Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have spent the last decade as one of Britain’s most challenging and intriguing bands. They emerged in 2000 with Felt Mountain to join late 90s success stories Morcheeba and Moloko, creating elegant, pristine electronic which could just as easily provide background music at a dinner party as be dropped by DJs in a buzzing club. They tired of this, though, and undertook the first of their Madonna-esque sonic overhauls in 2003 and unleashed second album Black Cherry. This saw Goldfrapp stripping away the layered production of their debut and replacing it with disco grooves, dripping with glamour. Taking the band to new heights, it produced five, well-charting singles and built a sense of great anticipation for their third album, 2006’s Supernature.

A continuation of the sultry sounds they’d done so well with, its lead off single Ooh La La went top five and allowed the album to shift more than a million copies. They toured this record hard, making a number of memorable festival appearances and playing enormous gig venues. However, once again, they tired of this sound and re-emerged in 2008 with Seventh Tree. Gone were the smutty grooves and in came an ethereal, natural sound. More folk than funk, this departure took fans by surprise and the record failed to continue the commercial success of its two predecessors.

Now, the band have returned with a new album, their fifth. Head First sees the band returning to the synth pop they do so well, with a heavy lean of 80s pop and classic disco. They’ve worked with producers Richard X and Pascal Gabriel and have promised fans a glamorous, fun album. Whatever sonic persona the band have adopted, they’ve always been a terrific live band, committing totally to the character of their most recent album. On Monday, expect a dizzying light show, multiple costume changes and a career-spanning set. Unmissable.