Ladytron
Ladytron are an English electronic band formed in Liverpool in 1999. The group consists of Scottish lead singer Helen Marnie (lead vocals, synthesizers), Mira Aroyo (vocals, synthesizers), and Daniel Hunt (synthesizers, guitar, vocals).[1][2] Reuben Wu (synthesizers) was a member from 1999 until 2023.[3] They have released seven studio albums: 604 (2001), Light & Magic (2002), Witching Hour (2005), Velocifero (2008), Gravity the Seducer (2011), Ladytron (2019) and Time's Arrow (2023). They also issued the live album Live at London Astoria 16.07.08 in 2009 and the compilation album Best of 00–10 in 2011. They have produced remixes for artists such as Dave Gahan, Erasure, Goldfrapp, Apoptygma Berzerk, Placebo, Blondie, Gang of Four, Christina Aguilera, Nine Inch Nails, Bloc Party, Kings of Convenience, Soulwax and Róisín Murphy.
For other uses, see Ladytron (disambiguation).
Ladytron
Liverpool, England
1999–present
- Ladytron Music
- Nettwerk
- Island
- Rykodisc
- Telstar
- Emperor Norton
- Invicta Hi-Fi
- Cooking Vinyl
The band's name was taken from the song "Ladytron" by Roxy Music.[4] Former Roxy Music member Brian Eno said in 2009, "Ladytron are, for me, the best of English pop music. They're the kind of band that really only appears in England, with this funny mixture of eccentric art-school dicking around and dressing up, with a full awareness of what's happening everywhere musically, which is kind of knitted together and woven into something quite new."[5] Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop",[6] while music journalists have also described their sound as synth-pop, electronic rock, post-punk, and new wave, among other genres. Some of the group's songs contain lyrics written by Aroyo in her native Bulgarian.
History[edit]
Band formation and debut single[edit]
Liverpudlian producers and DJs Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu met in the 1990s. Hunt was a member of the bands Venini[7] and Jules Verne[8] and also founded the indie record label Invicta Hi-Fi and a nightclub.[9] Wu trained in Industrial Design at Sheffield Hallam University and graduated in 1997.[10] He became an industrial designer at Team Consulting Limited,[10] until finally going full-time with the band around 2002.[11]
Using a moniker inspired by the song "Ladytron" by Roxy Music, Hunt and Wu recorded the debut single "He Took Her to a Movie" for £50 with the guest vocalist Lisa Eriksson (who later formed the band Techno Squirrels)[12][13] and released it in July 1999.[14]
In the summer of 1999, Hunt and Wu met Scottish student Helen Marnie through various DJ gigs,[15] and Bulgarian-Israeli Mira Aroyo through a mutual friend.[16] Marnie and Aroyo joined the band as vocalists and keyboardists. Helen Marnie studied music at the University of Liverpool where she received a Bachelor of Arts in pop music in 1999.[17] Mira Aroyo was a postgraduate research geneticist in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford.[18]
First EPs and 604 (1999–2001)[edit]
During 1999 and 2001 Ladytron released the EPs Miss Black and Her Friends in December 1999 exclusively in Japan,[14] Commodore Rock in June 2000, Mu-Tron EP in October 2000[14] and the singles "Play Girl / Commodore Rock" in 2000, "Playgirl" in 2000 and again in 2001, "The Way That I Found You" in 2001. All the songs (except "Miss Black", "Olivetti Jerk" and the remixes) from these releases were later included on their debut studio album. "He Took Her to a Movie",[19] Mu-Tron EP,[20] "The Way That I Found You",[21] were all selected as NME "Single of the Week".
Ladytron released the debut album 604 on 6 February 2001 on Emperor Norton (US), on 26 March 2001 on Labels (Germany) and on 2 April 2001 on Invicta Hi-Fi (UK). It was re-released on 20 July 2004 on Emperor Norton (US) and on 14 January 2011 (Germany), 18 January 2011 (US), 24 January 2011 (UK) on Nettwerk. 604 has been written mostly by Daniel Hunt and co-produced by him and Lance Thomas (who also engineered and mixed the album).
The band wore uniforms inspired by the science fiction movie The Andromeda Strain until the end of 2003. Daniel Hunt said in an interview for Jound from 2001: "I'm really into The Andromeda Strain, so that's kind of an influence on the title of the album and the uniforms we've got and stuff. But the design – me and Reuben just love that film".[22] Also in an interview for Chaos Control magazine from 2002 Hunt explained the 604 album title: "It's the area code for British Columbia... we're glad we've attached this strange importance to that number, it crops up everywhere now. We noticed when we stayed in Hamburg in Germany (in a hotel called "Commodore" – pure coincidence), that the number to phone reception from your room was '604'. Moments afterwards the building had caught fire and we were lucky to escape with our lives. I'm not joking".[23]
Ladytron performed on 4 August 2001 at Festival Internacional de Benicàssim in Spain, on 10 August 2001 at La Route du Rock in France, and on 26 August 2001 at Reading Festival in the UK. On 5 December 2001, they performed four songs for Radio 1's John Peel Show.[24]
On 1 October 2001, the compilation album Reproductions: Songs of The Human League was released on Carrot Top Records and it included The Human League' song "Open Your Heart" covered by Ladytron.
Current members
Former members