It’s been around six years since I last saw Ladytron, and was wowed by the effortless cool they expel from every stylish pore. Their music is at once hypnotic, yet prescient, a mixture of bold statement and subtle derision. Tonight they celebrate the release of Best of 00-10, and a new studio album called Gravity the Seducer is due for release in September. They’re working hard, then, and it’s clear that the new material is giving them a new breath of life.
It’s not so much that their performance is lacklustre, as this is trademark Ladytron, but it’s the new material which is unmistakably driving them on. But before this, they confidently pulse through ‘Runaway’, telling us it’s “nice to be back in Glasgow” (cue crowd cheer); they glide through ‘High Rise’, the bass so thick it’s clotted; and the quality of each track reminds us why a wee purchase of the ‘best of’ might follow this set. ‘International Dateline’ is brooding and ghost-like, whilst ‘Soft Power’ has a childlike, Willy Wonka terror.
Their new material is intensely satisfying, reminiscent of Blondie, glam yet raw, and with a thumping determination: the robots abandon their programming and all hell breaks loose. It’s a tight and teasing set, and promises great things on their new release.