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The 4 members of Editors all met at Staffordshire University while studying music technology back in 2002. They’ve since gone on to sell more than 2 million copies of their first 2 albums ‘The Back Room’ and ‘An End Has A Start’.

So it’s now ‘difficult third album’ time – and with U2 producer Flood twiddling the knobs, they’ve snapped all ties with their previous guitar-driven indie sound, and gone all epic-electro instead.

“On the surface of it, it’s a very different Editors record,” says Tom. “I think when you listen to it for a few times, it still has that sense of drama - the melodies, the tone and feeling of an Editors record. But, yes there are a lot less guitars.”

Joy Division influence

Lovers of previous Editors records will know how much the band wear the influence of Joy Division on their sleeves. (the band were even nicknamed ‘Boy Division’ by some sections of the press!).

On ‘In This Light and On This Evening’ it’s not just a smattering on the sleeve as the whole damn suit. It’s awash with synthesiser, and echoes Ian Curtis’ vocals on ‘You Don’t Know Love. ’

It’s full on electronica thrusts deeply into Gary Numan territory on ‘Papillion’, darkly broods like Kate Bush meets Bauhaus on ‘Walk the Fleet Road’, and the band even do an impression of the Terminator soundtrack on ‘Bricks and Mortar’.

“We wanted to go in a different direction, we just weren’t operating very good with guitars anymore,” says Tom. “When Chris started to write on guitar, he just felt like he was almost ripping himself off.”

“He wasn’t interested in what he was coming up with, so very naturally we went, "Let’s push the band somewhere else". I think bands should do that – they shouldn’t play it safe. They should move to other territories and take their audience on a bit of a journey with them.”

Pop-pomp

The band have never been afraid to polarise opinion, and there’s no doubt traditional indie music fans will be alienated by the new record, in the way many were when Radiohead released Kid A.

But there will be others who embrace the sound, and herald tracks like ‘Eat Raw Meat’ as some of the best pop-pomp that’s been released in 2009.

“We never got stale, or bored. We never got to that point in the studio where you’ve been doing drums for 3 days or whatever,” says Tom. “We wanted to have fun. It was get into the room, set-up and work quickly, and see what happens. Fun is the right word.”

Going live

The band are following up the album release with a full UK tour, their first headlining tour for 18 months, although they have played festivals, and been on the road with REM.

Tom admits they enjoy being in the studio, and out of the spotlight. He says they’re now ready “to get back amongst it”.

“I’m itching for people to hear the full record live,” he says. “It’s weird you don’t really know until you get out, and play the songs to people properly. That’s when you know what the songs really mean to people, when you see the reaction first hand.”