The stage at Glasgow’s QMU is suitably dark and smoky before The Horrors descend upon it tonight. Stepping out to the sound of synth drones and ambient guitar, the band have decidedly set the tone for the evening before the first song even begins.

 For a band with such a powerful atmospheric element to their music, it’s only right that The Horrors bring this to their live performances. Their most recent release, Night Life, achieves this more so than anything that came before it. With the addition of new members Amelia Sinclair-Kidd (formerly of Glasgow’s own The Ninth Wave), and John Victor (of Gengahr), The Horrors have enlisted their very own post-punk special forces, armed with an array of synthesisers and effects pedals, cultivating a sound that is equally eerie and unsettling as it is melodic.

 With twenty years of music-making behind them, The Horrors by now have a broad back catalogue to draw from. Tonight’s setlist sees them whirl through tracks from throughout their career, all fully revamped and given an even darker edge by the band’s new lineup. Tracks from latest release Night Life are well-represented, which in spite of the name marks a new dawn for the band, with the expert fusion of dissonant guitars with pulsing, often groove-heavy synth and bass flowing beneath it all, reminiscent of the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode. Frontman Faris Badwan appears like Lux Interior from hell, with all the twisted charm of The Cramps’ lead singer. Evidently well-rehearsed, The Horrors performance is incredibly tight, yet never compromises on its mood or emotion. So many of the bands’ songs feel like they’d be right at home on a film soundtrack, with a cinematic scope that the light design and performance only serve to bring further to life.

Article: Elliot Hetherton