Lo-Star

For sensational London rockers LO-STAR – the future is now, and the sky is the limit. After learning about the band that the BBC says "follows in the best stadium-filling traditions of Radiohead and U2," the legendary producer of The Police personally sought out to record Lo-Star. Now, this next generation rock band is poised to take its place in the ranks of the world's greatest performers.

Even before they've released a note of music, the traffic-stopping five piece shut down Camden High Street with a powerful rooftop performance that attracted more than 2,500 fans. However, for Lo-Star, collaborating with Hugh Padgham—best known for his extended collaborations with Sting, Phil Collins, The Police, and Genesis that spawned blockbuster albums including Collins’ No Jacket Required (12x platinum); The Police’s Synchronicity (8x platinum); and Genesis’ Invisible Touch (6x platinum) and singles "Every Breath You Take" and "In The Air Tonight" that have sold more than 250 million units worldwide—was a different kind of experience altogether.

"It was a little bit like sleeping with someone for the first time with a room full of people watching," says Lo-Star's Adam Harris. "It was new territory for us—playing new songs in a very intimate environment—and it's not every day you go into a studio with your favorite producer who has produced your favorite albums," the lead singer says, adding that the initial recording sessions were a little reserved, but admits, “We're not very good at being reserved.”

The band quickly relaxed and "so did Hugh," says Harris, when "we reverted to our normal ways of cracking filthy one-liners." Padgham eventually surprised the band by "cracking filthier one-liners than us." The result was a loose environment that allowed the band—Adam, Ric Albert, Brett Lemmon, James Sanford, and Joel Clempson (son of Clem Clempson from Humble Pie, who joins Lo-Star on the exquisite "Next Time Around")—to delve deep into their rich musical rapport and shared personal history to deliver a collection of epic, personally-charged rock songs that are set to resonate with all who hear them.

"It's quite rare that you can recreate the excitement of playing your first song, or your best gig, but working with Hugh has brought that excitement within the band since we started recording with him," says Harris. "He’s guided us in such a way that we don’t recognize when he’s doing it, but his supernatural ability to hear the most minute detail and trademark production has been the perfect combination with our music."

With Padgham guiding them, Lo-Star’s forthcoming debut (working title) Closer To The Sun promises to shake up the musical landscape, introducing a blend of runaway-train energy, pointedly thoughtful lyrical attitude, and a remarkably fresh take on traditional guitar-rock dynamics. As the Guardian observed, "Lo-Star’s music is elegant, vicious, and downright hypnotic in equal parts, with a song to match every mood." The new band-penned material encompasses a broad range of stylistic elements and lyrical moods, from the shimmering guitars and anthemic rush of "Vanished World" to the infectious "Won't Be Your Enemy" with its ringing guitars to the soul-searching groove of "Hear Me Lord" to the swaggering throb of "Make Some Difference" to the aching chord changes of "Drifting" to the dreamy desolation of "Mexico." It's a gorgeous coda to what will undoubtedly be regarded as one of the key recordings of the year.

Anchoring it all together is Harris’ powerful voice. As immediate as it is undeniable, its power is matched only by his singular, Force 10 personality. "We want to set ourselves that little bit apart from everyone else. I think we realized pretty early on what we might be able to achieve," the singer notes. "We would finish rehearsals with these big grins on our faces. We took our time because we’re all perfectionists and we weren’t going to settle for less than the best."

Lo-Star is recording its debut album with Hugh Padgham, scheduled for a spring 2010 release.