Born Susan Whitby, the daughter of a German Jewish father and a Finish mother, the family had Anglicized their foreign sounding surname, so they would not suffer racism in the UK. Lora grew up in the middle class suburbs of Pinner in Middlesex. She was barely fifteen and at a public girls school when she auditioned for X-RAY SPEX. The saxophone was her extra curriculum hobby. Lora played on one early X-RAY SPEX record only, the infamous OH BONDAGE UP YOURS! and I AM A CLICHE. Due to Lora's mother being a school teacher, the emphasis on Lora was to finish her education. X-RAY SPEX needed to find a saxophonist who would be able to tour. Lora went back to school and then on to form her band ESSENTIAL LOGIC. She has recorded many albums under this name. Lora was always a bit embarrassed, when her mother turned up at the Roxy Club wearing fur and pearls. It wasn't quite the punky image she projected, her glamorous mother looked like she was attending the wrong venue. The Royal Opera House would have seemed more appropriate. Although Lora always referred to her mother as a peasant, because she was born a Finnish country girl.