associate it with people dressed as pirates. (laughs) Our clothes are supposed to be utilitarian, not stylish.
Would you consider writing music for a fashion show?
We've already been used in fashion shows, to be honest. It's nothing to do with us, maybe the music has got some kind of compatibility with that. It's quite a strange thing. We don't mind it, but I think the fashion industry is quite farcical.
Ladytron are two DJs and two girl singers: how did you first meet?
Reuben and I grew up near Liverpool and we had very different upbringings: he went to a public school and I went to state school, but we were both DJs and we knew each other from hanging around in the same record shops. He went away to study in Sheffield for a few years and when he came back, he'd written music and I'd got the recording equipment. We decided to do something, we didn't really know what it would be. It didn't become a band till we met Helen and Mira. Helen was studying in Liverpool (she's from Glasgow) and Mira was introduced to us through friends.
Recently, you've been touring Europe but not in England: why?
We went on tour with Soulwax in England in February, that's our first tour in England. The reason why we didn't bother was we didn't really see the point. It hasn't done us any harm not playing, we did a couple of shows in Liverpool, then left it and played in Europe. We didn't go to London, even though people were asking us to partly because we couldn't be bothered, partly because we wanted to wait for the album and play in front of people who already liked us, have an audience. It was also good to concentrate on making the record because that's something really special, whereas a live show is so ephemeral. You won't remember it in 20 years, although you'll remember a record. Another reason is that, since I'm from Liverpool, I have this twisted kid of resentment of London and I didn't want to have to pander to the media or the industry in London. It was just a "fuck you" thing, you know. I don't like the way people think you HAVE to do it.
You don't play much live: is it more fun to be DJ'ing? And to make records?
Yes, it's fun DJ'ing, but we're gonna do an American and a European tour. The album's been out two months longer in America. It was good that we didn't waste energy, we put all our efforts into the album.
Will you shoot videos?
We've done a video for "Playgirl", it's cheaply-made, but very nice. It's mainly a shot of Helen singing the whole song. Live, we're gonna use video stuff, it's being made at the moment. Nothing too pretentious, just graphic stuff.
You've been touring with Soulwax, who made this song: "Too Many DJs": how were you received by the audience and how did you live it yourselves?
It was strange, because we hadn't toured before and these were very big venues. Since Soulwax are very rocky, we thought it could go very badly, but it actually went really well. We do some remixes in the sets, but it's mainly a live thing. I think Soulwax are bigger DJs than we are. (laughs) It was cool, lots of kids who had never heard of us approached us after the show.
You're DJs, but remixers too, for Soulwax for example: do you intend to do more remixes? And produce bands?
Definitely. I want to do some production too. I don't want to protect any kind of indie credibility. I'll do whatever I want. The biggest act of subversion you can do is getting into pop music itself.
How do you see your future and what are your wishes for it?
I can't see even two years in the future now, because the future has already happened, so it's really hard to imagine what it's gonna be like. I just see myself behind a record shop counter 10 years from now. (laughs) Hopefully, I'll be living somewhere hot.
There's a song called like that, written by Brian Ferry on the first Roxy Music album and also the Disney film "Tron". It's a nice idea. That's just a name that suits us.
And this title: six-o-four?
You know this film called The Andromeda Strain? It was actually a reference to that film. We wanted a number, something that was really pure and open to interpretation. Since then, people have come up with hysterical interpretations of it. It's just a nice thing that looks good on the cover of the album.
Your singles have all been singles of the week for the NME: how do you live it and what do you wait from success?
We're still in a learning process, cause everything has happened so accidentally. It seems more coherent over here, because we've signed to labels and everything's organized, but in England, it's been a really slow build, with a little bit of press here and there. The NME have never given us a feature, just a few singles of the week. It all feels quite strange and accidental, so all we really wanted from success was some kind of recognition. In 10 or 15 years, if some kid goes to a second-hand record shop and buys our album, that'll be in a way more appealing than anyone buying it now, because of the idea we might do something that might last.
The newspapers have described you as "the eighties dreaming of year 2000": is it a good definition of Ladytron?
I think it's a valid definition. When I was about 17, I started acquiring synthesizers and I really wanted to find avenues that music never took, but nowadays, we just think our music is our version of "now". It's not a revivalism of anything or an anticipation of the future, it's just our version of the present.
What were your influences? Kraftwerk? Depeche Mode? Chemical Brothers? Gary Numan? Magazine? Devo? Brian Eno / Bowie? NIN?
The bands from the past that people compare us to aren't as influential to us as it might seem. People pick upon Kraftwerk, Human League, etc., but they're not as influential as it might seem they are. They are more reference points than influences. I think the songwriting is something more classic, it's a pop sensibility, whereas Kraftwerk never did songs like that. I feel more affinity with The Chemical Brothers as I do with some of the other bands we get compared to. We're all into dance music.
I have heard you like Black Sabbath too?
I'm a fan, there's a song we did that ended up sounding like Black Sabbath although it wasn't intended to. It appears on Mu-Tron, an EP that wasn't released in France. It's called "USA vs. White Noise".
You only use keyboards and voices, but no guitars at all: why?
We wanted to construct it from the ground up with keyboards, cause mainly I think in England people rely too much on building songs with guitars. When a band says it will go into an electronic direction, it just means they add some analog synthesizers in the background and it's still the same guitar sound. Moreover, these were the only instruments we had, we just had one guitar with 4 strings on it. We hadn't changed the strings in 6 or 7 years. We had the synthesizers lying all around, we just used what we got.
Is your look on stage very important to your music?
Would you consider writing music for a fashion show?
We've already been used in fashion shows, to be honest. It's nothing to do with us, maybe the music has got some kind of compatibility with that. It's quite a strange thing. We don't mind it, but I think the fashion industry is quite farcical.
Ladytron are two DJs and two girl singers: how did you first meet?
Reuben and I grew up near Liverpool and we had very different upbringings: he went to a public school and I went to state school, but we were both DJs and we knew each other from hanging around in the same record shops. He went away to study in Sheffield for a few years and when he came back, he'd written music and I'd got the recording equipment. We decided to do something, we didn't really know what it would be. It didn't become a band till we met Helen and Mira. Helen was studying in Liverpool (she's from Glasgow) and Mira was introduced to us through friends.
Recently, you've been touring Europe but not in England: why?
You don't play much live: is it more fun to be DJ'ing? And to make records?
Yes, it's fun DJ'ing, but we're gonna do an American and a European tour. The album's been out two months longer in America. It was good that we didn't waste energy, we put all our efforts into the album.
Will you shoot videos?
We've done a video for "Playgirl", it's cheaply-made, but very nice. It's mainly a shot of Helen singing the whole song. Live, we're gonna use video stuff, it's being made at the moment. Nothing too pretentious, just graphic stuff.
You've been touring with Soulwax, who made this song: "Too Many DJs": how were you received by the audience and how did you live it yourselves?
You're DJs, but remixers too, for Soulwax for example: do you intend to do more remixes? And produce bands?
Definitely. I want to do some production too. I don't want to protect any kind of indie credibility. I'll do whatever I want. The biggest act of subversion you can do is getting into pop music itself.
How do you see your future and what are your wishes for it?
I can't see even two years in the future now, because the future has already happened, so it's really hard to imagine what it's gonna be like. I just see myself behind a record shop counter 10 years from now. (laughs) Hopefully, I'll be living somewhere hot.
17 July 2013
Been There - Done That interview (2013)
In fact I was in Iceland only for about a month, in August last year. Then I went back there for about a week in December to record another track. I was living in London until about September, but I am back in Glasgow now. Apparently I am at home in Glasgow.
But the thing about Iceland seems to be that you thought the atmosphere there may fit in with the mood you wanted for that album. Or what was it like?
I have been there before, but very briefly, with Ladytron, when we did a festival there quite a few years ago. And yes, I thought the mood of the record would fit in quite well with the surroundings of Iceland. But everything except for one or two tracks was written at home, in the UK. So the influence Iceland had on the album is quite limited, almost neglectable. The influences were drawn beforehand. Iceland was more a serene, a relaxing place where I could record the album. The fact that producer Barði Jóhannsson has his studio there, that was the most important part.
Jóhannsson shares the credits of the producer with your bandmate from Ladytron, Daniel Hunt. But both weren't there from the start, when you knew that you would be doing this solo album. In how far was and is it important for you, that Crystal World doesn't sound too much like an album by Ladytron?
I think that right from the beginning I knew that I would be working with Daniel. Of course I would always be connected with what I am doing with Ladytron, simply because of my voice and regardless of the music. But even though I knew I was working with Daniel, I knew that my songs were strong enough and different enough from what I was doing previously. Partly the structure of the songs is totally different and much more pop. Bringing Barði in as well surely helped the album being different, too. Also I did have a few songs before I knew that I would be doing this album, but then within eight or nine months I literally sat down to write songs exclusively for what would become the album. I think this is why Crystal World flows quite well.
Was this also a chance for you to let other musical influences come through than usually, except for being more pop?
I think it's quite hard to label and pinpoint certain influences. And I know that some people think that "pop" is some kind of dirty word. But I really wanted it all a bit more traditional in its structure and things like that. I wanted to work on hooks and choruses. When I sit down to write, I have to do it at the right time. That's more what my songwriting is about than about certain influences. I have an idea in my head and at the same time I feel what the song should be like. And it's not like "Now I want it to sound like ABBA. And the next one will be like Fleetwood Mac!" I appreciate their records and they surely influence me subconsciously, but you can't pinpoint that – and I have also been listening to a lot of contemporary acts from Glasgow as well.
I think this album is the one I was more involved in than I have ever been. Ladytron consists of four people, whereas there may be only twelve songs on the final album. So I may write five songs, but only two will make it. Also the last gig by Ladytron was probably in December 2011, so I did have quite some time off. And during the next months I also wouldn't be writing every day, you know. (laughs) I feel like I had quite a break.
I can hear that I need not fear that you are a total workaholic concerning music.
No, I just thought like the timing was right. Everyone was taking a step back, taking time off from touring, doing their own thing. Even when I was writing the songs I wasn't really thinking of making a solo album. It was still a daydream in my head then.
The album was first released via Pledge Music, which means that people paid beforehand and that you had to do lots of promotion even before its release. I have heard from people like Chris Corner of IAMX, who used pledge as well, that it can be difficult to make the process of recording an album public – and to ask for money from people before they have listened to a single full track. What was that like for you?
I don't think I really realized what I was taking on. I thought it was a good platform that would raise the money to put out the album. But apparently it is also very time consuming and it is also a very personal affair. I was quite happy to interact with people, but I also felt quite a bit of pressure. Because I was still working on the record, nothing was mixed, and I didn't have any songs I could let people listen to. So I gave them about a minute of an instrumental part, which was easy to do. Then I gave them a snippet from "The Hunter". So there was always this pressure like: What would the people expect? A Ladytron-like sounding record? Or a dance album?
There have also been deliberately interactive albums via web, like Einstürzende Neubauten did it, where the fans directly influenced if not determined what a song would be like. This is one way to deal with expectations, to directly involve the fans. But you are also letting go of your own handwriting then. Was it difficult not to give in too much to the pledgers' expectations and wishes?
I just tried to keep calm and do what I had to do. I concentrated on making clear to the pledgers what was happening, keep them updated, keep it all positive. They had a right to know what stage I was at. And there were a lot of delays. They had paid a lot for the album and other things accompanying it, so I tried to keep them on the level, to keep them happy. (chuckles)
Have you decided yet if you are also going to tour?
I can see that. Quite a lot of people ask me that. (laughs) I would really be into touring, but... (laughs again) But I would have to live up to a lot of expectations, also my own. I would need to find a band, to work it all out technically, etc. So: Yes, I would like to, but I am unsure yet.
It is known that you used to DJ a few years ago. What's up with that now?
I don't think I had much of a DJ career! I shied away from DJing for a while. At first it was fun, but then I think I had a bad experience. But in fact I just DJed with Mira from Ladytron again, in Moscow. The gig before that was last summer in Poland. I hope I will be getting more confident with that again. When I am acting live on stage I am quite confident with that. But when it comes to DJing I am getting nervous. I guess it's because of the expectations of the people about what I am going to play. I guess that's kind of strange, because I shouldn't be nervous!
This surely has to do with the size of the venues and that you have become much better known than in the beginning.
Yes, in the beginning it was more of a party thing, where I more or less played the records I liked. And then I forgot about it for a while and concentrated on live things. Now I can't just go there and play my top tunes anymore. Like in Moscow, where we play as Ladytron-DJs, and this is a really huge festival.
Well, I haven't done that for a long time. Probably because things went into the opposite direction, with bigger venues and festivals, things like that. The things you mentioned used to come up some time ago, and they were fun. But as things move on and get bigger you simply get bigger events. That's not always the case, but that's where we are right now. And when you are playing bigger events, you also get a bigger fee, probably – which is good for the band. But I'd be quite open about playing in a little bar in Glasgow and I probably will do in the future, after what I will be doing now with Crystal World.
Apart from one's own output as an artist it is great to simply share what one likes with other people, isn't it?
Yes. It's true. When I am writing music I try not to listen to other music. But DJing of course is totally different, because you get such a lot of stuff and you always think about what you want to play to the people.
I rarely talk about the lyrics of an album. But I think that there is a different perspective on your solo album. "Message" is another dirty word to some people, but is what you want to tell people about life and society presented differently now?
The general idea is more about sentiment and emotions and being quite forward. For example "Sugarland" has a clear message, though. Then some people may listen to certain songs and think that they mean this and that. But they don't. You know? People may think a song is about a relationship breakdown – but it's not! So it's all up to the listeners, but there is also lots of "hidden messages", maybe even less hidden than on albums by Ladytron. (laughs) This is a solo album and it is quite important that people can see me in this.
But if people think "Well, this is a break-up song", but then it's not that easy because you are not simply putting out a diary...
Right. Though... You see: They are not break-up songs!
Yes.
(Laughter)
Source
16 July 2013
Marnie - "Crystal World" available on CD
Marnie's Crystal World is now available on CD through a small Belgian independent label, Les Disques du Crépuscule. If you want to support a wonderful artist like Marnie and you don't have the album yet, you can buy the CD from here. Details of how to order the CD are on Mailorder page from their site.
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