Review – The Horrors – The Liquid Rooms, 16 January 2012

It seems only fitting that temperatures in Edinburgh have plummeted once more as The Horrors brought their unique brand of sexy dystopia to town.

Ever since the band had to cancel their October show, this gig has been sticking out on the calendar like a sore thumb, one certainly not to be missed. They have grown into a truly formidable live outfit and certainly paid back the three months worth of accrued expectation for the show.

The band continued their policy of disregarding their debut album , instead playing a combination of tracks from Mercury-nominated Primary Colours and their highly acclaimed 2011 release Skying.

Kicking off with the expansive ‘Changing The Rain’ their sound settles into the flawless surroundings of The Liquid Rooms effortlessly. This is followed up by the more abrasive ‘Who Can Say’, with these first two songs demonstrating the range of sound the band now have at their disposal, possessing the ability to simultaneously rock, rave and inspire.

‘I Can See Through You’ raises the stakes even further as Faris’ vocals and synths come together in perfect harmony as the mass crowd worship at the singer’s utterances which contain a passion that definitely isn’t translucent. Personal favourite ‘Scarlet Fields’ again restores the balance between light and darkness, with the song’s tortured distortion and proclamations of fading summers perfectly fitting the frosty night.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7WAHnZPIX0]

Modern masterpieces ‘Sea Within A Sea’ and ‘Endless Blue’ hurtle the band into ever higher sonic ground, extravagant in both delivery and reception. They encapsulate the band’s ambition and sound like nothing else this venue will hear.

After the obligatory encore is taken it’s back to the opening two tracks from Primary Colours to set up the sprawling finish of ‘Moving Further Away’. The song encapsulates the band’s most perfect union of rhythm and atmosphere to date, rising and falling as it journeys through the peaks and troughs of their psyche.

An assured performance from an outfit that can simply let their music do the talking. You get the feeling that The Horrors are a band constantly moving forward, with their next to release sure to be even more enticing than their last. They were definitely worth the wait.

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