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| Origin: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genre: | Indie rock, dance-punk |
| Years Active: | 2002-2006 |
| Label: | New Romantic |
| Current Members: | Nirmala Basnayake Colwyn Llewellyn-Thomas Scott Kaija Ronnie Morris Jeff Scheven |
controller.controller are a Canadian indie rock band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consisted of vocalist Nirmala Basnayake, guitarists Colwyn Llewellyn-Thomas and Scott Kaija, bassist Ronnie Morris and drummer Jeff Scheven. The band took its name from a song by Shotmaker.[1]
The band formed in 2002, and played their first shows using the name The Prefix. Their rhythmic post-punk style had been compared by critics to Joy Division, The Slits and Public Image Ltd.
Their debut album, History, was released on Paper Bag Records in 2004.[2] [3] The follow-up album, X-Amounts, was released October 11, 2005.[4] [5] Also in 2005, Basnayake participated in Ladeez Quire, an improvisational music show that also featured Sook-Yin Lee and Elisha Lim.[6]
After the release of X-Amounts, the band went on a tour around North America and the UK to support the album.[7] [8]
In October 2006, Basnayake decided to leave the band,[9] and this resulted in its disbanding. Members Jeff Scheven and Ronnie Morris formed the new band Lioness with vocalist Vanessa Fischer in 2007,[10] while Scott Kaija formed the new band Medallions with vocalist/guitarist John Hunter, drummer Mick Jackson and Daniel Brooks.[10] Basnayake remained an occasional contributor to one-off musical projects, most notably Toronto band Stop Die Resuscitate's 2009 single "Measurements".[11]
The band reunited in February 2015 for a reunion show at Sneaky Dee's, as part of the 15th anniversary of Toronto's influential Wavelength concert series.[12] Shortly thereafter Morris suffered a disabling stroke.[13]
The band reunited again in February 2024 for a show at Drake Hotel, curated by Brendan Canning. Morris has rejoined the band after recovering from strokes.[14]