Posts

Showing posts from March, 2014

Synthesisers, Swimming and Catsuits- An Interview With Ladytron Singer Helen Marnie

Image
Helen Marnie might have made her name as the singer for the internationally acclaimed synth-pop band Ladytron, but in June 2012 she released a solo album, Crystal World, through Pledge Music. The album confounded expectation and quickly cultivated a passionate and devoted following, with many (including The VPME and Polari) giving it flawless reviews. In contrast to her work in Ladytron work it’s an album in which nature constantly pulses and throbs. In it Marnie undertakes a set of startlingly emotional journeys, drawing what some have described as ‘a map of the heart’- quite an achievement for such a pristine electro record. I caught up with Helen to try and dig a little deeper into the record, in a conversation that took in everything from the Piscean gift for swimming to her striking choice of outfit for the video to ‘The Hunter’.   In previous interviews you’ve talked about the state of transition you were in when you wrote ‘Crystal World’. Did writing the album help to

Academic article in current issue of Punk & Post-Punk

Image
I'm honoured to have an article in the current issue of the academic journal 'Punk & Post-Punk'. It's entitled 'I Can't Seem To Stay A Fixed Ideal: Self-Design & Self-Harm in Subcultures.' The piece looks at musical subcultures such as post-punk, New Romantic and Riot Grrl, and in them considers where self-design ends and self-harm begins. It includes a case study of the Manic Street Preachers' guitarist Richey Edwards- http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Article,id=17259/