Live: The Horrors at Manchester Ruby Lounge

The Horrors
Ruby Lounge Manchester
1st June

Inside the Ruby Lounge this evening there’s a curious mix of grungy teens, original shoegazers and inquisitive onlookers to meet The Horrors' feedback drenched stage entrance. Three minutes of noise later, singer Faris Badwin slouches on stage: stick-insect thin but hair and celeb girlfriend tamed, he’s visibly more comfortable with his colleague’s current choice of sound collage.

Ditching Birthday Party gristle for MBV glissando, The Horrors have transformed into a sharp bunch of songwriters, finally delivering on the dangerous hype that greeted their breakthrough in the summer of 2006.

Inside the sauna-like venue, only the front rows immediately give up to Badwin’s gangly posturing. ‘Do You Remember’ is a colossal, swerve-driving tune propelled by bowl-haired axe man Joshua’s saw-like guitar and ‘Who Can Say’ shows Glasvegas how 80s indie homage is really done (minus the poncy shades and gimmicky stand-up drummer).

Their crowing glory arrives with the epic ‘Sea Within A Sea’ which entwines Krautrock chords within a dank electronic enveloper: meanwhile Badwin wins over any remaining sceptics with measured vocal moans and Nick Cave-inspired introspection. Elsewhere, ‘Gloves’ is a haunting goth dirge, ‘I Can’t Control Myself’ a repetitive, caustic journey into Spacemen 3 drones and Sonic Boom lazerock.

Tucked away in the encore, early gem ‘Sheena Is A Parasite’ cramps things up a notch: a chaotic rock sprawl while a sweat drenched Badwin spiders his way into the arms of adoring front rows. With electronic influences seeping into the bands sonic template, signs points towards an exciting, dance floor friendly future. Energised by a change in label (XL, take a bow) and a broader songwriting outlook, these five odd Southend boys appear in fine shape.

Great to have you back, you little Horrors.

Written originally for Clash Music.

Video: The Horrors - Who Can Say

The Horrors release second single 'Who Can Say' from new album Primary Colours on May 5th via XL.

We recieved the album t'other day and it's one of the best we've layed ears to so far this year - check back next week for a full review.

Read our verdict on first single 'Sea Within A Sea' from last month.



Proof not to judge a book by it's angsty, dodgy goth cover?

Cheers to Big Stereo for the video tip.

New In: The Horrors - Sea Within A Sea

Today marks the release of The Horrors new single 'Sea Within A Sea' on their official site.

A definite attempt to explore new sounds following the goth dirge of their 2007 debut album Strange House, Sea Within A Sea takes in many shoegaze and post-punk influences.

Produced last summer by Geoff Barrow (Portishead), the song (below) is a refreshing change of tactic; singer Faris Badwin has lost the angry young man and embraced reverb fuelled vocals, while his band sound more comfortable in experimental mode - the second half of the song shows them taking an almost ambient direction.



After the bands aggro-fuelled breakthrough at the end of 2006 (there were strong rumours that their label Loog 'purchased' the bands NME cover in August of the same year), the Horrors divided opinion among the indie-rock masses. Were they the perfect antidote to tedious electro or just bad goths?

When we interviewed the band for Artrocker magazine around their NME shows in 2007, they kept us waiting for an hour while they slept off hangovers and didn't look enamoured to be on board the rock'n'roll ship. Since then they've left Loog (who took on the more commercially marketable Courteeners) and signed with the excellent XL, and sound all the better for it.

Second album Primary Colours is released on 4th May, for live dates check their MySpace page.