Luxury Stranger profile picture

Luxury Stranger

Luxuriously strange...

About Me


"Dreams of slavery and masturbation..."
Luxury Stranger is the 'brain child' of Simon York and it is growing...

After working within a strictly guitar based rock band, achieving success being signed to Roadrunner Records, playing with some top names in music (including Mansun and 10CC) and finally coming away from the band - Simon began solo work as a musician, artist and actor.
Experimenting with electronic instruments and layered vocal textures, creating both giant and subtle soundscapes, Simon worked at first under the guise of The Earl of Sound but ended up killing off this character and returning to the name Simon York...
"I loved the Earl but he had to die. He took over my personality, he was a scoundrel - a dangerous and womanising creature..." (Simon York)
To learn more about Simon's past work, see Simon's on-going biog on his personal Myspace page, which can be found in Luxury Stranger's top friends.
Luxury Stranger is Simon York's future - Simon is now embracing both electronic and guitar based music and working as the front man / main songwriter / brains of Luxury Stranger.
At the end of February 2008, Chris Ruscoe (pictured below) joined Luxury Stranger as bass player.
Chris comes from a background of various alternative and electronica bands. He has an obsession with home recording equipment and old vinyl collections. His musical passions are broad, addictive and often disturbing...
Drawing on the darkness of early post punk bands, the imagery of The Cure’s ‘Pornography’ era, and the obsessive production values of Martin Hannett, Chris considers his playing style as solid, low slung, and innovative.
"Blending styles, genres and influences is my driver."
(Chris Ruscoe)

To learn more about Chris, go to his profile in the LS top friends!
At the end of April 2008, Simon and Chris announced the arrival of Luxury Stranger's new long-stay drummer! Owen Walton (pictured right) has been a fan of LS since the project first appeared on the internet in August/September 2007.
"I have the opportunity as a fan to play the music I've been listening to and grown attached to. I've always wanted to do something of this stature - This as a big chance to make up for lost time." (Owen Walton)
Owen is influenced mainly by Dave Barb, the original drummer of Adam & the Ants and is loving every moment with LS. To learn more about Owen, go to his profile in the LS top friends!
Luxury Stranger played it's first gig on Friday, 5th September 2008 at Junktion 7, Nottingham (see blog for details). After a cracking set and explosive performance, the band hope to be arranging more dates as soon as possible. The band is also experimenting with material which could make the list for the second LS album...some of these pieces are already in the LS live set. News on how to get the 1st album, Desolation, will be 'revealed' as soon as details are confirmed.
To find out more about Luxury Stranger, please contact David Butcher at First Step Records at [email protected] now!
Simon York and Luxury Stranger are not associated with First Step Management who are based in Ilfracombe, Southwest UK.
Please note: This myspace is generally run by The Luxury Stranger Admin Team (LSAT). Band members do check into the site sometimes but if you wish to contact them, do so either via the admin team or directly through their personal profiles - thanks, LSAT .
All recorded songs written & performed by Simon York except 'Completion': written & performed by Simon York & Chris Ruscoe, all songs & words are copyright 2006-2008 SDBsongs except 'Completion': copyright 2008 SDBsongs / M'aidez Music.
Please register as a fan of the band at The Music Directory ............... Don't forget to check out Luxury Stranger on last.fm - the world's largest social music platform............... You can also find Luxury Stranger on fuzz.com !
The Gossip, The Horrors, Joy Division, New Order, Interpol, The Cure, Scanners, Patchwork Grace, U2, The Breeders, REM

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 8/18/2007
Band Website: last.fm/music/Luxury+Stranger
Band Members: Simon York - Vocals, guitars, other instruments
Chris Ruscoe - Bass, other instruments
Owen Walton - Drums / percussion
___________________

Influences:

Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, The Chameleons, Brian Eno, The Cure, Stone Roses, Camus, Peter Bowcott, Steve Taylor, Adam & the Ants, The Glove, Martin Hannett, Caberet Voltaire, 50s - 80s sci-Fi & horror, Marvel & DC comics and comic book theology, life and death, Edgar Allan Poe, F T Marinetti and the futurism movement, Skin Two and other latex fashion, Baudrillard, P K Dick, George Orwell, Doctor Who 1963 - 1985, Siouxsie & the Banshees...continually growing and changing.

Sounds Like: - A luxuriously strange item!

- A sonic painting you can't help but watch dry!

- You're listening to what we sound like...

- All influences put in a pot, mixed up, poured on to a plate, shuffled around a bit, (add a little fairy dust) swallowed and interpreted by Luxury Stranger and then interpreted by the listener...how's that for a description?!

Record Label: TBC
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Luxury Stranger events coming up...

Luxury Stranger events coming up... Hi all, how're you? Just to let you know that the following Luxury Stranger events have been organised. Hope to see you at one or all of them! 11th October 2008:Lux...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:23:00 PST

Luxury Stranger - 1st gig...thank you!

Luxury Stranger - 1st gig...thank you! Hi all, just a quick message to say thank you to everyone who came to the gig at Junktion 7 last night (Friday, 5th September 2008). It would seem that the eveni...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:58:00 PST

Luxury Stranger - 1st gig!

Luxury Stranger - 1st gig! We are happy to announce that Luxury Stranger have been offered their first gig. The band will be supporting fellow Nottingham based band In Isolation at Junction 7, Canning...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:42:00 PST

The Wrong Time up on last.fm now!

'The Wrong Time' up on last.fm now! Hi all,As a special treat for you all - an early recording (from 2002) of 'The Wrong Time' has been uploaded to the Luxury Stranger last.fm music site.  T...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:21:00 PST

Luxury Stranger Confidential - New song: Completion...

Luxury Stranger Confidential - New song: 'Completion'... Simon York and Chris Ruscoe of Luxury Stranger spent Sunday, 13th April 2008 in the studio recording the first song they have written togethe...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:37:00 PST

Female keyboard player/backing vocals wanted!

Wanted: Female keyboard player/backing vocalist Luxury Stranger is an east midlands based band who is currently in rehearsals and looking towards playing live later this year. Members of the band hav...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:48:00 PST

Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes

Hi all, hope you're all well... Just a quick note from me, Simon York, to say how thrilled I am regarding Chris Ruscoe joining the band. Chris and I have met up and talked over the last few weeks and ...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:48:00 PST

The New Year...

Hi everyone, Simon York here. Just thought I'd sign on for a bit and type a word or two... So, here we are 2008 and hopefully it'll be a year to bring a lot of joy and pleasure, but what do we have in...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:13:00 PST

What makes me make music...

Some people ask me "why do you still make music?" and the answer to that is because it's what I do... Sometimes I find myself in a sticky situation where people ask me "why are you still doing the mus...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Sun, 09 Sep 2007 03:23:00 PST

As I flick through pages of artistic sluts...

As I flick through pages of artistic sluts... If some of you have had a listen to this week's tunes (and going by the figures, it looks like you have) you may be wondering where Simon York gets his in...
Posted by Luxury Stranger on Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:35:00 PST