Biography
English band Editors surfaced during the early 2000s by fusing stark, angular rock textures with keen pop instincts, placing them among the post-punk revival acts that also featured Interpol, White Lies, and the Cinematics. After releasing their 2005 debut album The Back Room, the group achieved two U.K. number-one records, one of which was In This Light and on This Evening, an effort that shifted their palette toward synth-pop textures. That electronic direction received further emphasis on the self-produced In Dream in 2015, after which the quartet found equilibrium between guitars and electronics across Violence in 2018, its 2019 companion The Blanck Mass Sessions, and EBM in 2022.
Editors formed in 2003 and quickly rose as a prominent act within the post-punk resurgence that swept both England and America in the opening years of the twenty-first century. The quartet, first known as Snowfield, consisted of four music-technology students at Stafford University—singer and guitarist Tom Smith, lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz, bassist Russell Leetch, and drummer Ed Lay—who moved to Birmingham following graduation. Strong live responses at clubs and positive reactions to their demo tapes drew interest from U.K. labels, leading the band to sign with the revived Kitchenware imprint, the historic indie home of Prefab Sprout.
Kitchenware released Editors’ first single, “Bullets,” in the opening days of January 2005. The pressing reportedly disappeared within twenty-four hours, and its brooding atmosphere invited comparisons to the dramatic sonics of Interpol, Bloc Party, Joy Division, and Echo & the Bunnymen. Follow-up single “Munich” earned the group widespread acclaim from the British press; shortly after their memorable set at Glastonbury Music Festival they issued a third single, “Blood.” Their eagerly awaited debut album, The Back Room, arrived in the middle of 2005. “Munich” was re-released in January 2006 to sustain momentum, propelling the record into the U.K. Top Five and eventually platinum status. A U.S. tour supporting stellastarr* coincided with the album’s American release in March, and a Mercury Music Prize nomination arrived that July.
The band’s second album, An End Has a Start, appeared the next summer, led by the Top Ten single “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors.” Like its predecessor, the record attained platinum certification in the U.K. while sustaining a modest American following; the group returned stateside in September 2007 for another tour. Editors stayed on the road through mid-2008, headlining U.K. festivals and supporting R.E.M. across Europe. Growing weary of their established sound, the musicians spent 2009 experimenting with synthesizers and industrial influences. Enlisting producer Flood, whose résumé includes Depeche Mode, U2, and Nine Inch Nails, they recorded In This Light and on This Evening, an album that revealed their electronic turn upon its October 2009 release.
Seeking to capitalize on consecutive U.K. chart-topping albums, Smith promptly began composing material for a fourth record. When the In This Light and on This Evening promotional cycle concluded in late 2010, the band possessed sufficient new songs to begin sessions in London with Flood again at the helm. Dissatisfied with early results, Smith, Leetch, and Lay asked Urbanowicz to depart in early 2012 once differing visions for the band’s direction became apparent. Shortly afterward the remaining members accepted a high-profile festival booking in Werchter, Belgium. To fulfill the commitment they recruited ex-Yourcodenameis: Milo guitarist Justin Lockey and Airship’s Elliott Williams, strengthening the lineup and shaping the direct rock approach that defined their next album. Recorded as a five-piece in Nashville with Jacquire King producing, The Weight of Your Love surfaced in June 2013 and evoked the expansive, guitar-driven stadium style associated with U2 and R.E.M.
Editors issued their fifth studio album, the self-produced In Dream, in 2015. The record included background vocals from Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell and spawned the singles “No Harm,” “Marching Orders,” and “Life Is Fear.” After extensive touring the band reconvened for their sixth album, 2018’s Violence, which featured the singles “Magazine” and “Hallelujah (So Low).” A version of the material tracked with electronic producer Benjamin John Power, aka Blanck Mass, appeared the following year as The Blanck Mass Sessions; the concise collection presented alternate takes of seven tracks from Violence plus the previously unreleased song “Barricades.”
The group’s first retrospective, Black Gold, arrived in 2019 and contained three new songs produced by Jacknife Lee: “Black Gold,” “Frankenstein,” and “Upside Down.” Following a 2020 tour, Editors returned with the full-length EBM, which included the single “Heart Attack.” The album also marked the first release featuring Power as an official member.
Editors formed in 2003 and quickly rose as a prominent act within the post-punk resurgence that swept both England and America in the opening years of the twenty-first century. The quartet, first known as Snowfield, consisted of four music-technology students at Stafford University—singer and guitarist Tom Smith, lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz, bassist Russell Leetch, and drummer Ed Lay—who moved to Birmingham following graduation. Strong live responses at clubs and positive reactions to their demo tapes drew interest from U.K. labels, leading the band to sign with the revived Kitchenware imprint, the historic indie home of Prefab Sprout.
Kitchenware released Editors’ first single, “Bullets,” in the opening days of January 2005. The pressing reportedly disappeared within twenty-four hours, and its brooding atmosphere invited comparisons to the dramatic sonics of Interpol, Bloc Party, Joy Division, and Echo & the Bunnymen. Follow-up single “Munich” earned the group widespread acclaim from the British press; shortly after their memorable set at Glastonbury Music Festival they issued a third single, “Blood.” Their eagerly awaited debut album, The Back Room, arrived in the middle of 2005. “Munich” was re-released in January 2006 to sustain momentum, propelling the record into the U.K. Top Five and eventually platinum status. A U.S. tour supporting stellastarr* coincided with the album’s American release in March, and a Mercury Music Prize nomination arrived that July.
The band’s second album, An End Has a Start, appeared the next summer, led by the Top Ten single “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors.” Like its predecessor, the record attained platinum certification in the U.K. while sustaining a modest American following; the group returned stateside in September 2007 for another tour. Editors stayed on the road through mid-2008, headlining U.K. festivals and supporting R.E.M. across Europe. Growing weary of their established sound, the musicians spent 2009 experimenting with synthesizers and industrial influences. Enlisting producer Flood, whose résumé includes Depeche Mode, U2, and Nine Inch Nails, they recorded In This Light and on This Evening, an album that revealed their electronic turn upon its October 2009 release.
Seeking to capitalize on consecutive U.K. chart-topping albums, Smith promptly began composing material for a fourth record. When the In This Light and on This Evening promotional cycle concluded in late 2010, the band possessed sufficient new songs to begin sessions in London with Flood again at the helm. Dissatisfied with early results, Smith, Leetch, and Lay asked Urbanowicz to depart in early 2012 once differing visions for the band’s direction became apparent. Shortly afterward the remaining members accepted a high-profile festival booking in Werchter, Belgium. To fulfill the commitment they recruited ex-Yourcodenameis: Milo guitarist Justin Lockey and Airship’s Elliott Williams, strengthening the lineup and shaping the direct rock approach that defined their next album. Recorded as a five-piece in Nashville with Jacquire King producing, The Weight of Your Love surfaced in June 2013 and evoked the expansive, guitar-driven stadium style associated with U2 and R.E.M.
Editors issued their fifth studio album, the self-produced In Dream, in 2015. The record included background vocals from Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell and spawned the singles “No Harm,” “Marching Orders,” and “Life Is Fear.” After extensive touring the band reconvened for their sixth album, 2018’s Violence, which featured the singles “Magazine” and “Hallelujah (So Low).” A version of the material tracked with electronic producer Benjamin John Power, aka Blanck Mass, appeared the following year as The Blanck Mass Sessions; the concise collection presented alternate takes of seven tracks from Violence plus the previously unreleased song “Barricades.”
The group’s first retrospective, Black Gold, arrived in 2019 and contained three new songs produced by Jacknife Lee: “Black Gold,” “Frankenstein,” and “Upside Down.” Following a 2020 tour, Editors returned with the full-length EBM, which included the single “Heart Attack.” The album also marked the first release featuring Power as an official member.
Albums
You Are Fading, Vol. 1 (Bonus Tracks 2005 - 2010)
2020
You Are Fading, Vol. 2 (Bonus Tracks 2005 - 2010)
2020
You Are Fading, Vol. 3 (Bonus Tracks 2005 - 2010)
2020
You Are Fading, Vol. 4 (Bonus Tracks 2005 - 2010)
2020
An End Has a Start
2007
Singles
