Defend Moscow

Defend Moscow crafts retro-minded pop built around synthesizers and impassioned boy-girl vocals, evoking the style of Human League, Pet Shop Boys, and other enduring figures in British dance music. The group originated in early 2007 when longtime friends Jon Beck and Dave Fawbert started composing tracks on Fawbert's synthesizer. After gathering sufficient synth pop songs, the pair recruited additional musicians such as Norwegian vocalist Sofie Storaas, who moved to the U.K. specifically to participate, and drummer Adam Pickering, then enrolled at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Bassist Rick Elmos completed the multinational quintet, which issued its initial recordings on Fawbert's KIDS imprint.