New York-based hard-rock band LUXX was formed by Katrina Chester and Ian Hatton in 1996. By then, British-born Hatton, a veteran of the late 80s and early 90s rock scene, had already chalked up an impressive resume as the guitarist for such acts as Sarah Brightman, Paul Rodgers, Bonham, and Robert Plant’s Honeydrippers. He was looking to put together a female-fronted rock project, and happened to catch Katrina on stage with a cover band in a New York City bar.
Katrina Chester was, at that point, still a relative newcomer to the rock scene, but was making a name for herself with raspy, growling vocals, and a fiery stage presence. What she lacked in experience, she made up with pedigree. The youngest daughter of Gary Chester, one of the most recorded (and legendary) drummers of all time, she grew up in a musical family, and had met more inspiring musicians by her teenage years than most people do in their lifetime.
To round out the band, Ian first reached back to an experienced fellow British musician, bassist Tony Fennell. Best known as the singer for British new-wave band Ultravox during their early 90s reformation, Tony also had extensive touring, recording, and production experience. Finally, New York/New Jersey based pro drummer Dave Silver was brought in to complete the lineup.
With an impressive collective clout in the music industry, the band was quickly noticed and signed to PUSH Records, a division of BMG, and set about recording their self-titled debut album, produced by the legendary Ron Saint-Germain (Tool, Soundgarden, 311, Living Colour). Released in 1998, the album failed to catch on due to poor label support and lack of commercially viable singles, but received good reviews, with Katrina Chester singled out for her memorable vocal delivery, personality and wild antics. The band toured extensively throughout 1998 and 1999, building a solid following with help from a dedicated and loyal street team, but was ultimately dropped from PUSH/BMG.
Opting to self-produce their second album, LUXX headed back into the studio to write and record “Hydroponic” which was released on the All-Indie imprint in 1999. More touring followed in 2000 and 2001, with high-profile spots opening for Godsmack and other major acts. LUXX headed back into the studio in 2001 to record a 6-song EP called “Underground”, which featured Bennie Selzer on bass, who replaced Tony Fennell. The band also picked up new management, teaming up Paul Geary of Paul Geary Management, who was, at the time, best known as the drummer for Extreme.
While live shows continued throughout 2002, and a new self-produced 4-song self-titled EP was released around that time frame, it was clear that LUXX was stalling out. Katrina had, at that point, secured a high-profile off-Broadway gig in “Love, Janis”, a musical dedicated to bringing both the music and story of Janis Joplin to a wide audience. Finally, in 2003, LUXX called it quits. Katrina returned to recorded music in 2004 with a self-titled solo EP. Produced and recorded by Ian Hatton, it took a far more bluesy approach, and is perhaps the best example of Katrina’s memorable voice.
Since then, all members have moved on to other interests and pursuits. LUXX left fans with two aggressive albums, memories of countless incendiary live shows, and without a doubt, cemented their spot in music history as one of the more unique late-1990s female-fronted hard rock acts.
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