LADYTRON + OLYMPIC LIFTS
London Kings Cross The Scala 14th November 2001
This is the biggest London show yet for Olympic Lifts, and due to the varied line-up (Le Hammond Inferno and Andy Weatherall are DJing) and the Ladytron hype in the London media it's also well sold out. People seem to be catching on to them gradually over here, although the uber-cool Ladytron types seem very puzzled by it all. For those of you who still haven't heard them Olympic Lifts are five guys playing a sort of white breakbeat/ hip-hop/ indie crossover. Oh yeah, and three of them used to be in Tunic, although there is little similarity with their old band. In fact, it isn't until they play Brian's song which ends with the two-man drum bit that they even hint at their past life. Nowadays, it's mostly Beasties style vocal sparring mixed in with funky beats and a sense of humour. They have some good tunes too, and there are one or two potentially big singles in the set which I wouldn't be surprised if you all heard a lot more of them when the debut album appears on Bungalow in the Spring. They have potential to be better live too, and I think they have been done a disservice by not having the full whack of the Scala's mighty PA behind them.
This is made clear by Ladytron's dynamic entrance. Everything is cranked up a few notches and the bass parts actually make my hair move! But yeah, what an entrance! They come on to a backing tape of 'Forever Autumn' (is it from War of the Worlds?) and launch into their opening tune against a backdrop of the movie Logans' Run. The Scala is one of those venues that allows bands can really put on an impressive visual show as it used to be a cinema and Ladytron are the latest in a long line (Broadcast, GYBE) to work it to their advantage. For a band that consists solely of four analog synth operators they take their visual presentation seriously. The same could also be said for their audience as they are also impressively turned out (and consequently as stiff as planks of wood and responsible for a bit of a sterile atmosphere at times - no offence!)
I'm no expert on Ladytron's music, but I must admit that I was blown away by their mix of retro analog sounds (parts of it are VERY Cabaret Voltaire and Kraftwerk) and breakbeats. I was worried that they would come across as a retro music, but there's too much input from modern dance music for that to be the case. 'Playgirl' is the classic example, a brilliant pop song which hints at both Visage and St Etienne. 'He Took Her to a Movie' is a blatant steal from Kraftwerk (The Model) but it's also a good song in it's own right. The retro argument is purely based around the equipment they're using, but how often has the electric guitar been around? Tonight at least, Ladytron seem an important part of 2001. (and no, they sound nothing like Roxy Music!)