Ladytron’s latest album “Velocifero” will almost certainly make my year-end best album list in a year with many viable contenders. Ladytron played a show at Terminal 5 in New York last June and have greatly increased the stage production from previous tours. They had a large red-light LED backdrop that perfectly emphasized the detached synth wave that Ladytron so expertly tread.
Since I seldom see arena bands, I seldom get to see a band with a an elaborate stage or light show and really appreciate it when a band that I do like have the means and desire to kick the live production value up a couple of notches. I have to say that Ladytron nailed it on this one. Be sure to check Ladytron out if they swing through your town.
[audio: http://thesoundofindie.com/archive/2008/20080807/Ladytron-Runaway.mp3|titles=Runaway (Live)|artists=Ladytron]
Download: Ladytron – Runaway (Live)
I saw the show this year in Austin, and although the set and lights were rather good, the sound was mixed so horribly, that my wife and I actually left early. This was especially frustrating for my wife, since she didn’t get to go to the show for the previous tour, for which the sound was impeccable. Both shows were played at the same venue, so I’m not sure what the difference was, whether it was equipment, or staff. On this show, the sound was cranked up so loud, especially on the bass, that the entire show sounded like mud, with the vocals buried to the point of complete unintelligibility. There was no distinction between any of the instruments, and everything was such a mess that we couldn’t even recognize some of the songs for long periods of time.
Once we left, we found the sound was much better about 3 blocks away, so maybe that where the sound guy was.
I skipped their show here this time. I had seen them 3 times in the last couple of years, the most recent was about 7 months ago. They had the same set and nearly identical set list each time. Glad to hear they changed it up a bit. That’s a serious bummer about the Austin show though.