Firstly, I'm looking forward to seeing Telegram, the opening band for the entirety of the UK tour. I've only heard the songs they have online (which is actually at this point only a single, "Follow") and I've overheard a few comments from some younger members of the crowd. "He wears eyeliner!" says one girl, "AND he looks like Morrissey!". I'm also quite excited for The Horrors too. Their new album Luminous, was one of the best of the year, and I can't wait to hear how it translates live.
Of course, as all support band crowds are, the crowd for Telegram is, well, dull, and that sort of amplifies how underwhelming the band themselves are. I understand the attraction. It's undeniable that The Horrors attract a very specific type of NME reading teenage girl, and clearly they share a fan base with Telegram. I get it, I do. When I myself was 14 I would quite honestly listen to anyone who had a long haired guitarist with a fringe, and a skinny leg band policy. Although these bands would almost definitely disagree, this part of alternative music does place a lot of emphasis on aesthetic, and Telegram fit that aesthetic perfectly. Their music is ok. I listen to it and I nod my head. If it was on the radio, I wouldn't turn it off. But there's no getting away from the fact that this is just a lot of electric guitar strumming, pedals, and a constantly unchanging drum beat. I practically develop repetitive strain injury from tapping my foot as they offer absolutely no rhythmic change. Perhaps this is too harsh. The sound really wasn't excellent, in fact, I'm not sure the 02 ABC is the best for sound, the room is curved and often distinctive guitar riffs and bass lines because distorted or just lost altogether, but that isn't their fault. I have to try hard to pick out the song I already know, "Follow". I don't dislike their set, but I can take it or leave it, and I know this because when I get home I have no motivation to like their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter, or listen to them again.
The Horrors are (unsurprisingly) the stars of the show. Coming on stage after the sound system has played Atomic by Blondie proves a good choice. The crowd cheer loudly, but their feet stay planted firmly on the floor as they get into "Chasing Shadows", the first track on most recent album Luminous. I can't really understand why nobody is dancing or even moving because everybody is singing, everybody is smiling. I come to the conclusion that the kind of person who attends a gig like this maybe thinks they're a bit too cool to dance.
Despite the totally mind-numbingly frozen crowd, The Horrors are excellent. They are the kind of band that really, really care about music, they aren't there to put on a show, they aren't performers, they're the kind of focused, clever musicians that only want to create the most gorgeous soundscape they can. A rare trait for artists very much set into that category of what the NME thinks is worth listening to.
They are accompanied by the most stunning light show, not a stage gimmick to distract you from the music, but quite the opposite. The lights are so intense they actually plunge the band into darkness and they merely become silhouettes for the entirety of their set, hiding behind colours, smoke and lasers, perhaps trying to rid themselves of the labels placed upon them, as both their fans and the media have at times focused more on their look than the music they're producing. That music, by the way, is crisp clear. They play the majority Luminous and the odd track off Skying and Primary Colours. I forgive them for not playing my personal favourite, "Dive In", because everything they do play is perfect.
The synth. Oh god, the synth. Their infamous triangular synth gets put into use a few times during their set, and every time my heart skips a few beats because it's absolutely genius. How many modern bands have the sheer skill to design and then create their own innovative instruments? What they're doing is modern but it's reminiscent of 60s psychedelia and girl groups and 70s prog rock and 90s shoegaze and it's all these genres lumped together and it becomes this dream like sonic attack on your senses and it's incredible. And I even cry a little during "Change Your Mind". Yeah.
The crowd finally livens up during the final songs, and "I See You" is the highlight of their performance by far. With synth harkening back to 70s disco (I Feel Love by Donna Summer springs to mind) and 80s electronica (Cars by Gary Numan), the song is a pure pleasure. It's almost like waves of sound swirling around you. It's fantastic.
The general consensus is "wow". There are people leaving the venue who are quite honestly lost for words, unaware they could be this affected by music. I, for one, just keep repeating "amazing", as I feel like I've been on some strange 1960s acid trip for the last hour and a half. The Horrors may not have grown in size, but they have grown up, and that has proved to do them more good than any amount of fans ever could.
9/10
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