June 1st, 2009 | London
La Roux might be a duo, but all the attention is lavished on singer Elly Jackson, who has set charts and hearts aflight with her wild and ginger fringe. The 21-year-old south Londoner and her Scottish partner in crime, Ben Langmaid, excel in '80s-influenced synth melodies, and their self-titled debut album has already been mentioned among Album Of The Year accolades.
Jackson is equally famous for her androgynous looks as she is for the music, and except for obvious synth influences—Yazoo, The Human League and Eurythmics—she also identifies with style icons such as David Bowie and Annie Lennox. Crisp and cute keyboard melodies come courtesy of Langmaid, who describes himself as the mute part of La Roux. In addition to not singing, he's also media shy and lets Jackson do all the talking—a task the natural born performer (she's the daughter of actress Trudie Goodwin) doesn't seem to mind.
For now, La Roux's biggest claim to fame is "In For The Kill" and it's a no-questions-asked club hit already. Other singles, such as "Bulletproof" and "Quicksan" (which has been previewed as a 12" record by Kitsuné), both have the quality of underground hit status. But there are also sensitive moments on this record, such as when Jackson starts crying towards the end of one song, fittingly named "Cover My Eyes."
More info at www.myspace.com/larouxuk.
—David Hellqvist
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