LEATHERS
Vancouver, B.C.’s LEATHERS, comprised of vocalist/visual artist Shannon Hemmett, songwriter/producer Jason Corbett, bassist Jahmeel Russell & Red Vienna percussionist Robbie Zgaljic, introduced the world of their presence with the following teaser for their Northern Light Records single “Missing Scene”:
LEATHERS arrive with an industrial strength that is guided through the laser guitar precision that errs on the more melodic side of amplified dissonance. “Missing Scene” proves to be the final cut that was well worth the weight, as Shannon emerges with an imperial presence that is further reinforced by the production & song craft assisted by ACTORS’ own Jason Corbett. Your favorite pop denizens of perpetual darkness can be detected in terms of influences & undercurrents that are carefully stitched into the song. LEATHERS take the listener to the voids & empty spaces where the concept of absence is exalted in an otherworldly approach & style.
LEATHERS’ Shannon Hemmett provided the following insights on how they began:
We first connected over the Bauhaus track “Kick In The Eye” while spinning records together at a local diner. We discussed collaborating, and made plans to begin an audiovisual project influenced by early 90s shoegaze and the darker electronic atmospheres of bands like Portishead and the Eurythmics. I’ve always loved to sing and Jason opened that door wide for me to use my voice. We wrote and recorded the opening melody to ‘Missing Scene’ and LEATHERS started to take shape.
It was important to Jason and I that we also possessed a dramatic visual aesthetic. I had expressed a desire to include more transgressive themes in my photography and we agreed that LEATHERS was the ideal setting to expose that aspect in my work. Influential artists like Helmut Newton, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Guy Bourdin, all have a classical way of photographing the figure but the contexts these figures find themselves in often challenge and provoke the viewer. Their images are dense with symbolism to represent power, gender dynamics, love, sexuality, life and death. These themes are the foundation of our sound and vision. LEATHERS is a backdrop for us to explore a variety of artistic mediums; sound, photography, short film, performance, and graphic design. We’re just getting started.
