Sick of Twitter and Facebook being full of people talking about highly irrelevant reality shows such as X-Factor (it’s killing music, if only people realised this.) I decided to finally listen, fully, to The War On Drugs.
This week, an amazing publication Under The Radar coined the brilliant phrase Bossgaze hilst describing The War On Drugs new album. Of all the sub-genres I’ve heard in recent years, this is probably my favourite. It’s Bruce mixed with Shoegaze. Listen to The War On Drugs, and you will get it. Something will click. You will nod your head and say “Ahh…it IS Bossgaze!” I did, but I’m probably not right in the head most of the time.
The War On Drugs formed in 2003, and one of my favourite singers EVER was once part of the group. Kurt Vile. That man is my generation’s Tom Waits. Kurt left the group in 2008, after several line-up changes- I think The War On Drugs now has a solid line-up.
Their new album (second full length LP if I’m not mistaken) Slave Ambient is nothing short of genius. It’s potentially one of the best albums to come out this year. YES, I have said this about several albums- but my choice with my favourite album of the year still stands.
Adam’s voice reminds me partly of Jason Pierce and Jim Reid. It’s so bloody glorious. Some have said the band are influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan to My Bloody Valentine. I’m sticking with my Spiritualized and The Jesus And Mary Chain influences I can hear. However in some songs- especially It’s Your Destiny, Adam does sound like a young Bob Dylan.
The War On Drugs are a perfect band to listen to whilst driving to nowhere in particular or just walking aimlessly for miles and miles. It’s music to losr part of yourself in but at the same time, discover something. Something well and truly great.
So whether or not Bossgaze takes off (and I sure hope it does), this band are awesome and are doing something different that requires your undivided attention.
A year ago today Charlie Haddon from Ou Est Le Swimming Pool sadly took his own life after the band played at Pukkelpop.
My best friend and I bonded over our love for certain bands, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool was one of them. We saw them support La Roux in 2009 in Birmingham. Front row. We were the only ones who knew every word to Ou Est’s songs. It was just an awesome night.
Last October I was fortunate enough to go to Chazzstock at Koko in London, a memorial and celebration of Charlie’s’ life. The band only put out one album (The Golden Year) but that one album was truly stunning.
There’s so much one could say about this, but it has been said by so many already, and it still doesn’t seem right. It never will. Just like with Aaliyah and Amy Winehouse. It’s tragic and it’s painful, but we always have the music.
When I bought Cat’s Eyes album I noticed a song was decicated to Charlie, it is truly beautiful.
Last year, the day before their debut full length album came out I was fortunate to meet and interview Warpaint.
I’ve met some really good people in my time- both famous and non famous; however no person has ever been such an honour to speak to as Theresa Wayman. She is well and truly one of the most loveliest and genuine persons I have ever met. Her answers to my questions were passionate and hilarious. The way she tells you a story just captures you so much. I was just in awe of everything about Theresa. I took in every single word she said as I sat next to her on the sofa. Oh and she has the best pin-striped trousers and boots ever. In fact, all members of Warpaint have amazing boots. Extremely well dressed indeed.
I’ve pretty much taken procrastination to a different level by only typing the interview up until now. However, I am not going to type it as a typical Q&A. Those Q&A articles are boring, you need substance with an article and that’s what I am going to try to do. Besides, you need to know about my love for Warpaint and why I love them. If someone sat me down and said, “Olivia, tell me about your love for Warpaint” they would probably leave as I could go on for hours, days as to why I love them.
I first heard of Warpaint around 2 years ago. I heard Billie Holiday and it just threw me. I loved how bare and stripped it was. I was utterly enthralled by the vocals and how it just flowed. I loved how they sang “B.I.L.L.I.E H.O.L.I.D.A.Y” it just sounded so perfect, so relaxing. Almost like a lullaby.
Fast forward to about a year after I heard of Warpaint, I then heard Undertow. Well, that was it really. Nothing mattered at all. It was my song of 2010, and The Fool was my favourite album of 2010 also. I just couldn’t believe music like this was being created. More importantly, I was so happy that a female group was creating music as powerful as this.
I’ve seen on various websites and blogs that girls are inspired by Warpaint to pick up an instrument and start bands. It’s good to see an all female group using talent rather than relying on gimmicks to sell their music to people.
Warpaint are easy to “get.” There’s no pretentious feel to their music, you don’t have to come from a certain background to enjoy their music, and you don’t have to be anything or anyone to be a fan. You can’t look at someone and think, “Oh they’re a Warpaint fan.”
I get it all the time, just because I wear black all the time I’m supposed to listen to Cradle of Filth or some shit. Fuck that.
I asked Theresa where the name Warpaint came from. I’m always intrigued as to where bands get their names from. Emily came up with it. Other names they had were, Notes From The Underground, and my personal favourite I Love You. I suppose if they stuck with I Love You it could get confusing as I told Theresa. “Who are you going to see?” “‘I Love You.’ ” “Thanks, but who are you going to see?” It’d just cause people getting confused and thinking someone was declaring their love to them, and they’d just feel foolish wouldn’t they really.
Aside from how bands get their names, I always love hearing stories on how bands meet. Some meet in bars, some reply to ads in music publications, some are just thrown together in school and the rest is well history as they say.
So, how did they meet?
“Through friends, and living in the city. Pretty quickly actually. After we all moved there, we met each other (LA). You spot people, especially in LA, in Hollywood that are like you in a crowd, like-minded. I think it’s safe to say we’re not typical LA girls. The way we live now, we are typical and we’re not typical.”
She then mentioned how she, Emily, Jenny and Stella were staying in a hotel in Dublin- the hotel was connected to a bar and restaurant, and they came downstairs at around 6pm ish for some food and to use the internet- dressed in sweatpants and pyjamas. It then turned into a nightclub and it was full of girls everywhere in mini-skirts. Theresa went into the bathroom, and there were some girls in bathroom re-applying make-up and talking about boys, and she said, “They were definitely giving me some looks. I looked like a slob and I didn’t have my hairbrush so I had a big knot in the back of my hair.”
Let’s be honest here, I doubt Theresa and the others could ever look like slobs. Besides, I’d rather see them than a bunch of girls in mini-skirts.
One of the many things I love about Warpaint is the length of their songs. I love songs that last over 5 minutes and send you off into this relaxing place where the real world cannot touch you. Nothing matters as you just totally lose yourself in the world that this piece of music taken you to. Songs like Beetles and Elephants just send you into a whirlwind. Songs like Baby and Lissie’s Heart Murmur feel like a lullaby. Every song of theirs fills you with such grand emotions and the ability to take you anywhere, it is that powerful. You can make your own meanings up to the songs.
I still use Undertow as the song I go to when everything just seems too much, the line “I laid on the floor. Pressing in my eyes, seeing little lights. Please light these decisions that only one could make. I wanted to stay home but I went running running running running from the troubles.” I could never find words good enough to fully express what this verse means to me, no words could do it justice. The amount of times where I have found it impossible to sleep, so I just play Warpaint on my headphones in the dark- listening to Undertow is ridiculous. It’s like some kind of comfort blanket most of the time. I know I’m making myself out to be a wuss, maybe I am.
Anyone who has seen Warpaint live (I have yet to) has witnessed the little jam sessions they have at the end of Beetles and Elephants, it’s just utterly mind-blowing.
As frequently pointed out in various publications, Warpaint are SURPRISE SURPRISE female. Shock! Horror! Girls….playing instruments! I asked Theresa if the band had experienced sexism in the music industry at all. Some may think people are more open-minded now, but trust me- they’re not.
“I have noticed that in-house soundmen, when you first arrive are grumpy. It’s funny. I’m not trying to diss them, I love soundmen, but it’s true. I’ve noticed on more than one occasion people are dismissive of that maybe we don’t know what we’re doing. But after the show, for the most part their tune is changed.”
I hope anyone who thinks Warpaint cannot play or know what they are doing based on their gender feels like a massive idiot.
Warpaint are more than band-mates and best friends. They are clearly like family. I remember walking into the venue to meet them, and the way they were with each was just beautiful.
They love each other, and they have so much love for what they do. This lacks in a lot of bands (past and present). When you can see how much a band love what they do, and each other it just transpires into their music. The way they just get lost in the music that they play is inspiring, it makes you get lost in it too. It makes you feel the music even more.
With just one full length album Warpaint have done so much. Their acoustic performance on BBC3 last year for Reading gained them a fair amount of attention and this year’s performance at Glastonbury and Coachella just blew people away- both old fans and people just wandering around seeing who was on.
Bands such as Warpaint don’t come around often, but when they do it is important you just embrace it. Accept that this band will change your life, they will be your life. As a music obsessive, this is entirely how I feel about Warpaint. Without their music, I have no idea what I would do. Warpaint’s music just breathes life into you when you feel, well, shit I suppose. It makes you feel alive and it makes you want to change everything for the better. That’s the remarkable thing about music, it gives you strength and courage.
For me, Warpaint are more than just a band. I just feel so honoured to have met them and to have spoken to Theresa about the band and music. It was truly one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
I’ve always heard people say you should never meet your heroes, I’ve met mine several times and they’ve all been brilliant experiences. However, with Warpaint it just felt like everything made sense. Any feeling of wanting to give up on being a Music Writer just went away. Of course there are times when I just want to stop doing it due to my own harsh self criticisms and self frustrations, but I just play some Warpaint songs and my love for music and writing about it comes back. Things like that are priceless. Things like that just keep me going. Again, more proof that music is such a powerful force that I don’t think many recognise.
Sub-genres in music have a lot to answer for. By this, I mean for the most part these sub-genres that are made up are entirely pointless.
Prime example, emo. Emo music is has been given, for the most part- bad press. Maybe quite rightly so, who knows. It depends if you enjoy hearing singers with a nasally voice singing about how some girl ripped the singer’s heart out and now they want to drink themselves into an oblivion and probably attempt to kill themselves. If that’s your thing, then fair enough.
However, shouldn’t ALL music be emotional? Shouldn’t all music make you feel something? Whether it makes you laugh or cry- it should make you feel. Therefore all music is emotional so in short, the term “emo” is redundant. As is “pop-punk” but some may say it’s the same thing and I could write thousands of words about my hate for that kind of music. But I can sum it up with one- SHIT.
Now that’s out of my system (for now) I’ll go on about one of my favourite sub genres of music (aside from Riot Grrrl). Shoegaze for most started out as an insult, which first came about when a journalist went to review new band at the time, Moose. If you watch performances of bands that are classed as Shoegaze, they used to constantly stare at the ground (at their shoes) when they performed. Ergo, the term Shoegaze was born. TA-DA! And all that shit.
What I love about most of the bands that are classed as Shoegaze (even if it is against their will) is how low the vocals are, how the guitar hypnotises you and how the drums have a vague Wall of Sound feel to them. I love how dark the whole sound is, it’s like nothing else.
A lot of bands I listen to now have this same kind of feel such as The Horrors (Primary Colours and Skying) and Zola Jesus. From a hypnotising sense, I get that from bands such as Widowspeak and Warpaint.
Anything that can transport you into a different world with a sound is fine by me. The dark, intense atmosphere that you get from most Shoegaze bands is something that just hits you right in the gut. It doesn’t make you want to dance, it just makes you feel. I’d rather listen to something that causes my mind to go off than make me want to dance.
The Jesus And Mary Chain is probably my favourite band that fell into the Shoegaze category. There is something about Jim’s voice that just moves you in an unexplainable way. It’s eerie, it’s menacing- but at the same time you sense hints of vulnerability in his voice. I suppose that’s why many have compared The Horrors to The Jesus And Mary Chain. Oh that and the fact both bands are brilliant.
Psychocandy, I feel just defines Shoegaze. It also defines what a debut album should be like. It grips you and you want more and more from them.
My love for them goes beyond words. Aside from The Smiths, no band has ever made me feel like this about music.
Bands such as The Smiths, The Velvet Underground and Bauhaus can easily be regarded as an influence for the Shoegaze genre. Just listen to the guitar in How Soon Is Now or Venus In Furs. The eerie sound is such a blatant influence on Shoegaze.
One band that I brutally obsessed over between the ages of 17 to well, now I guess are Husker Du. To me, I regard them as a massive influence within Shoegaze. The distorted guitar, the low voice- it’s all there. Bob Mould is just a musical genius.
I remember finding a Husker Du shirt in Camden around 4 years ago, I felt like I had won the lottery or something. Pretty sure I lived in that shirt. Candy Apple Grey is such a phenomenal album. It just poured out so much feeling. The despair in Don’t Wanna Know If You’re Lonely is gut-wrenching.
It’s pretty much sacrilege to not mention Cocteau Twins when mentioning Shoegaze. The gripping sounds, the exquisitely emotional lyrics. Such a perfect band that still, I believe do not get the respect and recognition that they fully deserve. They also reinforce my belief that most good music comes from Scotland.
As Shoegaze sadly faded out we were unfortunately exposed to the sounds of Brit-Pop (the only acceptable band was Suede) how we went from music with so much passion and heart to something so dull and bland baffles me.
I suppose, you just have to take the good with the bad.
Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine is one of the most magnetising front-men ever. His hypnotic voice, his comforting words. His whole stance on stage is just stunning. My Bloody Valentine’s use of reverb and distortion influenced so many bands that fall into the Shoegaze sub-genre, and still influence bands of other genres.
My Bloody Valentine’s second album, Loveless is highly thought of as THE influential Shoegaze album. Loveless was recorded over a couple of years in around 19 different studios. The album is just so perfect from start to finish, a true masterpiece. To Here Knows When still blows my mind.
As far as female fronted bands go, Lush were one of the greats. Labelled as Shoegaze by many, most them chucked them into the Brit-Pop category. Call them what you wish, but they are one of the most underrated bands that the UK has produced.
With bands such as The Horrors and Crocodiles making music that gives you the psychedelic feel mixed with Shoegaze. In a way, Shoegaze may have stemmed from psychedelic. A sound that makes you feel like you are being carted off into space, creating a swirling world that nobody can stop you entering. Why would they? It’s the best place to be. There will never be a band that can cause you to feel how The Jesus And Mary Chain does or an album as sincere and poignant as Loveless. Regardless if you like the term Shoegaze or not, all the bands that have been lumped with this label have just been so inspirational.
Last week, Under The Radar Magazine coined the phrase Bossgaze. Yes, it is Bruce’s music and Shoegaze. It needs to happen. Let’s make it bloody happen!
Most of the bands I love have either dead band members or have split up. Or even worse, both.
This year one of the bands that I adored with every fibre of my being split up. I never got to see them live, but every album they put out holds greats significance to me.
Silverchair were and always will be such a special band to me. In college I had a rucksack that I covered in black marker with bands I loved written all over it. Silverchair was one of them, and I think I had some of the lyrics to Emotion Sickness scrawled over it too.
Neon Ballroom without a doubt is one of my favourite albums ever made. Every single song on the same could break your heart, but at the same time gives you this weird strength to just carry on.
The time in my life that I first listened to Silverchair was, well, shit basically. Certain songs were an emotional crutch because I knew no one around me could begin to get it. This wasn’t your standard teen angst, it was something else. However, if I could go back in time I wouldn’t change a thing at all. If I was to, I probably wouldn’t hold this much love and respect for bands such as Silverchair.
Daniel Johns’ words settled my internal rage in a way no other band could, or has done since. Certain songs made it easier for me to accept the strong dislike I had for myself. Certain songs made breathing less difficult. Certain songs were my life.
With a lot of bands, they go on about self hate and anger because they want to seem “cool.” There is nothing cool about being angry or hating yourself. Anyone who has felt this way about themselves knows it is the most self destructive and exhausting thing you can do to yourself. Daniel Johns’ lyrics came right from the heart which is probably why they captured mine instantly.
Songs such as Do You Feel The Same, for me just summed up so much. “Moon covered determined to find. To find my place of hiding. Try to detach, try to decrease. To make it easier on me. Despise myself for what you’ve done. Sent me back into my world. Hold yourself ’cause no one will. I’ll make it easier” It meant the world to me when I first heard it, and it still does now. The frustration in his voice when he sings this song just leaves you in awe.
Then you have songs such as Miss You Love, “I love the you love. But I hate the way I’m supposed to love you back.” It’s easy to accept love, but loving someone back can rid you of so much. An easy thing to feel.
Ana’s Song (Open Fire) is about Daniel’s battle with Anorexia. Eating disorders have always been a subject people never touch on. Maybe if they did, people would not have to suffer as much as they do. Of course, there is this misconception that it is only girls who suffer from eating disorders. Hearing of Daniel’s struggle with Anorexia in this song is beyond heartbreaking.
The metaphors who uses and the imagery he creates is so painfully accurate and at times, extremely hard to listen to. I’ve had people that were/are close to me go through having an eating disorder, and hearing this songs just echoes how they felt and their fight with having an eating disorder.
“And you’re my obsession, I love you to the bones. And ana wrecks your life, like an anorexia life.” I’ve never heard a line so powerful. I could go into detail about this line, but when you hear Daniel sing this song, especially this line- you do not need words to describe it. The feelings from him that pour out just explain it all.
They released their first album, Frogstomp when they were only 14 years old. Each album just turned out to be works of art- knowing they were so young when their first record came out is utterly mind-blowing.
Neon Ballroom is so passionate and aggressive. Every song just pours out so much frustration, at others and at self. If it wasn’t for this album, I think being a teenager would’ve been worse than it was, if possible. The drums, bass and guitar sound so menacing complimented with Daniel’s harsh yet soothing voice.
There’s no way I could possibly pick a favourite track off this masterpiece, every single song means so much, too much.
It is such a timeless and highly influential album. I listen to it now, and although I do associate the album with some shit times- it’s been worth it.
Maybe Silverchair will never get back together and make music again, but all 5 of their albums means a lot. Even Young Modern.
I’ve always felt that the band has been so awfully underrated. Each of them is outstanding musicians. I watch live clips of them and seeing Daniel play the guitar like that is so ridiculously powerful. The love in their performances is just amazing. They had this raw feel to them that doesn’t exist in many bands anymore. It is more than a shame that they are no longer together, but with their back-catalogue, they will always be around.
For me, Neon Ballroom was the blueprint of being a teenager for me. It was like a rite of passage or something. Listening to it as a teenager and now as a 24 year old, I still feel the same. The feelings that Neon Ballroom creates is for the most part, highly indescribable. Extremely personal and a fantastic work of art. It will always be album that I rely on and feel a lot for. There were days listening to it would hurt, there were some days where listening to it would just make everything alright. I guess, that’s why music is such a powerful, personal and vital force.
I Break Horses aka Maria Lindén is another reason as to why Sweden is producing some amazing music. See The Knife/Fever Ray, Death In The Afternoon, Those Dancing Days, Lykke Li and of course- Ace of Base.
Although the vast majority of music from Sweden is quite pop based (Robyn), Maria pretty much picks up where Shoegaze left off. Or maybe, what Shoegaze would sound like now. Either or. As someone who has a borderline obsession with the Shoegaze genre, it’s artists such as Maria that keep my faith and interest in new music going. Listing the Cocteau Twins as one of her influences, how could she not create such gorgeous music.
Winter Beats is stunning. It is stunning and atmospheric. It makes you feel like you are laying on a hill watching firework. It’s such a euphoric song. I love music that is simple but sounds so big, and at times- haunting. I suppose that is why I adore I Break Horses so much amongst others.
Her debut album Hearts, is released next week. I reckon it’ll be on a par with amazing debuts this year that have come from the likes of Cults, CocknBullKid and Anna Calvi.
Forming in Sweden around two years ago as only a duo, Death In The Afternoon released their first EP at the start of the year as a 5 piece.
I’ve read a few articles that have basically said that this is what Interpol would sound like if they had synths. As I love Interpol, it’s not a comparison that has put me off the band. I suppose it is easy to hear why they have been compared to them. If you really must have a comparison, they sound a fair bit like Depeche Mode. The dark guitar sounds over heavy synths and bass with an agressive drum.
What I love about Death In The Afternoon is how Christian, Linda and Amanda’s voices compliment each others. It sounds so romantic. Very 80s.
Oh they’re possibly named after a cocktail or an Ernest Hemingway book- either reason is pretty cool.
There is always one specific song you hold so close to you. There’s that one song you cling onto with all you have, even when you think everything and everyone has drained you of all you have and all you are. This one song is your absolute life-line. It is your crutch, it has saved your life. Without this song, you have no idea where you would be. Or maybe you do, but you don’t want to think about it. Because if you think about it….well, who knows. This song means the world to you, and more. It is part of you. Maybe it defines you. Whatever it does to you, nothing and no one else ever will.
For me, the song is Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths. I’ve never heard a song so bloody apt. It seems this song, is my constant crutch. And currently, well let’s just say it means more to me than it ever has done before.
Attempting to put into words what this song actually means to me is probably impossible. Ask any genuine fan of The Smiths or Morrissey (I mean the ones who know there is more to them than This Charming Man, First of the Gang to Die and How Soon Is Now) and they will have the one song by The Smiths or Morrissey that is their utter life line. Some may choose I Know It’s Over, which to me, is on a par with Please Please…”Oh Mother I can feel the soil falling over my head.” Have you ever heard a line so fragile? “It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate. It takes strength to be gentle and kind.” Never a truer word spoken, When you feel so low, being kind and gentle is so exhausting. Being good to people who aren’t worth it takes so much from you. So, let them go. Always let them go.
Lyrics have always been a huge thing for me. When you read the lyrics to anything Morrissey has written, you can read it as poetry. He is quite possibly one of, if not the greatest songwriter of all time. What fucks me off a lot is when people dismiss him and just call him grumpy or a depressive twit. He did suffer from depression in his early years, that is obvious in some of his work. However, listen to songs such as Bigmouth Strikes Again and you will hear humour in his words. He’s so bloody intelligent and witty- if you overlook this, you lack intelligence. Harsh? Possibly,but still true.
“So for once in my life, let me get what I want. Lord knows it would be the first time.” Anyone who cannot relate to these words is quite possibly a robot. However, I think the person with the coldest and hardest of hearts can really feel these words, this song. Everyone at some point in their life has felt, “Just give me a fucking break.” I feel it most days, probably far more than I should. I dislike how honest I’ve been writing this, but no one ever reads what I write so it’s okay. I’ve never seen this live. Seeing I Know It’s Over broke my heart in June and August this year. I just never thought I’d witness it, but I did. It’s something I hold so very dear to me.
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want means more than the world to me. The sadness that comes out of Johnny Marr’s guitar is heartbreaking, the way Morrissey emphasises certain words just pierces your soul. It crushes and comforts you all at the same time. Listening to The Smiths and Morrissey can, at times, be like an emotional rollercoaster. With others, it’s never worth it- but it is with them. Always.
The below clip is one of the best things I have seen Morrissey do. He breaks down, which just makes the song that much more hard-hitting and personal. You feel it even more because you see him feel it. When his voice trembles a bit and he kneels on the ground, you just want to hug him and say, “I know….I know.” Watching this performance is highly emotional.
Everyone has a band that changed their life. A band that found them when every part of them as lost- The Smiths are my band. Morrissey’s lyrics made me feel less daft for being sensitive. At worst a coward, at best just unsure.
Sometimes you just need music that just smacks you right in the face. It smacks you so hard, but here’s the mental part- you enjoy it. It’s the pleasurable kind of pain. It exists- like getting a tattoo.
Cold In Berlin are one of THE most exciting bands I’ve heard in a long time. I feel like they could’ve easily been part of the Punk scene playing at CBGBs, yes they are THAT mind-blowing.
God I Love You is agressive. It’s passionate. It oozes frustration and quite possibly being insanely pissed off at the person you are a bit fond of. We’ve all been there I suppose. Think Summer Camp’s I Want You but with extreme rage and a hint of Siouxise Sioux. It works. Trust me, it works. Singer My/Maya even looks slightly like Siouxsie Sioux. By slightly, I mean squint a bit- I’ve got bad eye sight so I could be wrong.
I love the volatile vibe you get from this band. I had comparing bands to others, but this time- it’s okay. Cold In Berlin remind me so much of Bikini Kill. The angst and the passion in their music is perfect- match that with dark sounding guitars, you pretty much have one of the most exciting bands in the UK right now.
Artrocker have quite rightfully named Give Me Walls as their album of the year in 2010. If the Mercury Music Prize had balls (or boobs…depends what kind of stance you want to take) then Cold In Berlin would be on the list.
This band are everything I love in much. Aggressive, dark, intense and so much frustration. The best forms of art have all these factors. Go buy their music, go to their gigs.
Everyone has their own take on what makes a great front-man/woman. It can be how they can control a crowd to how they are in interviews. There are various reasons as to what makes them great- everyone’s take on it is different.
Of course I regard Morrissey and Jim Reid (The Jesus And Mary Chain) to be the greatest front-men ever. However, there is someone else I hold as highly as these two.
This person towers of the mic stand, you are instantly attracted to him- in whatever way, that’s up to you. You look at him and you are amazed that someone so young can control a crowd in a way many spend years trying to do. Usually dressed head to toe in black, to some- they may be scared of him. But that’s only because people are small-minded twats aren’t they. Those that love the band he fronts know that he is a work of art. He is a genius. So are his band mates.
The man in question is non other than Faris Badwan from The Horrors. Since Morrissey and Jim Reid I honestly don’t think I have ever been so captivated by a front man. He paces the stage like lion, he owns the stage. He doesn’t have to succumb to meaningless talk with the audience to control them. He has this presence that just draws you in.
Watching early performances of The Horrors, Faris goes mental during songs such as Gloves and Death at the Chapel- watching these early performances you find it hard to believe that in a few years time, he will look all majestic and peaceful singing Sea Within A Sea.
It isn’t just with live performances that Faris grips you, it’s the interviews he does. Whether he’s talking about The Horrors, Cat’s Eyes or his artwork- you can just sense the passion he feels towards what he does. He doesn’t have to be all smiles and leaping around for you to see just how much he loves what he does. It comes out with the words he uses to describe it all.
One thing that I have always found fascinating about Faris is his love for girl groups. The real sense of girl groups such as The Girlfriends and The Ronettes. He incorporates these influences into The Horrors music and of course, with Rachel Zeffira in Cat’s Eyes.
The sincerity when he talks about what he does and his love for it is greater than most. Why? Well, because those that don’t care as much always feel the need to justify and explain what they do, why they do it and who they do it for.
Surely, if you love something….have a passion for something- you never need to justify it because the true meaning is in you, in your heart.
Constantly Fairs has been compared to the likes of Kevin Shields and Jim Reid, especially since Primary Colours and even more so with Skying. In some respects you can see these comparisons, from how he stands on stage to how he sings but to be honest- that’s all there is. Jim Reid never looked as majestic as a lion whilst pacing up and down the stage. It’s just lazy journalism comparing Faris to these two.
Also, why should he or anyone be compared to others? Especially when they are doing something different.
Although I dislike the station a hell of a lot, having The Horrors be placed on the Radio 1 play list is a bloody good achievement. If you listen (and I feel sorry for you if you do) to Radio 1, you are constantly exposed to the same songs every hour. There is nothing different; every single song is the same.
To have song such as Still Life being play listed doesn’t just help The Horrors, but it gives hope to bands that are doing something different the chance to be heard by the masses.
Maybe those that get into The Horrors will not love Strange House. They may just dismiss it as noise. It isn’t noise, it’s Garage Rock.
What I love about The Horrors is that their music makes you feel like you are listening to them in the 60s. You know, when music actually meant something. Stood for something. To have a band like The Horrors make the music that they make now is just beyond.
Many have regarded Faris as being “difficult” in interviews, but they’re missing the point. He’s not someone you are going to get pointless information out of such as “favourite kind of dog.” He’s a musician; therefore he will talk about his music, and only music. That’s how it should be. Not just with him, but all musicians. We do not need to know about their personal lives, it is highly irrelevant. We aren’t their close friends or family- therefore, it isn’t our business.
Last year Faris joined The Vaccines on stage at Chazzstock (memorial gig for Charlie Haddon from Ou Est Le Swimming Pool) and although he was only on stage for two songs, his presence was indescribable. I couldn’t believe he was stood right in front of me.
This October, I’m finally seeing The Horrors live (The Kills are also joining them, I cannot contain my excitement about this) since the EP before Strange House I have loved The Horrors, that’s 2006 I have been a massive fan. I’ve waited too long to see them, so to see one of my favourite bands live this year is a big deal.
I wish I saw them during the Strange House era- to see Faris climb over speakers, cover the crowd in black paint, launch himself at the crowd- it would’ve been such a good atmosphere. Something a lot of bands lack. However, to be able to hear tracks from Primary Colours (hopefully) and Skying will make up for it.
I’m all for listening to whatever you want, but if you listen to Sea Within A Sea or Endless Blue and still dislike The Horrors, then you should probably get yourself a new record collection.
I firmly believe in 10, 20 years from now people will name The Horrors as one of the greatest bands to have come from the UK and will also name Faris Badwan to be one of the greatest front-men ever.
Beat In My Bones. 