Live

The Horrors

Kirsten Banks 30/03/2007

I must admit, I have always been slightly wary of bands who have found their way onto the front cover of the NME before the release of their second single: a place of honour that I always assumed was awarded to artists of a more enduring calibre. Nonetheless I was determined not to let this slight suspicion cloud my judgement and arrived at the gig with a NME- free mind.

The venue was suitably dark and dank with many a dingy corner and low ceiling (upon which Faris Rotter's hair would soon sweep). Under the claddings of hair mousse and eye liner there was certainly a feeling of excited anticipation circulating amongst the audience. As the lighting began to oscillate between red and black, The Horrors took to the stage with an infectious confidence that was quite remarkable for a band of its age. Plunging straight into their first song, “Jack The Ripper”, The Horrors established a pace for the rest of the set. With hardly a breath spared between songs The Horrors kept the momentum going while Faris Rotter attached himself to scaffolding on the ceiling and flung himself out into the hands of the adoring crowd. After the initial excitement there did come a bit of a mid-gig lull as an indistinguishable trio of songs filled out the already, short set-list. Despite this the previous energy was re-captured as the Horrors played the song most defining of their style, the organ-led “Little Victories”.

Just as I thought the gig was really beginning to get going though The Horrors abandoned the stage, not to return, despite the audience's calls for an encore. In total the set had lasted under thirty minutes. With a little more time spent on writing some more material and a little less time spent doing their hair, there is no reason why the Horrors shouldn't grace the cover of the NME once again, and this time for far more deserving reasons.