Harder Blogger Faster editor Andrew Rafter on Monarchy's Mid:Night
Monarchy’s rise began in 2010, when the duo performed their first gig from Cape Canaveral, Florida. During their formative years, they were somewhat anonymous, leading many to believe that producer Stuart Price was behind early cuts The Phoenix Alive and I Won’t Go, owing to the fact that they both sounded like Price earworms.
It turns out we were all way off the mark. Monarchy is the brainchild of Aussie Andrew Armstrong (a former breaks DJ and producer) and vocalist Black Ra. They’ve since gone on to perform at Coachella, collaborate with Dita Von Teese and remix everyone from Kylie to Lady Gaga. Last month, they released third LP Mid:Night, their most well-rounded offering yet. It embodies their futuristic synth-pop aesthetic, but with a maturity that only comes with a decent catalogue under your belt. I saw them play to a criminally small crowd in Manchester recently, their showmanship commanded the attention and they even managed to orchestrate a sit-down – normally the preserve of house and techno shows – for a moment of real theatre. This band have always flown under pop’s radar and have long been one of its best kept secrets, until now...
