Lahannya

Frontwoman and gothic icon Lahannya, who already appeared as guest vocalist on releases by Soman, Combichrist und Greenhaus, gathered the who’s who of the gothic scene around herself for her new project: her star line-up consists of Lutz Demmler (Umbra et Imago), Belle (Killing Miranda / Nosferatu) and Chris Milden (NFD). Together they presented the LAHANNYA debut album Shotgun Reality in autumn 2007 and the Welcome To The Underground EP in spring 2008. They have been touring extensively since 2007 with artists such as Emilie Autumn (US), Moon Kana (Japan), The LoveCrave (Italy) and ASP (Germany) or as headliners themselves.

Lahannya has always lived life on her own terms, eschewing convention and bending the rigid rules imposed by society to her advantage. It is therefore no surprise that her first release was a totally self-produced track on the Amduscias compilation of anarchist US diy label Zenflesh. Amidst the aural assault of Noise/Girl and the nightmare soundscapes of Petit Mal, Lahannya's "Drowning" at first appears to be a highly unusual contribution, but in terms of attitude and philosophy Lahannya is a perfect fit. Inspired by the positive feedback and the Zenflesh way of just doing it, Lahannya went on to produce her debut EP and release it on her own label. The 4-track "Drowning" EP was extremely positively received by fanzines and underground music Web sites worldwide, which compared its sound to Throwing Muses, Cranes and a more ambient Garbage.

After moving from Brighton on England's South coast into the heart of London Lahannya took up a DJ residency at the infamous Slimelight, London's longest running alternative club night and a regular hang-out for national and international underground artists. Her DJ activities led to interesting friendships and collaborations, the first of which was her contribution to the 2003 Greenhaus release "Another Life". In 2004 Lahannya began her long-term collaboration with Soman, resulting in club hits like "Tears", "Eye to Eye", "Mask" and the remix of Combichrist's "Sex, Drugs and Industrial" as well as festival performances at M'Era Luna, WGT and Summer Darkness among others.

At M'Era Luna 2004 a chance encounter with Lutz Demmler of controversial German goth-rock band Umbra et Imago provided the trigger for Lahannya's return to her own material. Their brief acquaintance turned into fast friendship and eventually the decision to work together on Lahannya's full-length debut album. "Shotgun Reality" was a departure from both her early solo work and her recent collaborations, yet its genre-breaching fusion of alternative rock, powerpop and gothic metal was instantly recognisable by the idiosyncratic vocal style and imaginative lyrics that have become Lahannya's trademark. In late 2006 Lahannya and Lutz were joined first by Belle (Killing Miranda, Nosferatu) and shortly after by Chris Milden (NFD) and together the glamorous quartet presented "Shotgun Reality" live at sold-out tours in the UK and France with Courtney Love's anarchic ex-collaborator Emilie Autumn and j-rock lolita Moon Kana.

For Lahannya standing still is a bit like dying and therefore the band are starting 2008 at full steam: Just six months after catapulting right into the heart of the European alternative scene with their impressive debut there will be a new release, in time for Lahannya's extended tour supporting German goth-rock sensation ASP in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The "Welcome To The Underground" EP features four brand new tracks and a variety of remixes by renowned artists from the alternative scene. The stunning artwork was created by David Bircham, whose graphic novel Brodie's Law has become a worldwide underground success.

The EP presents the prequel to a story that will unfold in the next album and is a subject that is very close to the heart of Lahannya and her band. "Welcome To The Underground" paints a bleak picture of our future - a future in which due to fear and lethargy our nation has sleepwalked into a surveillance society and our personal lives are under state control. Individualists, free thinkers and anyone seeking an alternative lifestyle either lives a life of pretence, constantly on guard, or is forced to exist completely outside society as we know it, in the underground. Not everyone is prepared to accept that we no longer live in a free country and the underground is rising to fight back…