Ladytron are a pop band with the emphasis on style.

It has been three years since their first singles and album and the tightly knit clique of four are set, they say, to take on the world.

The debut, 604, and the singles Playgirl and He Took Her to a Movie, won them a small audience of pop curiosity seekers.

An upcoming single and album, Seventeen and Light and Magic, see them edge closer to the mainstream.

Their brand of pop is blessed with angelic, silvery voices laid on synths and keyboards, fuelled by vats of Petshop Boy-like attitude.

They call it electro-clash, i.e. beats from the 1980s bep-box extension, and anonymous, allegedly beautiful songs 'on top'.

Seventeen has moog nonsense mixed in with the electro and pop, a la Stereolab.

"We delayed releasing the single so we could distance ourselves from all the stuff over the summer," instrumentalist Danny explained. "Seventeen is probably the closest thing on the new album (Light and Magic) to the old (604) so it's kind of a bridging single.

"We love 604 but it was three years ago so we don't want to repeat it."

The album was produced by Beck's producer, Mickey Petrailia, which should help their intended rise to international stardom.

"Recording the album was great; we had loads of gadgetry to fiddle with and Justin and Roger from Beck's band helped out," enthuses Danny.

"We still feel like a new band 'cos the last album was more a collection of songs whereas this is a proper album."

Ladytron play Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff on Saturday, November 16.

Dial 029 2023 2199 for more information.