biographical info
Little by little, controller.controller came together in the fall of 2002 when then-guitarist Ronnie Morris put out a call. Colwyn Llewellyn-Thomas heard first; then came drummer Jeff Scheven. After deciding to add a second guitarist, Morris moved to bass to make room for longtime friend Scott Kaija. The final piece of the puzzle tumbled into place with the addition of frontwoman Nirmala Basnayake. Basnayake was a friend of Llewellyn-Thomas’ who hung around during early controller.controller jam sessions before stepping to the mic.
Hardly romantic; hardly mysterious. Pretty real.
With a few practices under their belt, controller.controller shakily played their first gigs in the early months of 2003. Despite this humble beginning, c.c did something few manage; they got a Toronto audience to dance.
controller.controller’s sound is an energetic, rhythmic post-punk rock, taking a cue from late 70's/early 80's bands like P.I.L., The Slits and Joy Division, but departing significantly from there. It's about tension and opposition, juxtaposing discordant and jagged rhythms with disarmingly pretty melody and counter-melody. They wed propulsive, angular rock structures with minimalist death-disco accents and grooves that seductively embrace sometimes sweet and sometimes barking vocals.
lineup
Scott Kaija Guitar
Nirmala Basnayake vocals
Colwyn Llewellyn-Thomas Guitar
Jeff Scheven Drums
Ronnie Morris Bass