The Horrors - Get down and sweaty at Mc Cluskeys!

May 7th 2014

Kingston, Mc Cluskeys' UK

****

New album tracks gone down a storm!

The Horrors **** I have not seen the Southend Art-Rockers since they totally blew me away at the Truck Festival in Oxfordshire in 2013, where their intense show took me right back to the 80's when Goth was a really big thing and bands like The Mission, Sisters of Mercy and Echo and the Bunnymen ruled supreme. The question is, are The Horrors a Goth band? well they are and they aren't they have Goth tenancies but verge on music from the Manchester scene back in the 90's like Joy Division and the Stone Roses and 80's / 90's Rock heroes Simple Minds mixed with a little bit of The Verve.

Tonight's show is a Banquet Records special, that is when they put a band on, on the week of their new album release and you can get the new CD and ticket to the show for a very low price. Tonight it's only £12 to get in and that is less than a normal ticket to see The Horrors so is a real bargain. 'Luminous' hits off where 'Skying' left off, but the band have evolved again even more going darker and fixing what people did not like so much on the record before. This is the sign of a great band to be able to move forward from album to album and The Horrors do just that.

Yes! The Horrors are a band I listen to a lot but you never know quite what your going to get when you go see them live and what alter ego they will bring out, so this makes them very interesting indeed. I went to the show expecting loads of new material which I was really looking forward to, but we only get four songs from the great new album and the set is almost a greatest hits set minus any material off The Cramps Esq. first album 'Strange House' . They very rarely play songs off this record because it's so different from the last few records, which is a shame but I understand why they choose to leave it out because I am not sure it would fit in that well even though I love it so much. I have to say you don't even realise they have played four songs off the new album because they fit in the set so well, which is a little strange.

This venue in Kingston is a little bizarre with metal dictators on the door to get in and the ceiling being so low and the stage so close to the ground, meaning you have to be down the front to see anything. Also the venue is really hot and sweaty even before the band goes on, so giving it an old small venue (Maybe in the back of a pub) feel rather than a nightclub feel. Also I am not sure the venue is full of the usual Horrors crowd, it looks like a lot of people have just turned out to see a cheap gig which is a little bit of a shame. Saying that there is a few hardcore fans at the front awaiting the bands performance with anxious eyes and ears and seem really excited to see the band again.

They open up their set with a trio of songs off their definitive album 'Primary Colours' which seems to delights with 'Scarlet Fields' coming across the best in the venue from the first few lines on keys to the last few notes. You can instantly see why this album was so popular in the first place, but the new album stands strong besides these hit's with both 'In and out of Sight' and 'I See You' being greeted well by people in the audience already singing them word for word. 'In and out of Sight' starts all Psychedelic and atmospheric and hits into a melody that feels like an old friend coming round for a cup of tea. In a way you forget this is a new song and not an old one, which is a really good thing.

It fits in so well and I think I will listen to this a lot in the next few months like 'I See You' which in a way could have been slotted into 'Skying' quite nicely. This songs still has the Simple Minds feel to it, while approaching the sound of The Mission or maybe even Echo and the Bunnymen, this song really grabs on to the sound of the 80's / 90's well and I think was released then would have been a major hit in the charts. The chorus to 'I See You' is just incredible and sticks in your head and goes round and round. I am sure I am going to find myself humming it down the road at night and the riffs and licks move up and down so nicely and have a anthem Esq. quality to them. If you have not heard this song, I advise you do because you can hear it on this page and you will see what I mean.

Check Out! the lyric Video for 'I See You' Below...

'Endless Blue' brings down the set a little and is a nice mid set interlude, while new song 'Falling Star' seems to go by in the blink of the eye. Old favourite 'Mirrors Image' brings the set back up and get's people pushing and shoving a little bit in the crowd. This is a song that really launches at you and grips you from when the bass provided by Rhys (Spider Web) is layed down. Also Faris' vocals that have been a little quite in other songs really seem to come to life so it's one of the best tracks in the set in Kingston. Also the haunting keys on the synthesizer is just outstanding during this song.

'So now you Know' from the moments the bass is produced is a track that stands out and has a real retro feel to it and moves along really quick and would go down really well at a festival. This song sounds very Simple Minds Esq. like 'Still Life' the leading single off their last album 'Skying' which is on form tonight and gives a good end to the main set with it's big beats and haunting vocals and melody. I simply love this track (Ignore the pun!). They come back on for a one song encore of a very long version of 'Moving further Away', this song builds up and builds up by the bass to a massive explosion of sound at the end. You see guitarist Joshua Hayward trashing his guitar back and forth to make a great end of set climax.

By The Horrors very high standards I don't think this was a great gig for them, the sound quality and music sounded great but it didn't have the impact of other shows I have seen them played. Saying that I am not disappointed I went and I love the new material. I can't wait to listen to the album more and I will be going to see The Horrors again to see what they are upto. I think this is a band that will go down in history and are really important for the music scene.

The Horrors - Setlist
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Sea within a Sea
Who can Say
Scarlet Fields
In and out of Sight
I See You
Endless Blue
Falling Star
Mirror Image
So now you Know
Still Life
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Moving further Away

Review and Photo's by Dan Devour