“Destroy Everything You Touch”
Despite what most of my articles may have you believe, I don’t solely listen to Metal and Punk music. I know, I know, illusion shattered, but I like to believe that despite my inkling towards heavy music, I still have a fairly eclectic taste. The commonality is probably in the thematic songwriting, which almost always leans a bit toward the darker side of things. What I’m trying to say is that I’m a pretty damn big fan of Ladytron, and I have been since my high school days. So of course, I jumped at the chance to catch them at The Belasco Theatre, a venue which is fast becoming my home away from home, in DTLA.
My last experience at a Ladytron show was a little mixed, though that had nothing to do with the bands and had everything to do with an obnoxious group of people who were already on the verge of being blackout drunk before any music had even started. That experience, coupled with a few other less-than-savory run-ins with younger goths, left me a bit apprehensive, but fortunately, the evening had nothing but musical fulfillment in store.
Enter Danz CM (CM being an abbreviation of “Computer Magic”), the sole opening for the evening. Armed with analog synths, loopers, and backing tracks, the New York-raised, now local multi-talented artist was a perfect fit to kick off the evening. Her music brought to mind a mix of older inspirations from the likes of Gary Numan with a modern sensibility that was perfectly in theme with the headline act. She also runs a media brand called Synth History, which offers a plethora of interviews with known and up-and-coming synth artists -as well as filmmakers and other visual artists- that provide intimate looks at their artistic process. Suffice it to say, Danz CM is a bonafide badass, and you should check out her stuff!
To say that Ladytron is an important group to me would be an understatement. Like most people, my introduction to them was the single “Seventeen” off the Light and Magic album and, featured in the cult film Party Monster, among others. The Witching Hour and Velocifero albums were in constant play during a pretty stressful move from Arcata to Los Angeles in 2009, and I would be lying if I didn’t make the cliched statement that those albums got me through some pretty tough shit. Missing tour after tour, I had almost conceded that I would never see Ladytron live until they came back from a five-year hiatus to release their eponymous self-titled album in 2019.
They came on stage with a bang, launching straight into “City of Angels” off this year’s Time’s Arrow. While I would have loved to see Daniel Hunt whip out his guitar more, I can still forgive it because “Ghosts” has such a cool damn riff, and in all fairness, the new record is more synth-based than rock influenced. To say that the crowd energy was high is putting it lightly. People were amped up beyond belief, excited for one of the all-time great synth-based groups to cast their spell over them. Everyone I encountered was incredibly friendly and outgoing, excited for each song, and usually knowledgeable enough to recognize them off the first synth lines. Helen Marnie, the principal front-woman of the group’s enigmatic presence, is truly a sight to behold. She maintains an almost ethereal presence that makes one wonder if she’s truly right there in front of them before suddenly, with a subtle lean forward, she is unmistakably powerful.
One of the things I adore about the analog full-band approach is the fullness that the songs take on with the simple addition of a live drum kit performed by Peter Kelly. Songs like “Faces” and “Ghosts” take on a voluminous rock and roll quality that the electronic heavy soundscapes on the albums lack. No matter how well we might know the songs from listening to them over and over, it’s like we’re hearing them for the first time. There’s a tinge of sorrow knowing that Reuben Wu is no longer part of the group, but that didn’t have a negative effect on the group or the audience. Despite that this is ostensibly a tour for a new album, we were treated to quite a few oldies from 604 and Light and Magic, including Mira Aroyo lead “True Mathematics,” as well as Marnie’s “Play Girl” and “Discotraxx” which gained a whole breath of life that can only be attributed to the band’s 24 years of growth and experience. Afterward, I just felt myself craving more and more, so here’s to as many more years as possible from one of the coolest damn bands alive.
