The Horrors played The Studio -- watch the whole show now (video, review, setlist & more dates)
by Bill Pearis
The Horrors played their first NYC show in a year a half at the tiny Studio at Webster Hall last night (8/9), coinciding with the release of their third album, Skying, which takes them further away from the band’s goth beginnings. In fact, the 11-song set was almost equally divided between Skying and 2009’s Primary Colours, without a single song from their debut Strange House — probably much to the disappointment of the folks I saw in line with the novelty contact lenses.
The show was also broadcast live online via MTV, and you can stream the whole thing at the bottom of this post. It’s certainly a better sounding experience than what I heard standing stage left near the front. Despite a load of trucked in gear and a ton of techies, that space isn’t ideal for as manicured a sound as The Horrors’. I could barely hear guitarist Joshua Hayward so well from my vantage point, though half the time I’m pretty sure he was running through so many effects pedals it didn’t really sound like stringed instrument anymore.
That said, it was a good set. The band are tight and played most of what you’d want to hear off the last two (very good) albums. Frontman Faris Badwan is a master at hanging off the microphone, glowering underneath that mop of hair, which grew sweatier every song as the humid evening continued. MVP’s of the show were the band’s killer rhythm section, that laid down a solid groove through the 11-song set, their skill none more apparent than on Skying epic centerpiece “Moving Further Away” which was so good it pumped the crowd for an encore which never came. Maybe they should play that one next to last.
The Horrors will be back for a proper tour of the U.S. in a month, including a stop at Webster Hall (upstairs this time) on October 4. All upcoming Horrors dates, plus video stream of last night’s show and the setlist are below.
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The Horrors – Studio @ Webster Hall 8.09.2011
The Horrors – Studio @ Webster Hall 8.09.2011
Changing the Rain
Who Can Say?
I Can See Through You
Scarlet Fields
Dive In
Three Decades
Endless Blue
Sea Within a Sea
Still Life
Mirror’s Image
Moving Further Away
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The Horrors — 2011 Tour Dates
9/7 – Vancouver, BC – Venue
9/ 8 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
9/ 9 – Portland, OR – Dante’s
9/10 – San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s 365 Club
9/12 – Pomona, CA – The Glass House
9/13 – Costa Mesa, CA – The Detroit Bar
9/15 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
9/16 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
9/17 – Tucson, AZ – Plush
9/19 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
9/20 – Dallas, TX – The Prophet Bar
9/21 – Austin, TX – The Parish
9/23 – St Louis, MO – The Firebird
9/24 – Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock
9/25 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
9/27 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
9/28 – Montreal, QC – Cafe Campus
9/30 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
10/1 – Asbury Park, NJ – ATP
10/2 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
10/3 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
10/4 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
