Klaxons
Encyclopedia
Klaxons are a British indie rock
band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles
on different independent record label
s, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick
" and "Golden Skans
", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future
on 29 January 2007. The album won the 2007 Nationwide Mercury Prize
. After playing festivals and headlining tours worldwide (including the NME Indie Rave Tour
) during late 2006–2007, the band started working on their follow-up album in July 2007. Klaxons' second album, Surfing the Void
, was released on 23 August 2010.
and Southampton
. He dropped out of studying philosophy
at Greenwich University
to work in a record shop, before moving to London after being made redundant
. Simon Taylor-Davis and James Righton grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon
, meeting at Stratford-upon-Avon High School
. The trio formed in New Cross
, London, after meeting through Reynolds' girlfriend. Righton had been working as a teacher at the time.
James taught Simon how to play guitar, and with Reynolds' redundancy money they purchased a studio kit. They recorded and performed live under their early guise of "Klaxons (Not Centaurs)", a quote from Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
's futurism
text The Futurist Manifesto. Initially the band played with drummer Finnigan Kidd in 2005, until Kidd left to play with fellow New Cross band, Hatcham Social
. Replacement live drummer Steffan Halperin joined in February 2006, with the band announcing him as an official member in an interview in Prefix Magazine in early 2007. He remains mostly absent from the band's music videos, appearing only in the early video "Atlantis to Interzone" and briefly in the 2007 re-release of "Gravity's Rainbow". Around this time, the band began playing under their new, shortened name of Klaxons.
" was released in March 2006 on Angular Records
. Only 500 copies were released; all were printed on a 7-inch vinyl
decorated by the band themselves. Radio 1
's Steve Lamacq
was the first DJ to play the band, and invited them to play a Maida Vale Studios
live session on the strength of the single. The band's second single, "Atlantis to Interzone
", was released on 12 June of the same year. It was their first release for independent record label
Merok Records, and led to further coverage in NME
magazine. The song enjoyed radio coverage from Zane Lowe
and daytime airings from Jo Whiley
, who repeatedly, and mistakenly, called the song "Atlantic To Interscope". Zane Lowe also wrongly credited the song as "Atlantis To Interscope". They released their first EP
, Xan Valleys
, on 17 October 2006. It was released on Australian record label Modular Recordings
, and contained their first two singles alongside various remix
es. The band played their first North American dates in New York's East Village
in October 2006.
The band signed to Polydor Records
in August 2006, following offers from numerous different record labels. Regarding the fee amount, James Righton said that it was "absurdly off the mark", and that the band signed for considerably less on the condition they would be given their own label imprint
, Rinse Records. Their first single for the label, "Magick", was released on 30 October 2006 and reached #29 in the UK Top 40
the following week.
In August 2006, Klaxons played at the Reading and Leeds
festivals. Fans sounded "Klaxons!" and cheered loudly between songs while brandishing glowsticks. This gave credit to the "New Rave
" label, coined by Angular Records'
founder Joe Daniel; later used by NME magazine to describe the scene. Also in August, the Klaxons performed an acoustic set in Ibiza Weekend for UK's BBC Radio 1
at Ibiza Rocks
festival with Zane Lowe.
The first single from their debut album, "Golden Skans
", was released on 22 January 2007. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart on download sales alone, two weeks before the official release of the CD. It climbed to #14 the next week, eventually peaking at #7 after the CD release. On 24 January Klaxons performed on the BBC Radio 1
Live Lounge
, performing "Golden Skans" and a cover version
of Justin Timberlake
's "My Love
". The band then released "It's Not Over Yet", a cover of a song originally by Grace. The track included the "My Love" cover as a B-side
, and peaked at #13 in the UK Singles Chart.
Their debut album, titled Myths of the Near Future
, was released on 29 January 2007. It entered the UK Album Charts at #2, behind Norah Jones
's album Not Too Late
. Percussion and drumming on the album was provided by the album's producer James Ford
, with live drummer Halperin recording on "Atlantis to Interzone".
On 1 October 2007, the band released A Bugged Out Mix, a double album featuring 27 tracks mixed by Reynolds.
Klaxons singled out a new song that has strong progressive rock
influences as a guide to one possible direction the album may go in, revealed recently NME magazine. Guitarist Simon Taylor said, "We wanna make something that's bigger and softer and louder and lo-fi and heavier produced - just lots of contradictions. I think it's gonna be like the last record but swollen. We've been listening to a lot of European prog music
, and dubstep
, and dance and folk. A huge broad variety of things really. There's one track we've been playing in soundcheck, it's this massive prog opus."
Klaxons performed with the singer Rihanna
on her song "Umbrella
" which had "Golden Skans" mixed into the background during the Brit Awards 2008 held in London
on 20 February 2008.
Klaxons won 'Best Album' at the 2008 NME Awards held at London
's IndigO2 Arena
on 28 February 2008. This followed having won 'Best New Band' the previous year. Klaxons also won 'Best International Album' and 'Best International Track' for "Golden Skans
" at the first American NME awards, which were held in Los Angeles, California
.
, dance
and folk music
. The band was featured on Steve Aoki
's debut album Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles
, contributing the Soulwax
remix of "Gravity's Rainbow
" for its release in January 2008. They made their live return with a series of gigs in Europe
and South America
during October 2008, debuting two new tracks, "Valley of the Calm Trees" and "Moonhead". In an interview with NME
magazine in November, the band confirmed they were heading to France to record with James Ford
, aiming to be completed by December for release in early 2009. The band made an appearance at Modular Records's NeverEverLand festival that toured around Australia in December 2008.
At the beginning of 2009, the band played a small club show at Madame Jojo's in London
, their first in the capital since the NME Big Gig the previous year. During the set, the band featured new songs "Imaginary Pleasures" and "In Silver Forest", together with the previously aired "Moonhead" and "Valley of the Calm Trees". In March 2009, it was reported that the band had been told to re-record parts of their second album, after it was rejected by label Polydor
. The Sun
newspaper confirmed that the label deemed it "too experimental" for release, with Reynolds stating that "...we've made a really dense, psychedelic record" and that "it isn't the right thing for us [the band]". In an interview with BBC News
, Reynolds revealed that "Moonhead" and new track "Marble Fields and the Hydrolight Head of Delusion" were "probably going to make it", and that they were working with "Simian Mobile Disco
production" during April–May 2009. Reynolds added that "Valley of the Calm Trees" had been retitled "The Parhelion", to reflect its lyrical content. James Ford. of Simian Mobile Disco confirmed working with the band later in the year, stating in an interview with Newsbeat
that they were "...trying to keep it melodic and vocal because that's one of their great strong points".
On May 22, 2009, the band announced a show at Coventry
's Kasbah nightclub, their only scheduled headline UK performance. The concert, to take place on 3 June, sparked rumours that the band may feature at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival
. The band supported Blur
at their comeback show at the Manchester Evening News Arena
on 26 June, before playing a surprise set at Glastonbury the following day. The set included further new songs "Hoodoo Bora", "Future Memory" and "Echoes". In addition to Glastonbury, the band featured at numerous other festivals including Bestival
, Ibiza Rocks
, and headlined the Croatian Hartera festival.
It was announced during November 2009 that the band were now working with producer Ross Robinson
, with Robinson confirming through his Twitter account. The band stated that work with Ford had gone astray, reaching difficulties with Ford acting as both producer and drummer. Klaxons broke from recording at the end of the year to perform at Get Loaded In the Dark at Brixton Academy on 31 December 2009, featuring alongside Chase & Status
and Annie Mac
. Recording was completed to the satisfaction of both band and label in February 2010. The following month, it was confirmed that the band would be playing Open'er Festival
in Poland as well as the Reading and Leeds Festivals
in the UK. They headlined the BBC Radio 1
/NME
Stage. Taylor-Davies suggested Reading and Leeds would be a UK-exclusive, saying, "I think in England it's just going to be Reading and Leeds, in terms of festivals, this summer".
On May 25, 2010, Zane Lowe
premiered the track "Flashover" on his BBC Radio 1 show, the band's first new material in three years. Even though the track was not released as a single it was available on the band's new album, titled Surfing the Void
. In support of the new album, the band announced an eight date tour of the UK and France, which took place during May–July 2010. For live performances, they were joined by Anthony Rossomando as a touring member.
Their second album Surfing the Void
was released on 23 August 2010, and includes the single "Echoes", which was released one week prior.
On December 25, 2010, the band released on their website a free EP of material that was worked on for the album in 2007-2008, entitled Landmarks of Lunacy.
HMV
describes Klaxons as "acid-rave sci-fi punk-funk", a phrase lifted directly from Tim Chester's Radar feature in NME
magazine, while their MySpace
page touts 'Psychedelic / Progressive / Pop'. However, they are one of the isolated acts being referred to as New Rave
. Though the band's sound is rock-based, they draw upon some less common influences - notably the rave
culture of the 1990s, represented in their covers
of rave hits "The Bouncer" by Kicks Like a Mule
and "Not Over Yet
" by Grace. Both tracks have since been released by the band, the first as part of a double a-side with "Gravity's Rainbow
" in March 2006 and the latter as a single on 25 June 2007 titled "It's Not Over Yet".
Despite Jamie Reynolds explaining New Rave as something that "started as an in-joke and became a minor youth subculture", the genre has been generally derided by critics, leading the band to claim they're not representative of the scene, contradicting their stance earlier in their career.
Former members
Current touring members
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
on different independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
s, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick
Magick (song)
"Magick" is a song released by London new rave band Klaxons on October 30, 2006. It reached #29 in the UK singles chart, released on November 5...
" and "Golden Skans
Golden Skans
"Golden Skans" is a song released by London band Klaxons on 22 January 2007. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart on download sales on 14 January and climbed to #14 the next week, eventually reaching #7 after the CD release...
", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future
Myths of the Near Future (album)
Klaxons' French label Because released "As Above, So Below" as a limited edition clear vinyl 12" in November 2007. The 12" features two versions of the track, a French language version and a remix by Justice....
on 29 January 2007. The album won the 2007 Nationwide Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
. After playing festivals and headlining tours worldwide (including the NME Indie Rave Tour
NME Tours
The NME Tours consist of a variety of tours organised by British music industry publication NME. Throughout the year, NME sponsors numerous tours of the United Kingdom by various up-and-coming and established bands in a variety of formats...
) during late 2006–2007, the band started working on their follow-up album in July 2007. Klaxons' second album, Surfing the Void
Surfing the Void
Surfing the Void is the second studio album by British indie rock band Klaxons, released on 23 August 2010 through Polydor Records. The album was produced by Ross Robinson, and was recorded in Los Angeles, California...
, was released on 23 August 2010.
Formation (2005–2006)
Jamie Reynolds grew up in BournemouthBournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
and Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. He dropped out of studying philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Greenwich University
University of Greenwich
The University of Greenwich is a British university located in the London Borough of Greenwich, London, England. The main campus is located on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, a central location within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.-History:The history of the...
to work in a record shop, before moving to London after being made redundant
Layoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...
. Simon Taylor-Davis and James Righton grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
, meeting at Stratford-upon-Avon High School
Stratford-upon-Avon High School
Stratford-upon-AvonSchool is a state school that educates girls and boys, 11-18 year olds, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The High School teaches Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5...
. The trio formed in New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
, London, after meeting through Reynolds' girlfriend. Righton had been working as a teacher at the time.
James taught Simon how to play guitar, and with Reynolds' redundancy money they purchased a studio kit. They recorded and performed live under their early guise of "Klaxons (Not Centaurs)", a quote from Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti was an Italian poet and editor, the founder of the Futurist movement, and a fascist ideologue.-Childhood and adolescence:...
's futurism
Futurism
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century.Futurism or futurist may refer to:* Afrofuturism, an African-American and African diaspora subculture* Cubo-Futurism* Ego-Futurism...
text The Futurist Manifesto. Initially the band played with drummer Finnigan Kidd in 2005, until Kidd left to play with fellow New Cross band, Hatcham Social
Hatcham Social
Hatcham Social are an English indie pop band who first met and formed in New Cross, London, and who have released a string of singles on indie labels since 2006, a debut album in 2009 and are currently active in a Pledge Campaign for the release of their second LP...
. Replacement live drummer Steffan Halperin joined in February 2006, with the band announcing him as an official member in an interview in Prefix Magazine in early 2007. He remains mostly absent from the band's music videos, appearing only in the early video "Atlantis to Interzone" and briefly in the 2007 re-release of "Gravity's Rainbow". Around this time, the band began playing under their new, shortened name of Klaxons.
Myths of the Near Future (2006–2008)
Klaxons' debut single, "Gravity's RainbowGravity's Rainbow (song)
"Gravity's Rainbow" is a song by British act Klaxons which appears on their album Myths of the Near Future. It is named after Thomas Pynchon's novel of the same name. The song was first released on Angular Records as a Double A-side with "The Bouncer" in March 2006 and was limited to 500 copies on...
" was released in March 2006 on Angular Records
Angular Recording Corporation
Angular Recording Corporation is an independent record label originally based in New Cross, South East London. Set up in June 2003 by two ex-Goldsmiths College students, Joe Daniel and Joe Margetts, who reclaimed a local Ordnance Survey Triangulation Station and made it their first artefact: ARC 001...
. Only 500 copies were released; all were printed on a 7-inch vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
decorated by the band themselves. Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
was the first DJ to play the band, and invited them to play a Maida Vale Studios
Maida Vale Studios
Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC studios on Delaware Road, Maida Vale, London.It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 from 1946 to the present...
live session on the strength of the single. The band's second single, "Atlantis to Interzone
Atlantis to Interzone
"Atlantis to Interzone" is a song by British indie electro act Klaxons. The song references the mythical lost city of Atlantis and the short story collection Interzone by William S. Burroughs, which is itself Burroughs' concept of a "metaphorical stateless city"...
", was released on 12 June of the same year. It was their first release for independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Merok Records, and led to further coverage in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine. The song enjoyed radio coverage from Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
and daytime airings from Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley
Johanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...
, who repeatedly, and mistakenly, called the song "Atlantic To Interscope". Zane Lowe also wrongly credited the song as "Atlantis To Interscope". They released their first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Xan Valleys
Xan Valleys
Xan Valleys is the first extended play released by British indie rock band Klaxons. Released on 16 October 2006, the album was released by Modular Recordings, the band's final release before signing with major label Polydor Records...
, on 17 October 2006. It was released on Australian record label Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings
Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
, and contained their first two singles alongside various remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es. The band played their first North American dates in New York's East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
in October 2006.
The band signed to Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
in August 2006, following offers from numerous different record labels. Regarding the fee amount, James Righton said that it was "absurdly off the mark", and that the band signed for considerably less on the condition they would be given their own label imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
, Rinse Records. Their first single for the label, "Magick", was released on 30 October 2006 and reached #29 in the UK Top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
the following week.
In August 2006, Klaxons played at the Reading and Leeds
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
festivals. Fans sounded "Klaxons!" and cheered loudly between songs while brandishing glowsticks. This gave credit to the "New Rave
New Rave
New rave is a term applied to several types of music that fuse elements of electronic music, new wave, rock, indie, techno, bastard pop, breakbeat hardcore and electro house...
" label, coined by Angular Records'
Angular Recording Corporation
Angular Recording Corporation is an independent record label originally based in New Cross, South East London. Set up in June 2003 by two ex-Goldsmiths College students, Joe Daniel and Joe Margetts, who reclaimed a local Ordnance Survey Triangulation Station and made it their first artefact: ARC 001...
founder Joe Daniel; later used by NME magazine to describe the scene. Also in August, the Klaxons performed an acoustic set in Ibiza Weekend for UK's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
at Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks is a summer-long festival of live music that has run annually in San Antonio, Ibiza since 2005. Normally the festival consists of seventeen consecutive weekly Wednesday night concerts in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel...
festival with Zane Lowe.
The first single from their debut album, "Golden Skans
Golden Skans
"Golden Skans" is a song released by London band Klaxons on 22 January 2007. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart on download sales on 14 January and climbed to #14 the next week, eventually reaching #7 after the CD release...
", was released on 22 January 2007. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart on download sales alone, two weeks before the official release of the CD. It climbed to #14 the next week, eventually peaking at #7 after the CD release. On 24 January Klaxons performed on the BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
, performing "Golden Skans" and a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
's "My Love
My Love (Justin Timberlake song)
"My Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds . It was released on September 26, 2006, by Jive Records as the second single from the album...
". The band then released "It's Not Over Yet", a cover of a song originally by Grace. The track included the "My Love" cover as a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, and peaked at #13 in the UK Singles Chart.
Their debut album, titled Myths of the Near Future
Myths of the Near Future (album)
Klaxons' French label Because released "As Above, So Below" as a limited edition clear vinyl 12" in November 2007. The 12" features two versions of the track, a French language version and a remix by Justice....
, was released on 29 January 2007. It entered the UK Album Charts at #2, behind Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
's album Not Too Late
Not Too Late
Not Too Late is the third studio album by jazz and pop musician Norah Jones, released in January 2007. It was produced by Lee Alexander, the songwriter and bassist featured on Jones's previous albums, Come Away with Me and Feels like Home...
. Percussion and drumming on the album was provided by the album's producer James Ford
James Ford (musician)
James Ford is an English musical composer, record producer and musician.-Biography:Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and currently a member of their spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco...
, with live drummer Halperin recording on "Atlantis to Interzone".
On 1 October 2007, the band released A Bugged Out Mix, a double album featuring 27 tracks mixed by Reynolds.
Klaxons singled out a new song that has strong progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
influences as a guide to one possible direction the album may go in, revealed recently NME magazine. Guitarist Simon Taylor said, "We wanna make something that's bigger and softer and louder and lo-fi and heavier produced - just lots of contradictions. I think it's gonna be like the last record but swollen. We've been listening to a lot of European prog music
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, and dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, and dance and folk. A huge broad variety of things really. There's one track we've been playing in soundcheck, it's this massive prog opus."
Klaxons performed with the singer Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
on her song "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
" which had "Golden Skans" mixed into the background during the Brit Awards 2008 held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 20 February 2008.
Klaxons won 'Best Album' at the 2008 NME Awards held at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's IndigO2 Arena
The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...
on 28 February 2008. This followed having won 'Best New Band' the previous year. Klaxons also won 'Best International Album' and 'Best International Track' for "Golden Skans
Golden Skans
"Golden Skans" is a song released by London band Klaxons on 22 January 2007. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart on download sales on 14 January and climbed to #14 the next week, eventually reaching #7 after the CD release...
" at the first American NME awards, which were held in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Surfing the Void (2007–present)
Talk of a second album began in November 2007, during the band's UK winter tour. Influences include dubstepDubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, dance
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. The band was featured on Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki is an American electro house musician, record producer and the founder of Dim Mak Records.-Early life:...
's debut album Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles
Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles
Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles is the debut mix album by California DJ and record producer Steve Aoki.The mix features tracks from Justice, Peaches, Datarock, MSTRKRFT, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand and others, with guest vocal appearances from Santogold, Spank Rock, Uffie, Kid Sister, Pase...
, contributing the Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...
remix of "Gravity's Rainbow
Gravity's Rainbow (song)
"Gravity's Rainbow" is a song by British act Klaxons which appears on their album Myths of the Near Future. It is named after Thomas Pynchon's novel of the same name. The song was first released on Angular Records as a Double A-side with "The Bouncer" in March 2006 and was limited to 500 copies on...
" for its release in January 2008. They made their live return with a series of gigs in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
during October 2008, debuting two new tracks, "Valley of the Calm Trees" and "Moonhead". In an interview with NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine in November, the band confirmed they were heading to France to record with James Ford
James Ford (musician)
James Ford is an English musical composer, record producer and musician.-Biography:Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and currently a member of their spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco...
, aiming to be completed by December for release in early 2009. The band made an appearance at Modular Records's NeverEverLand festival that toured around Australia in December 2008.
At the beginning of 2009, the band played a small club show at Madame Jojo's in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, their first in the capital since the NME Big Gig the previous year. During the set, the band featured new songs "Imaginary Pleasures" and "In Silver Forest", together with the previously aired "Moonhead" and "Valley of the Calm Trees". In March 2009, it was reported that the band had been told to re-record parts of their second album, after it was rejected by label Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
. The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper confirmed that the label deemed it "too experimental" for release, with Reynolds stating that "...we've made a really dense, psychedelic record" and that "it isn't the right thing for us [the band]". In an interview with BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, Reynolds revealed that "Moonhead" and new track "Marble Fields and the Hydrolight Head of Delusion" were "probably going to make it", and that they were working with "Simian Mobile Disco
Simian Mobile Disco
Simian Mobile Disco are a United Kingdom-based production and remix team formed in 2005 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production...
production" during April–May 2009. Reynolds added that "Valley of the Calm Trees" had been retitled "The Parhelion", to reflect its lyrical content. James Ford. of Simian Mobile Disco confirmed working with the band later in the year, stating in an interview with Newsbeat
Newsbeat
Newsbeat is the flagship news programme on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Newsbeat is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically younger audience....
that they were "...trying to keep it melodic and vocal because that's one of their great strong points".
On May 22, 2009, the band announced a show at Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
's Kasbah nightclub, their only scheduled headline UK performance. The concert, to take place on 3 June, sparked rumours that the band may feature at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival 2009
The 2009 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 24–29 June 2009.- Registration :In a similar way to previous festivals, tickets for the 2009 event required pre-registration through the festival website...
. The band supported Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
at their comeback show at the Manchester Evening News Arena
Manchester Evening News Arena
The Manchester Evening News Arena is an indoor arena situated in Manchester, England. It is adjacent to Manchester Victoria station near Corporation Street...
on 26 June, before playing a surprise set at Glastonbury the following day. The set included further new songs "Hoodoo Bora", "Future Memory" and "Echoes". In addition to Glastonbury, the band featured at numerous other festivals including Bestival
Bestival
Bestival is a four-day music festival held at the Robin Hill country park on the Isle of Wight, England. It has been held annually in late summer since 2004. The event is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial...
, Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks is a summer-long festival of live music that has run annually in San Antonio, Ibiza since 2005. Normally the festival consists of seventeen consecutive weekly Wednesday night concerts in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel...
, and headlined the Croatian Hartera festival.
It was announced during November 2009 that the band were now working with producer Ross Robinson
Ross Robinson
Ross Robinson, son of Byron Katie, is an American multi-platinum music producer, who has discovered successful acts such as Korn, At the Drive-In, Glassjaw, Repeater, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Machine Head, Vanilla Ice, The Cure, Sepultura and many others...
, with Robinson confirming through his Twitter account. The band stated that work with Ford had gone astray, reaching difficulties with Ford acting as both producer and drummer. Klaxons broke from recording at the end of the year to perform at Get Loaded In the Dark at Brixton Academy on 31 December 2009, featuring alongside Chase & Status
Chase & Status
Chase & Status are an electronic music production duo from London consisting of Saul Milton and Will Kennard. MC Rage & Andy Gangadeen also make up the live band.-2003-2005:...
and Annie Mac
Annie Mac
Annie Mac is an Irish DJ and television presenter who hosts an eponymous electronic dance music show on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom which airs at 7:00 pm on Friday evenings as well as a Sunday evening show alongside co-presenter Nick Grimshaw.-Personal life:Annie Mac was born in Dublin,...
. Recording was completed to the satisfaction of both band and label in February 2010. The following month, it was confirmed that the band would be playing Open'er Festival
Open'er Festival
The Heineken Open'er Festival is a music festival which takes place on the North coast of Poland, in Gdynia. The first edition of the festival was organized in Warsaw in 2002 as Open Air Festival. The main organizer of the festival is the concert agency Alter Art, but the performance took its name...
in Poland as well as the Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
in the UK. They headlined the BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
/NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
Stage. Taylor-Davies suggested Reading and Leeds would be a UK-exclusive, saying, "I think in England it's just going to be Reading and Leeds, in terms of festivals, this summer".
On May 25, 2010, Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
premiered the track "Flashover" on his BBC Radio 1 show, the band's first new material in three years. Even though the track was not released as a single it was available on the band's new album, titled Surfing the Void
Surfing the Void
Surfing the Void is the second studio album by British indie rock band Klaxons, released on 23 August 2010 through Polydor Records. The album was produced by Ross Robinson, and was recorded in Los Angeles, California...
. In support of the new album, the band announced an eight date tour of the UK and France, which took place during May–July 2010. For live performances, they were joined by Anthony Rossomando as a touring member.
Their second album Surfing the Void
Surfing the Void
Surfing the Void is the second studio album by British indie rock band Klaxons, released on 23 August 2010 through Polydor Records. The album was produced by Ross Robinson, and was recorded in Los Angeles, California...
was released on 23 August 2010, and includes the single "Echoes", which was released one week prior.
On December 25, 2010, the band released on their website a free EP of material that was worked on for the album in 2007-2008, entitled Landmarks of Lunacy.
Musical style
HMV Group
HMV is a British global entertainment retail chain and is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also operates in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index...
describes Klaxons as "acid-rave sci-fi punk-funk", a phrase lifted directly from Tim Chester's Radar feature in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine, while their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page touts 'Psychedelic / Progressive / Pop'. However, they are one of the isolated acts being referred to as New Rave
New Rave
New rave is a term applied to several types of music that fuse elements of electronic music, new wave, rock, indie, techno, bastard pop, breakbeat hardcore and electro house...
. Though the band's sound is rock-based, they draw upon some less common influences - notably the rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
culture of the 1990s, represented in their covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of rave hits "The Bouncer" by Kicks Like a Mule
Kicks Like a Mule
Kicks Like a Mule is a rave/electronic music duo consisting of Richard Russell and Nick Halkes. Their first single "The Bouncer" peaked at #7 in the UK Singles Chart when it was released in 1992...
and "Not Over Yet
Not Over Yet
Not Over Yet is a song by Grace, released as a single in 1995 peaking in the UK Singles Chart at #6 and topping the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the United States. The song was originally released in 1993 under the alias State of Grace. Lead vocals and backing vocals on the track were...
" by Grace. Both tracks have since been released by the band, the first as part of a double a-side with "Gravity's Rainbow
Gravity's Rainbow (song)
"Gravity's Rainbow" is a song by British act Klaxons which appears on their album Myths of the Near Future. It is named after Thomas Pynchon's novel of the same name. The song was first released on Angular Records as a Double A-side with "The Bouncer" in March 2006 and was limited to 500 copies on...
" in March 2006 and the latter as a single on 25 June 2007 titled "It's Not Over Yet".
Despite Jamie Reynolds explaining New Rave as something that "started as an in-joke and became a minor youth subculture", the genre has been generally derided by critics, leading the band to claim they're not representative of the scene, contradicting their stance earlier in their career.
Band members
Current members- Jamie Reynolds - bass, vocals (2005–present)
- James Righton - keyboards, vocals (2005–present)
- Simon Taylor-Davies - guitars (2005–present)
- Steffan Halperin - drums (2007–present)
Former members
- Finnigan Kidd - drums (2004–2005)
Current touring members
- Anthony Rossomando
- Fred 'the hippy' Anton
Discography
- Myths of the Near FutureMyths of the Near Future (album)Klaxons' French label Because released "As Above, So Below" as a limited edition clear vinyl 12" in November 2007. The 12" features two versions of the track, a French language version and a remix by Justice....
(2007) - Surfing the VoidSurfing the VoidSurfing the Void is the second studio album by British indie rock band Klaxons, released on 23 August 2010 through Polydor Records. The album was produced by Ross Robinson, and was recorded in Los Angeles, California...
(2010)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | BT Digital Music Awards BT Digital Music Awards The BT Digital Music Awards were created in the UK in 2001 and are held annually. Music industry professionals can nominate artists, venues and hardware into the Judge's Choice award categories... |
Best Rock/Indie Artist | ||
| 2007 | Q Awards Q Awards The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event... |
Best New Act | ||
| 2007 | Mercury Prize Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British... |
Best Album | Myths of the Near Future Myths of the Near Future (album) Klaxons' French label Because released "As Above, So Below" as a limited edition clear vinyl 12" in November 2007. The 12" features two versions of the track, a French language version and a remix by Justice.... |
|
| 2007 | MTV Europe Music Awards MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider... |
Best UK & Irish Act MTV Europe Music Award for Best UK & Ireland Act The following is a list of the MTV Europe Music Award winners and nominees for Best UK & Ireland Act.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:- See also :* Best UK Video at MTV Video Music Awards... |
||
| 2007 | NME Awards | Best New Band | ||
| 2007 | Vodafone Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of... Live Music Awards |
Live Breakthrough Act | ||
| 2008 | Brit Awards Brit Awards The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust... |
Best Live Act | ||
| 2008 | Brit Awards Brit Awards The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust... |
Breakthrough Act | ||
| 2008 | Ivor Novello Awards Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place... |
Best Contemporary Song | "Golden Skans Golden Skans "Golden Skans" is a song released by London band Klaxons on 22 January 2007. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart on download sales on 14 January and climbed to #14 the next week, eventually reaching #7 after the CD release... " |
|
| 2008 | NME Awards | Best Album | Myths of the Near Future Myths of the Near Future (album) Klaxons' French label Because released "As Above, So Below" as a limited edition clear vinyl 12" in November 2007. The 12" features two versions of the track, a French language version and a remix by Justice.... |
|
| 2008 | NME Awards | Best British Band | ||
| 2008 | NME Awards | Best Video | "Golden Skans Golden Skans "Golden Skans" is a song released by London band Klaxons on 22 January 2007. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart on download sales on 14 January and climbed to #14 the next week, eventually reaching #7 after the CD release... " |
|
| 2008 | NME Awards | Best Dancefloor Filler | "Atlantis to Interzone Atlantis to Interzone "Atlantis to Interzone" is a song by British indie electro act Klaxons. The song references the mythical lost city of Atlantis and the short story collection Interzone by William S. Burroughs, which is itself Burroughs' concept of a "metaphorical stateless city"... " |
|
| 2008 | NME Awards USA | Best International Track | "Golden Skans Golden Skans "Golden Skans" is a song released by London band Klaxons on 22 January 2007. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart on download sales on 14 January and climbed to #14 the next week, eventually reaching #7 after the CD release... " |
|
| 2008 | NME Awards USA | Best New International Band | ||
| 2008 | NME Awards USA | Best New International Live Act | ||
| 2008 | NME Awards USA | Best International Album | Myths of the Near Future Myths of the Near Future (album) Klaxons' French label Because released "As Above, So Below" as a limited edition clear vinyl 12" in November 2007. The 12" features two versions of the track, a French language version and a remix by Justice.... |
|
| 2010 | Best Art Vinyl Best Art Vinyl Best Art Vinyl is an annual award that first began in 2005. It celebrates artists and designers of vinyl record cover art. The nomination process begins in November and the winners are announced in January, and are exhibited at venues across the United Kingdom and Europe, including the O2, Rough... |
Best Artwork | Surfing the Void Surfing the Void Surfing the Void is the second studio album by British indie rock band Klaxons, released on 23 August 2010 through Polydor Records. The album was produced by Ross Robinson, and was recorded in Los Angeles, California... |
|
| 2011 | NME Awards | Best Album Artwork | Surfing the Void Surfing the Void Surfing the Void is the second studio album by British indie rock band Klaxons, released on 23 August 2010 through Polydor Records. The album was produced by Ross Robinson, and was recorded in Los Angeles, California... |