Editors go Electro

BAND POWER-ED UP

The band have gradually introduced more synths into their music but latest opus EBM – their first with producer Benjamin ‘Blanck Mass’ Power as a full-time member – takes electronica to new heights. Frontman Tom Smith told me: “We enjoy the feeling of not standing still.

“In our previous records, In Dream and Violence, there is a thread that connects them all. “But this is the first one with Ben Blanck Mass officially in the band working and writing with us, so that to me has made it a more confrontational record, it’s quite vivid.

“The balance between guitars and electronics is different to what we had before.

“It feels fresh and it’s exciting, it’s nice to feel progression and evolution in what you’re doing.”

The title stands for Electronic Body Music and is also a play on Editors and Blanck Mass, who was key to the sound.

Escape

Tom agreed: “It was about harnessing the power of Ben’s ideas and not being afraid of that. It was making music as an escape.”

Ben first got involved with the band for a live project that never materialised.

Tom said: “We had been asked to do two sets at a festival in Europe – one a best of set and the second one bespoke so we approached Ben to do this techno Editors set, reimagined songs.

“But in that discussion Ben suggested doing new ones and Karma Climb was the first one.

“It was about hedonism, which around the time of writing in lockdown we were yearning for, being next to people again.

“The concert never happened because lockdown went on for so long. Now Ben is in the band it’s become something else.”

Tom added: “October will be the first concerts we’ve done with Ben. We’re all just excited about presenting this new vision of the band.”