Icons of Fright - The Horrors

"Yet another band creating music that it's unfashionable to say you don’t like, with pretentious fucking haircuts and a musically elitist aesthetic…okay glad that’s out in the open. Hailing from London, The Horrors have created a public buzz around them with one of the biggest publicity stunts since Janet’s tit popped out - they have managed to rope the legendary Chris Cunningham in to direct the video for their Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster rip off that is ‘Sheena Is A Parasite’. With tunes that nod heavily to-yet sound as if they wouldn’t have made it onto a Cramps or Stems B-side record as the synth organs and distorted guitars are mundane and unimaginative. The eyeliner warriors known as The Horrors have made music for the indie fascists, if you don’t like the 70’s spooky horror movie tunes and out of tune drawls in the form of ‘Death at the Chapel’, you are obviously not cool. Over indulgent fashionably out of tune music with a horror theme that kinda worked when Eighties Matchbox were around, but sucks this time round. Oh what’s that you are gonna throw fake blood at me or attack me with bouffant hair styles?"

Lee Glynn, Gigwise, July 2006

Last time this hack had the pleasure of meeting The Horrors was backstage on their ill-fated tour with The Fratellis. When I mentioned I was from Gigwise their faces soon turned and they asked “are you the ones that hate us?” At the time I was not aware of the review posted above and I said no and assumed a chip on the shoulder was the band’s problem. You see, the thing is a lot of people hate The Horrors - for every one person that likes them there are detractors and that’s what I wanted to get to the bottom of. Is this something that bothers them or do they get off on it?

Now, February 2007, backstage at another NME tour we are met with a similarly frosty reception. Luckily a quick explanation regarding a lack of a common Gigwise consensus and a bit of mild sycophancy puts the interview back on track. Lucky really as one member says “Glad you like us, I was getting ready to throw something at your head otherwise”. A frosty welcome from Britain’s most confrontational band.

So what is it exactly that people seem to dislike so much about The Horrors? We asked guitarist Joshua Von Grimm and bass player Tomethy Furse. “The immediate thing is the image, people find it impossible to get past how we look” says Furse. “I think a lot of the time it’s the extremities that upset people. None of our songs have even the slightest chance of getting on Radio 1. People just want something that is safer and can be put on in the background. You have to actually listen to our music and I think a lot of people don’t actually like that”

What do the band hope the fans get from seeing The Horrors live? “A headache?” jokes Furse. “I think with us a lot of people have pre conceptions about us, probably seen us in magazines or how people talk about us but never seen us live and we are a very good live band,” says Von Grimm “A lot of people who slag us off in the media have really ill informed opinions because we have only had three singles out, it’s not enough to judge a band on fairly. So I feel playing live is a place to show what we are really about” adds Furse