Jack Ladder + Ivy Z

Jack Ladder is a master of musical storytelling. A singular figure of the Australian independent scene, Ladder uses his boisterous baritone and a dose of gallows humour to paint bittersweet tales that celebrate the absurdity of the human condition.

Although debuting in 2005 with the mainly acoustic Not Worth Waiting For, Jack Ladder's breakthrough album didn't come until three years later. The art rock, uptempo record Love Is Gone catapulted the Sydney native onto the international music scene. His four subsequent LPs were made in collaboration with the three-piece band The Dreamlanders (Kirin J. Callinan, Donny Benét and Laurence Pike). Over the years they have played together alongside The Killers, Angel Olsen, Bill Callahan and Alex Cameron.

On his latest, Tall Pop Syndrome, Ladder seeks to disrupt the invasion of AI and dethrone the rule of the omnipresent algorithm, making the most heartfelt and human record with digital tools. Tall Pop Syndrome is heavy with synthetic texture, pulsation and atmosphere, dominated by synth-pop melodies and drum machine beats. Get a glimpse of Ladder's vibrant sonic world live at MeetFactory on Saturday May 25th. Opening the night will be Ivy Z; the solo project of Lenka Zbořilová from the dream pop band Billow.