On Saturday night I spoke with Van She and Van She Tech’s Michael Di Francesco on the old telephone line, and below are the transcribed results from that discussion. There’s a lot of juicy stuff revealed during our chat, including a scoop (!!!) on the UK release of the album; there’s something different being added, a tentative release time-frame for album number 2 (which they’re currently working on), but also, a lot of uncovered stuff regarding the bands remix project, Van She Tech. Are the remixes labeled Van She Remix and not Van She Tech Remix labelled incorrectly? Is it true Van She Tech were going to change their name to Arithmatix!? Are there actually 2 girls involved in the Van She Tech project or not? Were the boys even supposed to be publicly credited for their work on Rhys‘ debut single “Hot Summer”? Are they possibly heading out on tour with a certain cat-and-dog-loving (hem hem) Ladyhawke?

All is revealed below.

If you end up reporting any of this on your website/blog/whatever, please credit back to this interview. Cheers, and hope you enjoy.

Hello…
Adem!

Hey man, how are you today?
Today I’m good. I’ve spent all day in the QANTAS lounge in Adelaide [airport] this morning, then to Sydney for a couple of hours, and now we’re in Canberra.

Oh my.
Yeah, we played a Nova showcase last night in Adelaide and tonight we’re DJing in Canberra.

Always busy, you boys. So, I’m going to ask the question I’ve had people demand I ask you right off the top of the interview; are you guys working on new material for album number 2 yet or not?
Yes. We’ve started, it’s funny coz we’ve got a timeline happening, and a lot of this year is devoted to writing, the later half of the year recording, and hopefully release early next year.

Ah hurrah! So the good folk reading at home aren’t going to have to wait as long this time around?
Nope, no, nowhere near as long. And at the moment we’re doing a, kind of special party mix version of the [first] album. Which has the techno. We’re remixing a lot of the tracks.

Hey that’s cool.
Yeah. So you’re the first person who knows that, no one knows that yet. I’m not even sure I’m meant to tell you, but I’ve told you so (laughs), it’s a scoop! It’s for the overseas release, in conjunction with the album there’ll also be the remix album. But we’re not remixing all of the tracks.

Oh so just a few of them?
Yeah about five or six, something like that.

In regards to that first album, was it a little bit frustrating, having to push the album release date back so many times?
Um, yeah, yes and no, but once it’s out you just kind of forget about all of that. At the time it’s frustrating but these things happen for a reason, and it has to fit in with schedules.

You’ve had really positive feedback from UK radio for “Cat & The Eye” – the albums finally getting a release this year over there, yes?
That’s correct. And we’re maybe going over there later in the year to do a tour with Ladyhawke.

Oh brilliant.
Yep, all in between recording and writing. Which we’re all very excited about. And last night we did this gig and we were all, oh, we need to start playing new material. I mean, we’ve been playing the same songs for so long, what a lot of people don’t realise is that, even before a lot of those songs came out and were released on the album, we were playing them. Because we only really had four songs that people knew. So we started playing the newer tracks to keep with a 45 minutes set (laughs). And we’re kind of known for finishing a set in less than that time (laughs again), we have a habit of finishing quicker than we’re supposed to for that exact reason.

This is all incredibly exciting.
Yeah absolutely, and yeah, wait, what was the question again?

(Rapturous Laughter prevents me from repeating the question)
(Rapturous Laughter) Ahh yes, the UK release. Yeah, we’re very happy about that (laughs again.)

So over the last 12 months the band were virtually living out of suitcases, moreso than usual. Show after show, flight after flight… is it easy to lose the motivation or the will to perform at any point?
Ahhh, yeah, definitely it is (laughs). It’s more the situations and, the things that are happening around you that can affect and influence your motivation. Along with tiredness. I mean, there’s nothing worse than getting up in an aeroplane, and not having breathed a breath of fresh air for however many hours, then having to go straight to a soundcheck and then go straight to dinner. I mean, it’s fun, and we’re doing what we love, but at the end of the day it’s still work, and we are serious about it. You have a duty to perform and to do your best, so even if you have had a shit day you have to pull it out.

Do you think, in our current music climate, that the touring is just as important as the CD releases?
I dare to say No. With the climate as it is you can be in multiple places at once with the Internet, but at the same time… I don’t know, there are many sides to that argument, but I really think we all don’t want to do a show unless it’s worth it.

I wanted to clear something up about the remixes you guys do… Now, if any remixes are titled as ‘Van She Remix’ rather than ‘Van She Tech Remix’, is it safe to say they’ve just been incorrectly labeled?
Yeah yeah. But, we’ve been kind of been pushing the more ‘Van She’, either or, it’s kind of up to whoever’s commissioning the works discretion. It happens all the time, we get a remix request for a Van She Remix or a Van She Tech Remix, it really makes no difference to the process. If anything it’s better, because it’s more focused on the band.

So that’s still just yourself and Nick doing the remixes?
Yep, yep.

Do you pay much attention about what’s written about you guys on the internet?
There have been a couple of times when I’ve been bored, and I’ve gone on to read stuff, but I just find myself getting… angry (laughs). I dunno, occasionally I’ll get on, and everyone has an opinion and everyone is tough. I don’t really take it too much to heart, but it is what it is.

There’s a group of people online who seem to think the Van She Tech remixes are better than the Van She originals… has that ever worried you at all?
Um… I haven’t read any of that stuff. Does that upset me?

Yeah.
Um… no, it just kind of reaffirms how we perceive what we are doing, and how we kind of… I think that the way the album is, it’s a knee-jerk reaction to the remixes. We kind of felt we were doing all this techno, and we felt that the band needs to be… bandy. Or Indie. It’s like… chasing the Indie dream. We’re all comfortable with electronic music and techno, and I think that the next album will incorporate more of that in what we do. Nah, it doesn’t really [upset me]. I still think the songs are good whether they have a disco beat behind it or not (laughs). I mean, if we didn’t think any of the songs weren’t good, we wouldn’t have put them on the record. Obviously some people like the techno more than they like the band, and others like the band more, or other people have no idea about the band or the techno. I think it probably can get quite confusing for people (laughs), but we enjoy doing both. But that’s another reason why we’re doing the remix package for overseas, so that people don’t get confused.

What has stood out for you as the best remix you guys have done?
It’s funny, one of my favourite ones is the Dragonette dub, I’m not even sure if it’s out, or sure if it was included on the release of that track…

It’s on the promo CD for the single…
Oh okay. Well, we sent off the original remix, and then got a message back asking if we could do a dub, without the vocals. So, anyway, in a couple of hours we just did a completely different track with a little bit of vocal in it and it ended up being so much cooler, we kinda wished we had’ve made that the remix. That’s probably my favourite one, and the other favourite is probably the Klaxons. Whenever I hear that I get goosebumps.

Well, it’s probably your benchmark classic.
Well, when we did that we didn’t like it, we weren’t sure about it and didn’t think it was very good. We were really doubting it, but it just got to the point where we had to finish it and put it in. It kind of worked out well. And I also like the I Am Finn one. What’s your favourite Adem?

Um, the I Am Finn one, Martina Topley-Bird and the Klaxons one.
Ah nice.

Are there any that you think, shit, that could have been a lot better than it was?
Remixes? Hell yeah! All of them (laughs)! I think we’re pretty, you know, we’re always trying to get better and want to get better, you never stop learning. So, I think, there are always things… nothing’s ever finished, and if it weren’t for the deadline things probably wouldn’t get finished. And a lot of things aren’t ever finished for that exact reason. When you create something you have to get to a point where you say ‘that’s finished, that’s enough.’ You don’t just keep working on it forever and ever and ever. Or, you’ll just stop on it all together because you just lose respect for it. You become scared of completion. But, one that particularly could have been better? There is one, that wasn’t that great. The Pendulum one. I actually don’t think I even have a copy of it on my computer… but yeah, it’s pretty deep, kind of cool, but then at the end it just goes… (laughs). We could’ve done that a bit better.

And still on Van She Tech, quite some time ago I remember reading there were two females involved in the project; gospel or gossip?
Total gossip, yep. When we were doing the Nevereverland shows in Australia, the guys from, ah shit, complete mental blank! I can’t even remember the name of the band (guffaws)! They’re from Germany…

Whitest Boy Alive?
It was! Yes, thank you! Well, they were under the impression that Van She Tech were Van She’s technicians, like, our equipment people, that did remixes for the band (laughs).

Oh! (Laughter)
Yeah, I don’t know how they got that idea (laughs). But there have been times when we’ve been DJing and people will come up to us saying ‘I thought there was supposed to be two girls’. It’s just a joke, (laughs) just to throw people off. And it works!

Like the incredibly false story about how you guys met during an audition for a rock group citing Sepultura and Phil Collins as influences?
(Laughs) Yeah, yeah same kind of thing!

Something that popped up last year was your DJing alter-ego Arithmatix! Several comments written on different music blogs had reported that Van She Tech were going to switch over to the Arithmatix! name; Gospel or Gossip?
Ah, yes yes yes, it’s funny, that name was actually conceived by my girlfriend, and we were going to change the name from Van She Tech to Arithmatix! The Utah Saints remix was actually going to be Van She Tech featuring Arithmatix! to introduce it. But at the last minute we decided that maybe we shouldn’t. And so, I just took the name because, well, my girlfriend (laughs), and I needed a name to DJ and do other projects under so, just another alias. But yeah, we were going to switch it over.

Do you think there’ll be any releases or remixes under the Arithmatix! banner somewhere down the line?
Oh yeah definitely, yep. Finding time is the hard thing.

Well you’ve got lots on!
(Laughs) Indeed.

Speaking of remixes, what happened to the Kelly re-release?
Um, that’s a really good question. I don’t know (laughs). I don’t really think it did what they were hoping it would do. When I say they, I mean the record company and our management at the time.

Yourself and Nicky have just done some work with So You Think You Can Dance’s Rhys on his cover of the Monrose track “Hot Summer.” How was that?
Um, interesting. Interesting. It’s one of those classic scenarios where someone asks you for something, you agree to something… (long pause). No one was supposed to know it was us, it was supposed to be under a different name and we were production work for hire. Of course, they put Van She Tech next to it…

In big bold letters, splattered all over the press release!
Yep! To try and drum up some interest and, unfortunately, it didn’t work.

(Laughter)
(Laughs) But I don’t know what’s happening with that. We’re supposed to be doing another one, we’ve given them the instrumental track but haven’t heard anything. That’s just the extra curricular work. He’s a lovely guy though, and he’s a fantastic dancer and a great singer so, but we haven’t heard from them in a couple of weeks. Thank you for reminding me, I need to call them…

(Laughter) No worries!
(Laughs) But it was cool to do some pop and to do some American sounding stuff. We really enjoyed the process and really enjoyed working with Rhys, definitely.

What do you think of the original Monrose track?
Yeah, I like it. It’s not something that I’d buy, but it is a good track.

Are you guys interested in producing for other artists in the future?
Oh yeah, if it’s the right artist and the conditions are good and if there’s time. I mean it’s fun, it’s good to work with other people.

So what’s left to do in 2009?
Well we’ve gotta do these party mixes, which have to be handed in in less than 2 weeks time, which we’re freaking over because, with me living in Melbourne and Nick living in Sydney, it makes getting together a whole lot difficult. Then we’re just going to get stuck into writing and recording demos. The odd show here and there, we’ve got Bacardi Train coming and Roxanne’s in Melbourne. We’re going to Japan in a couple of weeks, just for three or four days. But yeah, it’s going to be fantastic to be home for the majority of the year.

Good, I’m very happy you’ll be home more too.
Yeah, coz last year, like you said, living out of suitcases… (laughs).

Thanks heaps mate for chatting with me today, much appreciated.
Ah no worries Adem. Thanks dude.

Catch you later…
Ciao, bye!

Van She Tech DJ at Geelong’s Club 4Play on Thursday, March 5, with doors opening at 9:30pm. Van She the band take to the stage at Melbourne’s Roxanne Parlour, Friday March 20, with doors opening at 8:00pm. For further details on Van She’s touring schedule across Australia and Japan over the next month, head over to their MySpazz.

The clip for the next Ladyhawke single “My Delirium.”

Amazing.

In case you missed it, here’s my review of Ladyhawke’s stunning debut album from last month.

Fucking hell. Have you seen the first round (!!) line up for the Australian leg of Modular’s Nevereverland party?

Klaxons
Hercules & Love Affair
Van She
Ladyhawke
The Presets
Cut Copy
Whitest Boy Alive
The Bumblebeez
Muscles
Tame Impala
The Bang Gang Deejays
AJAX
The Lost Valentinos
Mission Control
Temper Trap
Canyons
Pepperoni
Andee Van Damage 

And again; Fucking hell. Is that probably the best line-up for a festival all year? How am I going to cope with so many of my favourite artists playing on the one bill? Seeing as she’s signed to Modular in Australia, will Robyn be a last minute addition? Could someone please make the latter happen?

Whilst I’m on the topic of all things Modular, some interesting news on Muscles has cropped up this weekend. He’s ditching his MySpazz account and urging fans to sign up to his official newsletter should they want updates on what’s going on with his new single and album project. Go to his bit on teh interwebs and sign up to “Muscles Mail” to stay in the loop.

When are Girls Aloud going to be signed to Modular?

LADYHAWKE
Ladyhawke
(MODULAR) A+

After just one listen to songs like Back Of The Van and Paris Is Burning, it’s obvious that the synths and guitar licks of the 80’s have played an integral part in the formation of Ladyhawke’s sound. Yet, it’s the way that New Zealand-born Pip Brown reinvents these inspirations that give her debut, self-titled long player a seriously modern feel. It could have very easily been a record filled with rock-and-roll homages. Instead, Brown takes the little pieces of musical history that have left a mark on her and steamrolls them into her own territory. More importantly, Brown’s lyrics come across as ones being penned by a helpless disco romantic; she coos and strums her way through lyrics of love and its losses, all whilst the infectious basslines, spiky synths and guitar riffs add colourful layers onto her already stunning libretto.

Magic dramatically opens things by borrowing elements of sound from Giorgio Moroder’s The Chase, combined with a stirling chorus of “I’ve left my heart to you but it’s not fair / One journey for you but it’s worth it, one life here with me and it’s magic.” Manipulating Woman bares somewhat of a resemblance to Cyndi Lauper’s sometimes forgotten about classic The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough, whilst retaining a Roxette flavour come chorus time. It’s upfront and very satisfying; Brown also sounds like she has a lot of fun with it.  With its Kids In America styled intro, My Delirium is an enthralling, pulsating monster of a concoction which throws together Pat Benatar’s All Fired Up with vintage Madonna. The lyrics are tragically stunning; “Hey, you’re playing with my delirium, and the more that I wait the more that I’m gonna fall. Stop, playing with my delirium. Coz I’m outa my head and out of my self control.” Brown’s penmanship strikes an even sharper chord into your heart with the urgency in her delivery of the line “I won’t eat and I won’t sleep for you/no rest till I get through/am I the only one that’s insane?” Laying the essence and torture of an unrequited love bare naked on the table, this is an absolute pearler. A potential single that was co-written by Hannah Robinson.

Better Than Sunday continues Brown’s theme of meticulously crafted lyrics. “I can’t walk the line, I can’t see the time, I’m falling out of view, I’m sinking into you/I’m leaving Monday, it’s better than Sunday/I’m feeling younger, it’s better than wiser.” This is the real, bonafide and unashamed big pop moment on the record as well that has potential single written all over it. Probably the best track on here. Another Runaway is ridiculously charming, with its Bugles-loving (thanks Jess!) riff dominating through the track, giving it a deceivingly chirpy lining. Love Don’t Live Here is another of those gorgeously crafted heartbreaker songs: “Love don’t live here anymore, lonely hearts are always wanting more, but only parts of mine were so unsure/bleeding hearts have always known no law, but love don’t live here anymore.” And then there’s that stunning middle-8 which – quite magically – appears again in truly epic proportions for the songs final 50 seconds, which only match the beauty of those final 30 seconds of The Presets‘ This Boy’s In Love. Both of these tracks come complete with a sharp, biting and immediately memorable almost-talky-bit closing the deal.

Back Of The Van, produced by Van She’s keyboarding (not in a WPM sense) genius Michael Di Francesco, is Pip’s BIG Stevie Nicks moment. Some may say the chorus is repetitive, but the desperate pleas; shouting “you set me on fire” over and over again serve their most forceful purpose only by their repetition. One of the best singles of the year that comes complete with a darling middle-8.  Follow up single Paris Is Burning then appears, detailing a night of mayhem through the mysterious streets of Paris by night; the city of love. “My heart is yearning/but Paris is burning” sings Brown, almost as if to say that, whilst Paris screams for her, she has to deal with the fact that there is no time for matters of the heart. Mayhem and debauchery have other plans in sight. Oh, and how explosive is that off-the-hook middle-8 and the ending that follows?

Professional Suicide is only one of two moments on the record not to deal with some sort of love theme. Brilliantly, it gives the record a much needed injection of darkness, especially with its rocky, Courtney Love-inspired guitar riffs. It delivers a truly sinister and exciting moment on the record, complete with the cheeky lyric “I see you had a hit in ‘89, too bad we don’t all age as good as wine.” Brilliant! Current single Dusk Till Dawn disguises itself as a shadows-in-the-dark Kim Carnes Crazy In The Night-esque pop song, but lyrics like “I hear footsteps in the dark when, you hijack my heart” certainly allude to something else ‘underneath the surface’, wouldn’t you agree? I just love the way she says “dawn” in the chorus too; it’s so endearing, and for that reason alone, this was the perfect choice for single number three. It’s clever, cute, and intensely accessible. Another Hannah Robinson co-write.

The energy notch is brought down a few levels for closers Crazy World and Morning Dreams, with their ethereal like approach to glittering rock and electronic balladry respectively. Lots of luscious blips and blops going on here.

When I played the record to my best friend Ben last week, he – stunned at its brilliance – told me “it’s like the album I’ve been waiting all my life for.” Production wise, this is remarkably sharp. It’s as relevant and thorough as the written word on offer.  And the lyrics; oh, those lyrics! Put to paper like a true disco romantic, a phrase I keep mentioning in this review. I completely get these songs. I get lost in the lyrics. I understand almost violently what Brown sings in each and every single lyric across the record; I’ve felt that, my heart has felt all of that at one time or another. It’s easy to associate so many of her preciously crafted words to something in your life because they harbour so much feeling. They’re real, they’re vulnerable. Just like us. And that’s why having disco romantics like Ladyhawke and, for that matter, Dan from Cut Copy, placing their heart-filled musical visions out there for the world to absorb, is such an important and vital thing to have in pop music right now.

Ladyhawke’s debut album is more than just a brilliant collection of songs. It’s the worlds introduction to an alarmingly passionate lyricist whose words double as poignant poetry dealing with matters of the heart.

UPDATE: XOlondon has gone from feeling ‘meh’ about Ladyhawke to absolutely loving her. Read.

Ladyhawke is released this Saturday, the 20th of September in Australia. Pre-order your copy on iTunes (digital) or JB-HiFi (physical) by clicking either link. For info on global release dates, visit Ladyhawke’s MySpazz page, or the legendary Modular Mod-Blog.

Oh dear!

http://www.modularpeople.com/blog/?p=270

Seems the inevitable has happened and I’ve suffered a Van She related Identity Crisis courtesy of the Modular Records Blog.  I am now known as “Avid Van She Fan.”  In the words of Katie Ting Tings, “That’s not my name! That’s not my name! That’s not my name! That’s not my… name!”

I’ve got some more Van She related stuff coming up.  You’re probably all sick of it by now but I Do Not Give A Fucking Shit You See, so there.  And speaking of The Ting Tings, I’m heading off to a special showcase of theirs this weekend in Melbourne so I’ll have a full report early next week on how that went.

As promised, the night which would eventually seal my fate as “Avid Van She Fan” (should I change my ocupation from ‘Music Journalist’ to ‘Avid Van She Fan’ now?) was reviewed for Forte Magazine by myself and, aside from a few “web-only” inclusions, here it is in full, as printed last issue in the mag…

–

CLUB MOD TOUR
Friday August 15th @ The Prince Bandroom

When Modular put on a party, they certainly know how to entice with a killer line-up. Latest label signing Tame Impala joined New Zealand born, once Australian based, and current British citizen Ladyhawke, and Modular’s current golden boys, Sydney’s Van She, for a night of mayhem and musical chicanery. Put all of that together with DJs Andee Frost, Ooh-EE, Generik and Nick Foley, and you have a sure-fire strong concept which is obviously going to pack out the halls of the Prince Bandroom.

Playing to a moderate crowd, Tame Impala opened with a strong set of psychedelic and earthy rock songs which set themselves aside from most of the music found within their labels roster, proving just how much Modular need a band like Tame Impala on board right now, especially now that the boring Wolfmother have become even more so and have virtually disbanded. But unlike the faux-Zeppelin Wolfmother, Tame Impala give listeners something unique, fresh and add a brightness to their dark splashings of hippy-rock. Some unfortunate sound issues prevented the majority of the crowd from actually hearing much of the vocals, but musically speaking, the three young boys were on fire, particularly drummer Jay Watson who was a bit of a madman on the kit. The sets pearler moment was their geniusly reconstructed cover of Blueboy’s dance hit “Remember Me” from several years ago. There was also the case of walking on stage bare-foot and, being a big fan of shoes and the people that wear them, I found it a little distressing, but not enough to take away the focus from the music on offer.

Ladyhawke (known to her mother as Pip Brown) in her first Melbourne performance took to the stage looking somewhat nervous. Entering without any real artificial build up, Brown walked up to the microphone and casually announced, with a wave and a nervous smile; “Hi, I’m Ladyhawke. Thanks for coming.” At this point, I was already in love. Opening with “Professional Suicide,” “Manipulating Woman” and next single “Dusk Till Dawn,” Pip finally began to take full control of her stage presence and confidence by the time “Magic” and “Love Don’t Live Here” came into play. Of course, the electric pop star we’d all hoped and prayed for in Ladyhawke really shone through with singles “Back Of The Van” and “Paris Is Burning,” with Brown – in places – looking a little surprised so many people knew the lyrics. Closing the set with “My Delirium” (think vintage 1980’s Madonna meets the dancehall days of rock and pop) was a truly fine way to cap off an exhilarating set. Believe the hype kids; this woman is the real deal. You can check out my pictures and the semi-review of this very set that appeared on the website a few weeks ago by clicking here.

Van She closed the night with what I’ve come to call their ‘after dark’ set. Things are usually quite layed back (yet still electric) for the boys when they take the stages of a festival or a show when the sun’s still out, but put them on as the moon rises and the blackness surrounds; it’s like releasing the rock-vampires within. Opening with the monster choon “The Sea,” vocalist Nick rollicked around the stage, flapping his microphone stand about in true rock-star mode and swinging the mike in the air, all whilst all-round fucking legend Tomek Archer proved why he is a force to be reckoned with in the world of drumming (and probably the countries best, mind,) and Michael Di Francesco lit up the stage with his geniusly placed and constructed synths. A true highlight was when bassist Matt Van Schie took reign of vocals for the rocky-as-hell “It Could Be The Same,” which delivers a delicious bassline and a sexy, demonic delivery come chorus. As spellbounding live as it is on record. Closing with assured crowd pleaser “Kelly” capped off an evening of great music and killer stage presence in fine form.

However, my comments on the crowd are not so positive.

At one point, during Ladyhawke’s set, three punters were throwing tic-tac’s at her and laughing. During Van She’s set, there were a group of guys shouting at the band and sticking their fingers up at them. More of this kind of behaviour which I had not experienced at a Van She gig before continued through the night. All this combined with the rather bizarre vibe made for a somewhat uncomfortable crowd experience. Half the people there were good people; inside for the love and the passion for the music and to have a good time. The other half? Posers who had been told to attend due to the cool factor, or heard about it through a trend-dictatorship of some kind. Fuck off I say, we do not want you here! It does beg the question of whether these idiots really only attend an event on coolness hearsay, because I really wish they’d crawl back to the botanical gardens with their goon bags where they bloody belong and leave those of us with an actual interest to see live music be in peace.

A smashing night though, one that could have been even better without the posers, and if Tame Impala had worn some shoes…

You can view photos I took from the gig here.

As promised, it is time to start worshipping Our Lady of the Hawke at the altar of pops holy church.  After seeing her live on Friday night at the Club Mod Tour, I’m even more sold than I already was of her brilliance.  Even though she started off a little shaky on stage…  

A drum kit. Not Ladyhawke.

Walking onto the stage without any on-stage fanfare, donning a Patti Smith t-shirt (HAWT!), Ladyhawke and her band moseyed on with the pop star acknowledging the crowd with a wave, and the announcement on the microphone that she was indeed Ladyhawke.  It was all really quite adorable. Opening with the ace “Professional Suicide,” the Hawke put her head to the ground and looked a little nervous.  First performance in Australia nerves, perhaps?  Either way, things soon picked up as she found the beast within and put that pop star we’re all aware is inside of her on display.

“Manipulating Woman” (which sounds a LOT like The Police) and upcoming single “Dusk Till Dawn” are fine examples of her 80’s homaging pop ways, and sounded spectacular live.  “Magic” and “Love Don’t Live Here” followed, before we were treated to singles “Back Of The Van” and “Paris Is Burning.”  By this point, Ladyhawke had all her confidence in hand and was rollicking about the stage on her guitar, pouncing away on her keyboard like an absolute star.  It was a sight for sore eyes.

The real pearler of the evening was “My Delirium,” a track which sounds like vintage Madonna can you believe, and was co-written by Hannah Robinson, she of such IMMENSE pop hits like “Some Girls” by La Rachel Stevens and a shitload of other classics.  Amazing.  If this isn’t the next single, there is actually no justice in the world at all.

Whilst the live performance started off a little uncertain, Miss Hawke totally redeemed herself before mid-point and rocked out a thoroughly enjoyable set.  A couple of my friends thought she was miming, but I was up the front and they weren’t. I saw no evidence of this, not that it would matter anyway because all good pop stars mime at some point in their careers.  Anyway, they can’t see without their glasses so they’re most definitely wrong.

I was lucky enough to chat with Ladyhawke after the show and she was incredibly sweet, very lovely and, quite frankly, gorgeous.  What a future icon in the making.

Her latest video clip, “Dusk Till Dawn,” is all over the interwebs now and is absolutely the front-runner for my video clip of the year.  It is rather magnificent; song, video, the t-shirts, the masks, the Ladyhawke.  Le Magnifique!

If you get a chance to catch her live, do so, especially if you’re in or around the Gold Coast on Friday for her last Aussie show.  She’s about to embark on a UK headline tour so, for all my British friends, you can see if she’s playing near you by clicking here.  She’ll also be heading up the US of A and hitting Europe as well, same link for dates et cetera.  Her self-titled debut album is released September the 20th here in Oz, the 22nd in NZ and also in the UK and Europe.  Click the country link to pre-order your copy.

Tomorrow, I’ll review the other two performances at the Club Mod Tour: Van She (because I just don’t talk about them enough on here already do I?) and Tame Impala.  Full pictures from the gig are over here on my Faceplace page, and a proper, non-fan-boy-style review of the event will appear in next Thursday’s Forte Magazine if you’re at all interested.

Here is an Incredible Picture of Ladyhawke.

WHAT DID I TELL YOU?  Bloody Incredible.

Seriously Extreme Ladyhawke Appreciation Mania begins tomorrow folks.