The Horrors

The Horrors are a British garage rock band who formed in the summer of 2005. Their music leans heavily toward surf punk music with a rather heavy penchant for the macabre. Opinion on the band is split, with some claiming that the spirit of the band lies more in fashion than music, while others are critical of the band's influences.

They are closely linked to the DJ group The She Set, and it should be noted that they are heavily influenced by bands such as The Cramps, and Screaming Lord Sutch.

The Horrors have their origin in the early 2000s where they became interested in obscure vinyl and DJing. During trips to London and on the Southend circuit, Rhys Webb met Faris Badwan and Tom Cowan, who had attended Rugby School together, through their shared interests in 60s garage rock, and, in 2005 the three formed a band with Joshua Hayward and Joseph Spurgeon. The band formed around Junkclub, an underground club founded by Oliver Abbott and Rhys. Their first rehearsal consisted of two covers: The Sonics' "The Witch" and Screaming Lord Sutch's "Jack the Ripper" (heavily influenced by previous cover versions by The Fuzztones, One-Way Streets and The Gruesomes) - the latter would eventually find itself as the first track on the band's debut album.

Having released Strange House, their debut album, in March 2007, The Horrors played a world tour to promote it. A slot as a support act for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in the USA in the summer was cancelled due to lack of funds, and the band instead headlined a US tour in June (which, sadly, I didn't know about).

They made a number of festival appearances throughout 2007, including appearances in Scandanavia, Japan, and Australia. Their set list throughout the summer contained a cover of 'No Love Lost' by Joy Division.

The Horrors also appeared in the third series of The Mighty Boosh in December under the pseudonym 'The Black Tubes', in which Noel becomes a member, and supported the Arctic Monkeys on their sell-out arena tour of the UK, at which they were bottled by the crowd on several of the tour-dates.

At the end of 2007 the Horrors announced the releases of a new single (rumored to be a cover of 'Dance' by Suicide), and a new album, out in March 2008. The album has since been postponed until later in the year, with September and maybe even November as possible months of release.

The album will be produced by Chris Cunningham, marking the first time Cunningham, famous for his music videos, has produced a record.

The Horrors played an NME Awards show in 2008 with Crystal Castles, Ulterior and These New Puritans, and supported The Sonics (a major influence on the band) on March 23rd.

On January 18th, 'Counting In Fives', a documentary of the band's tour of the USA, was unveiled at the Sundance Film Festival. March 2008 saw a move from Loog Records to XL Recordings in preparation for the second album and associated singles.

I absolutely love the lyrics on the debut album. They're rather genius for music that could be perceived as overall abrasive. Yet another reason to be a huge fan!

Check out these lyrics from the song Count in Fives. These are among the more simplistic, but inventive lyrics on the album.

Count in Fives

Count
Yeah I count in fives
I do it every time
And if another number confronts me
I will cut you in half

Irrespective of the subject
I will make it apply,
No matter what the object
I will count in fives,
Just tell me the location
I will stand outside...

Oh yeah,
if you give me too many
I will multiply
Force too many into my hand and
I will not comprehend

Oh yeah,
Another number confronts me
And I force it to divide
The first time with someone holding my hand
The second, me holding it out.

Tally tally

Oh yeah,
If you try to deceive me
I feel it burn in my hand.
Now watch the numbers run to me as
I count them in fives
-

So perhaps you're a little mystified, or perhaps, like me, you intuited that the lyrics are about some form of obsessive compulsive disorder! Apparently Faris (singer) liked having things grouped in fives when he was a child, so much so that he became obsessed with the idea. This is a very slight example of the bizarre lyrics found on this album, and I highly encourage you to explore this band for yourself.