Klaxons were an indie rock band, based in London. The band consisted of Jam… Read Full Bio ↴Klaxons were an indie rock band, based in London. The band consisted of Jamie Reynolds (bass, vocals), James Righton (keyboards, vocals), Simon Taylor-Davies (guitar) and Steffan Halperin (drums). They have been on indefinite hiatus since 2014.

Reynolds, Righton and Taylor-Davies formed the band in New Cross, London, United Kingdom, in 2005 Their debut single, "Gravity's Rainbow" was released on 29 March 2006 as a 500 copies limited 7-inch vinyl, decorated by the band themselves. Their first first EP, Xan Valleys, was released on 16 October 2006, and contained their first two singles alongside some remixes.

Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007. The album won the 2007 Nationwide Mercury Prize.

After headlining their first tour (the 2007 NME Indie Rave Tour), as well as playing numerous festivals and headlining tours worldwide, the band started working on their follow-up album in October 2007.

HMV describes Klaxons as "acid-rave sci-fi punk-funk", a phrase lifted directly from Tim Chester's Radar feature in NME, while their MySpace page touts 'Psychedelic / Progressive / Pop'. However, they are one of the isolated acts being referred to as 'Nu Rave', a genre term coined by Angular Records founder Joe Daniel, who released the trio's first single. Though the band's sound is decidedly art rock, they draw upon some less common influences - notably the rave culture of the 1990s, which they appropriate and redefine in a post-modern fashion. Their influences are perhaps most represented in their covers of rave hits "The Bouncer" by Kicks Like a Mule and "Not Over Yet" by Grace. Both tracks have since been released by the band, the first as part of a double a-side with "Gravity's Rainbow" in March 2006 and the latter as a single on June 25, 2007 titled "It's Not Over Yet".

While the band are consistently hailed as the defining act of the sparsely-populated Nu Rave movement, Klaxons have worked to avoid being typecast as champions of the disputed genre that may or may not exist. Indeed, it is questionable whether or not the style referred to as "New Rave" is even appreciably different from the older genre dance-punk. Even so, Klaxons member Jamie Reynolds expressed no regrets at the dubious honor, saying that "...it's great that it started as an in-joke and became a minor youth subculture"

Klaxons recorded a song All Rights Reversed with Chemical Brothers on their album We Are The Night(2007).

Forgotten Works
Klaxons Lyrics

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You know something's going to happen

The tomb crew bring sugar oil
We'll meet at the mirrored statue
Margaret, my girl, standing on air
That is my name, that is my name

Light the bridges with the lantern
You know something's going to happen
Light the bridges with the lantern
You know something's going to happen

Light the bridges with the lantern
You know something's going to happen
Light the bridges with the lantern
You know something's going to happen

[Incomprehensible]
[Incomprehensible]

Tigers in boil
Forgotten works
Tigers in boil
Forgotten works

Light the bridges with the lantern
You know something's going to happen
Light the bridges with the lantern
You know something's going to happen

Light the bridges with the lantern
You know something's going to happen

Light the bridges with the lantern
You know something's going to happen

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Klaxons' "Forgotten Works" are cryptic and enigmatic, leaving much room for interpretation. The image of the "tomb crew" bringing "sugar oil" suggests some sort of occult ritual or ceremony. The line "Margaret, my girl, standing on air, that is my name" is particularly intriguing as it is unclear who Margaret is and what it means for someone to be "standing on air." One possible interpretation is that Margaret is the singer's muse or inspiration, and that her ethereal qualities have given birth to the singer's identity.

The repeated refrain, "Light the bridges with the lantern, you know something's going to happen," adds to the song's sense of foreboding and mystique. It suggests that there is a sense of anticipation or even impending danger surrounding the events taking place. The final lines of the song, which are mostly incomprehensible, add to its sense of surrealism and ambiguity.

Line by Line Meaning

The tomb crew bring sugar oil
The group responsible for burying the dead bring fuel to the location

We'll meet at the mirrored statue
We will gather at the monument that reflects our image

Margaret, my girl, standing on air
Margaret, who I am romantically involved with, is seemingly levitating

That is my name, that is my name
The name I was given at birth still identifies me

Light the bridges with the lantern
Illuminate the passageways with a handheld light source