In their seven-year career, Liverpool's Ladytron have done a fine job of surviving an association with a cheesy, disreputable sub-genre, a major label deal gone sour and Kraftwerk copping their style. With all of these disturbances going on, it's no wonder they felt like turning it up on their third and finest album.
Witching Hour is far beyond the scope of their first two albums and it's better for it. The signature monotone vocals, programmed beats and synths have all been revitalised and supplemented with live instrumentation and ample effects pedals triggering the heavy drone sound fans have been craving. "The reaction so far has been that it is by far our best album, which is a vindication for pushing things further," says keyboardist Daniel Hunt.
"It was a natural process of going on tour and wanting to really blow the roof off the venue, so in came more overdrive pedals, live drums, a bassist," explains keyboardist Reuben Wu. "We basically became a much better band by the time we had returned home and Witching Hour is a testament to that growth."
Having already tested out the album with a few choice gigs, fans have literally been knocked out by their evolution. A recent performance at Liverpool's Tate art gallery found the sheer noise of the band causing an unexpected disturbance, signalling their new direction's intensity. "The volume made parts of the ceiling fall down, which cut our friend's head open. He was okay though. It would've been unfortunate to lose a friend from the vibrations of a monosynth," says Hunt.
"The room was covered in extremely psychedelic wallpaper and there were incredible projections on the wall," adds Wu. "It felt a bit like [legendary Manchester nightclub] the Haçienda and a bit Warholian too, but the space wasn't really meant for a band as loud as ours, hence the bleeding and the Picassos on the upstairs floor shaking."
Witching Hour is far beyond the scope of their first two albums and it's better for it. The signature monotone vocals, programmed beats and synths have all been revitalised and supplemented with live instrumentation and ample effects pedals triggering the heavy drone sound fans have been craving. "The reaction so far has been that it is by far our best album, which is a vindication for pushing things further," says keyboardist Daniel Hunt.
"It was a natural process of going on tour and wanting to really blow the roof off the venue, so in came more overdrive pedals, live drums, a bassist," explains keyboardist Reuben Wu. "We basically became a much better band by the time we had returned home and Witching Hour is a testament to that growth."
Having already tested out the album with a few choice gigs, fans have literally been knocked out by their evolution. A recent performance at Liverpool's Tate art gallery found the sheer noise of the band causing an unexpected disturbance, signalling their new direction's intensity. "The volume made parts of the ceiling fall down, which cut our friend's head open. He was okay though. It would've been unfortunate to lose a friend from the vibrations of a monosynth," says Hunt.
"The room was covered in extremely psychedelic wallpaper and there were incredible projections on the wall," adds Wu. "It felt a bit like [legendary Manchester nightclub] the Haçienda and a bit Warholian too, but the space wasn't really meant for a band as loud as ours, hence the bleeding and the Picassos on the upstairs floor shaking."
