about us
A British electropop band born from the embers of Dirty Blonde and Matinée Club.
From Dirty Blonde to The Modern
The Modern first took shape in 2001 around Nathan Cooper and Chi Tudor-Hart under the name Dirty Blonde. When vocalist Emma Cooke joined the group in 2003, the band rechristened themselves The Modern and a sharper, brighter synth-pop identity began to emerge. Robert Saunderson and Rees Bridges later rounded out the lineup, adding synths, production, drums and programming to the band's layered live sound.
Signed to Mercury Records in 2005, the band recorded with producer Stephen Hague for a debut album tentatively titled Life in the Modern World. Their first single "Jane Falls Down" arrived in November 2005, followed by "Industry" in March 2006, alongside UK tours and slots at the Reading & Leeds Festivals and Whitby Gothic Weekend.
After parting ways with Mercury, the band briefly became Matinée Club, releasing "Discotheque Francais" and the download-only LP Modern Industry in 2008. In November 2008 they reverted to The Modern and released The Modern LP as a double album across the US, UK and Asia.
Today the band continues to release new material directly to fans via Elastic Stage, keeping the synth flame lit for a new generation.
THE LINE UP
