Strobe Lights- Intro

INTRO

Stockholm is beautiful in September. The autumn sun is glowing, the leaves are falling- and goth-rock trio The Shadowseekers are acting all vampire, hiding indoors and huddled up in hoodies in varying shades of black (yes, it’s possible- you have to see it to believe it). Rucksacks and instrument cases are dumped in a dangerous-looking pile in the corner of the lobby. When a member of the road crew enquires in an undertone if they would mind awfully signing something for someone who’s just seen them and is a huge fan, etcetera, the response is an immediate, unified “Go away.” (Response somewhat ameliorated for publication.)
Slightly startled by the force of this response, the roadie goes his humble way.
Well, the band can be excused. They’ve barely had a minute to themselves, what with the daily commutes between studios, concert halls and hotels like this one, besides the obligatory bit of sightseeing- “Here’s where we went earlier,” says bright-eyed, bushy-tailed guitarist Christian Price, who has somehow managed to stay his usual effervescent self in the midst of this chaos and is now showing me the display of his camera. “Gamla Stan, the old town area... some of the streets are really picturesque.”
I murmur assent before initiating the ‘grilling’. Starting with an easy one- right now The Shadowseekers are embarking on the Scandinavian leg of their European tour, promoting their eagerly-awaited new album, ‘Strobe Lights’. Due to hit the record stores in just under a week, it’s been a year in the making- is it worth the wait?
“Definitely,” says singer and band frontman Alexander Lawrence (stage name the somewhat rockier Lex Maelstrom) without hesitation. “I’d actually go as far as to say that this is the best material we’ve produced to date.”
Lounging on a sofa in a black leather jacket, hair carefully styled so that his fringe fully covers one outlined eye, he looks every inch the rock sensation the reviews have made him out to be. Thousands of teenage girls would happily give their right arm to be sat where I am now, and when I tell him so he gives the characteristic low laugh which would have me swooning- if I was the swooning type. Then he is suddenly serious. “That’s actually the thing it took us the longest to get used to when all this started. The crazy, obsessive, screaming girls...”
It really has been a whirlwind ride for the Welsh trio. Their journey began in 2005, with the discovery of three talented thirteen-year-olds by world-renowned record label Neon Breeze Records’ talent scouts. Procuring a record deal in just under a month, life changed dramatically- instead of slogging away at Algebra, the three were venturing out into the unknown in a tourbus, hundreds of thousands of miles from home, sharing their energetic electro-punk with the world. Five years and three multi-million selling albums later (2008 effort ‘So Where Were We?’ actually made The Shadowseekers the youngest British act ever to achieve a platinum sale), they’re ready to take to the stage again with their darkest offering yet, the deceptively-titled ‘Strobe Lights’. So just what makes this record different?
My question provokes a brief exchange of looks between the musicians, and then suddenly they’re all talking at once. I focus my attentions on the only band member who hasn’t yet spoken, half-Norwegian drummer Ollie Bryans, who is tapping out a rhythm on the arm of the sofa. His silence, he assures me, is due to weariness rather than reticence. “I think we put a lot of ourselves into this record,” he says seriously.
“Yeah,” jibes Chris with a mischievous twinkle. “Toenails, bits of hair...”
Almost lazily, Lex hits him in the face with a tasselled hotel cushion. There is a brief scuffle; a couple of the staff at the reception desk look a little concerned. Eventually order is regained. Looking as though he would dearly like to laugh, but is afraid it will damage his dark and pensive façade, Ollie continues as though nothing has happened.
“It’s got a lot of sentiments- especially in the lyrics- which we hadn’t previously expressed. In that way it’s quite a new sound, quite a unique sound. It’s definitely darker and deeper- um-”
“Depressinger,” Chris supplies, attending to his rumpled hair.
“Yeah. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of our listeners, and hopefully convert a lot more to our cult.”
I consult my watch; my time is, unfortunately, short. But the interviewees seem to have revived somewhat under my interrogation. Conversation flits easily between topics- including, bizarrely, Ollie’s showering habits- and ends in helpless laughter.
All in all, The Shadowseekers are exactly how you’d expect them to be- three teenagers adjusted to the fame game, ready to embrace every experience it has to offer them. And I for one am prepared to wish them the best of luck.
//‘STROBE LIGHTS’ UK EDITION 10.08.2010 FROM NEON BREEZE RECORDS//