The Horrors - Strange House
(2008)

Review by Chris Wood

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Who are The Horrors?

That's quite an appropriate question. Having heard the name flagrantly thrown around in interviews and conversations alike, I assumed they were the latest cool band to reference, finally taking over from the now well-established Arcade Fire.

For some reason, however, their steadily growing press immersion failed to register in my mind as something that must be listened to. As I have since found out, merely listening to them evokes a number of disturbing themes: death, squid flinging and tight trousers!

The Horrors, like any new rock act, have been subject to a  list of peculiar adjectives as long as their Vince Noir-esque hairstyles in order to determine their brand of music.

I’m not really saying that's a bad thing. Personally, I think it's very acceptable to come up with abstract descriptions of a particular bands flair. It inspires creativity and freethinking, while making sure that we aren’t plagued by the same old terms that have been in use over the past 50 years of popular music.

'Big haired, squid flinging Art School ghouls causing goth garage chaos across the UK' was the NME’s take on these British hipsters. Generally, these terms don’t have to make any sense. However, to make it a perfectly acceptable (and readable) quotation, all you really need is semi-accurate description of their music coupled with a bizarre (and equally as compelling) concept (as was the case with NME, squid flinging proved quite the exceptional choice. Well done).

The Horrors are one of the more aesthetically appealing bands of recent times. With their dark and depressive demeanours, coupled with their equally compelling pseudonyms (Coffin Joe, Tomethy Furse, Faris Rotter, Joshua Von Grimm and Spider Webb), they have gradually stumbled across the perfect mix of garage-surf-rock cool and morbid circus horror-show paranoia.

As we are entering a time where people are once again willing to appreciate acts that present a story or an idea, The Horrors have made quite a timely entry. During their timely rise to fame, the have received acclaim from all over, most notably The Mighty Boosh’s own Noel Fielding. However, it may have more to do with their ‘I’m cooler than you’ll ever dream to be in a ghoul-like way aesthetic, Noel Fielding admitting that on the main motivations for having them on the show was because he and Julian Barret needed a ‘band with really thin legs…they’re like arm or spider legs’.

Mutant spider legs aside, you still can’t help but obsess over this band, even if only for the briefest of brief moments that you have briefly experienced. It’s one of those cases where your mum and dads love of the Beach Boys hooked up with your closet love of early Marilyn Manson.

They have garnered a loyal following since their debut single Sheena Is A Parasite. The video directed by Chris Cunningham (director of a number certain Aphex Twin endeavours) is quite a gruesome visual display, and was always bound to generate an avalanche of notoriety. The clip portrays English actress and Oscar nominee Samantha Morton convulsing under a strobe light as she morphs into a parasitic alien; spewing forth her alien juices into our faces.

The clip was banned by MTV UK for its dangerous use of strobe lighting. As would be expected this failed to impede the status The Horrors gained as ‘funeral parlour punks’.

Not afraid of a cover, The Horrors interpretation of Screaming Lord Sutch’s Jack The Ripper kicks off proceedings. Proving to be quite the popular song these days, those of you familiar with the White Stripes song Astro would also recognise Jack White’s rant as he famously breaks down into the explosive Screaming Lord Sutch anthem.

Their most recent single She Is The New Thing, is a gory exploration of the fleeting nature of relationships, with all the visceral references that we have come to expect. It’s slack guitar drawl and surfy organ tones make it the perfect candidate for the next Batman instalment where Bruce Wayne and the Boy Wonder drop acid in a dingy rock club with the Joker, stopping by a crack den on the way home to write poetry on the walls in a thick felt-tip pen.

One thing I would love to have seen is Death at the Chapel, which appeared on their EP. Having a stronger 60’s surf-rock sound than most of the material in Strange House, it was a greater chance for Faris Badwan to show off his haunting Jim Morrison-esque vocal charm.

The Horrors are the perfect example of what eventuates when music and visual art combines. Although dressing up for the stage and having deathly alter-egos is nothing new in music, it is definitely what sets these guys apart from the rest. With "Strange House" already a slight departure from their debut EP, and having cultivated a modest, yet healthy and loyal audience, one can only assume that we are yet to see the best of The Horrors.

Am I excited? Yes….but slightly terrified at the same time!!!!

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

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