While the music industry remains obsessed with finding the next one-hit wonder, talent has become a rare commodity on rock radio. As a resort, sometimes you have to snuff it out for yourself, which I found myself doing last month in the dark, decrepit corners of New York City. In one of those seedy underground music lounges, where pimp daddy types hang out at the bar smoking cigars, I discovered an edgy rock’n’roll band that stood out from the pack – Luxx.

Fronted by the beautiful blonde Katrina Chester, Luxx captivates audiences from pimp daddies to devoted fans and even newcomers, like me. With a deep raspy voice that’s filled with angst, Katrina Chester captures the essence of a woman scorned. Backed by guitarist Ian Hatton (whose heavy metal background includes work with Bonham and Paul Rodgers), bassist Tony Fennell (who adds some old-fashioned funk and cool R&B rhythms to the band’s eclectic mix) and heart-pounding drummer Dave Silver, Katrina and the boys of Luxx stirred up the sleepy audience. After the set, I had a chat with Katrina...

Finally, I said to send me a tape and they did. I dug it. I wrote lyrics and melody to it. We got together and started writing for four months. We wrote "Invade Me" and "My Indian." Originally, we were writing it so I could perform it for the cover band, and eventually Ian was like, "Fuck this. This shit is too good. We have to play." So Tony was going to play bass and I had to quit the cover band and then Dave became our drummer. We've been going ever since.

My dad was a drummer so I grew up around music. He played fourteen thousand sessions. He was on everything, so when I was little I knew that I wanted to be a rock singer. I think I bring honesty to the band, not that the other guys are phony. The vocal part of it is R&B and blues. That's what I grew up on. Tony is a pop guy. He's mister hook. He is master of none. He does a lot of little things. Dave is a total R&B drummer. He's a funk drummer. He does odd times and has a bass foot that other drummers would die for. He's one of the best unknown drummers. Ian is a total blues man. He's been playing since he was five. He was on tour with an old black band when he was sixteen years old, signed to a major label. He and Tony are very English. It's like the English vibe of Chumbawamba meets the American vibe. Their chords and execution are different and it works. That's what makes Luxx, all these sounds.

I find the business side of it difficult as a female. Radio is very segregated. People think that nobody wants to hear you. They think females are fickle in the music they like, so radio is geared towards men, but I don't think that's true. I am a female and I have loved the same musicians. They want you to be like, "I don't know, I am just a girl," and I refuse to do that and I think that it holds me back a lot. Talent, music and honesty are what will prevail in this band.

We've also gotten tighter. I can ad-lib now and Ian can decide to go on a solo. We can read each other during a show, and decide if we want to drag something on. I was trying to understand what kind of a writer I was at the time. I had to learn to trust my instincts and let go.