“A Different Type Of Intensity” The Horrors Interviewed

“We’re both trying to quit smoking,” says Faris Badwan, the half-Palestinian frontman of The Horrors, whilst looking over at bassist Rhys Webb. Rhys pulls a cigarette from his pack, lights it, and slides the ashtray toward me. “I went to Barbados,” he says, explaining the source of his cigs. “I basically gatecrashed my dad’s holiday. I wasn’t smoking at all… and now I’ve got a whole box of cigarettes.” I reassure him that holiday cigarettes don’t really count. He agrees, opening a bottle of red wine from a cupboard in his North London flat.

The two goth-post-punk veterans have welcomed me into their home without hesitation. The kitchen table we’re gathered around played a key role in the forthcoming album’s creation—though ‘Night Life’ (release date March 21st) was finished in LA, much of it took shape right here at this table. The flat itself is a reflection of their aesthetic: dark red walls adorned with carefully curated artwork, the shade matching the wine in Rhys’s glass perfectly.

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In one corner, a towering collection of over a thousand records dominate the space. When I ask how he managed to move with such a collection, Rhys reassures me, “I’ve lived here for five years.” As we flip through his collection, I notice the records aren’t arranged alphabetically. “They’re organised by genre,” he explains. “This section is post-punk, this section is more punk.” I linger over his punk stash, we pull out albums by The Slits and Buzzcocks before landing on a Sex Pistols record.

“One of my favourite memories was spending a day with John Lydon,” Rhys recalls, a smile appearing on his face. “As a massive Pistols fan, everything happening on the music scene at that time felt electric. There was this series in the NME—funnily enough called the ‘Heroes Edition.’ I’ve always loved the punk stuff, especially what came after with Public Image Ltd. It was supposed to be a quick 45-minute interview, but we ended up hanging out for hours—talking music, drinking, and covering everything from The Slits to Jah Wobble, and even the whole scandal with the Metal Box tapes.”

But the one thing that catches my eye the most in his flat is the near-empty fish tank. Its a large fish tank with two fish swimming around and making the most of their new found space. “There were more and they were all called Mötley Crüe, but they have gone and now there’s only two left,”  Rhys explains.  

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I can’t help but draw parallels between the fish’s situation and where The Horrors currently find themselves. With the release of ‘Night Life’ later this month, this marks the band’s first ever record without their original line-up. The two remaining fish swim freely across his tank, occupying every corner and adapting seamlessly to their expanded space—much like Faris and Rhys, who are steering The Horrors forward following the departure of the other three members.

Faris states, “We’re in a different situation, especially with Jordan (Cook, drums) and Amelia (Kidd, keyboard/synth). We have a whole lot of different ways that we can work and we’re not gonna sit down now, are we? We’re just happy to have been able to stand up and get out.” 

Rhys continues, “We have just expanded the team. If Joe (Spurgeon, drums) wanted to come and work with us again, he’d be absolutely welcome and he knows that anyway. It was absolutely fine that he was getting a bit bored playing drums and his musical interests were going a bit more electronic.”

Faris interjects, “To be fair as well, when Joe was getting more electronic influence before he left, that did have an influence on where we took the sound.” He continues, “I must be a weird feeling. Like, imagine if you’ve been in the band with, you know, this group of people the whole time and then they’d go and make another record without you. That must be quite a weird feeling.”

Rhys adds, “They’re really happy we got to the end of the journey we wanted to.”

Even with changes to their line-up, the band’s chemistry is still going strong, and their creative process hasn’t diminished. “I think our way of working has evolved,” Faris says. “We understand each other a bit better now and know what works.” And that stronger connection seems to be fuelling their momentum. Reflecting on the long gap between their last two records, Rhys adds, “The time between the last two records is like a ridiculous amount of time. I feel like we’re not going to leave it again. I’m pretty sure we’ll be writing music at some point this year. We could even release new music this year.” Faris looks at him shocked and laughs.

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Thinking back to their early records and the band’s conception, the two admit they never really felt that they fit in when the band started. “We never really felt part of any contemporary scene, and we didn’t have much to do with our peers at the time,” they share. But instead of following trends, they carved out their own path to create something unique- that is also reflected in this new album. “We’ve never been particularly connected to what’s trendy—if that makes sense. I think, as a result, we ended up creating our own sound.”

“A big part of how we work involves trying out ideas and then identifying the special qualities within them,” they explain. “That’s something we’re pretty good at—pinpointing what makes something unique and focusing on it. There are things we’re not as strong at, but honing in on those distinctive elements has always been a big part of what we do.”

But that bold, intense energy has always been a core part of The Horrors’ identity. “We were an extreme band,” they recall. “It’s confrontational in the sense that it’s supposed to grab you. It’s supposed to be intense. It’s supposed to make you feel something.” For them, that emotional punch is what music is all about. “If you can make songs that do that, then you can’t really ask for much more because that’s what I want from other people’s music. I want it to hit me,” Faris explains.

Rhys also touches on the emotional weight behind their record ‘Night Life’. “I liked the idea of it being a heavier record and a darker record,” he says. “But more in terms of emotional weight and intensity—it’s a different type of intensity.” That emotional depth continues to shape their sound, pushing them to keep evolving while staying true to who they are.

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The band also openly acknowledge their past and former members. Faris explains how he’s a keen photographer and has documented The Horrors’ journey on camera since their inception in 2005. “We were just talking the other day about maybe doing a book with [the images]. I’ve literally got thousands of Polaroids from 2005 onwards.” Rhys adds, “The whole thing’s been captured on camera.”

Exploring their history via photos could invite comparisons between albums, but for a band that’s constantly evolving, The Horrors embrace change. We discuss the difference of sound between debut album Strange House and this forthcoming record – two albums that I describe as ‘worlds apart’. “We really didn’t plan any of it and it doesn’t really matter because I just think we are at our best when we’re working on that instinct like acting on that instinct,” says Faris.

But much like the fish in Rhys’ flat, he and Faris are the last remaining fish in The Horrors’ tank. At first, the image seems strange—just two fish with so much empty space. But Rhys and Faris have seen this new found space as opportunity. With their ability to adapt, they’ve transformed the tank into their own ocean. In a sea of possibilities, The Horrors aren’t just staying afloat—they’re thriving, with the world as their oyster…

We finish our interview with a fun Q&A inspired by their upcoming album.

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‘Ariel’ – Ariel is often associated with air and freedom—if you could escape anywhere right now, no limits, where would you go and why?

F: Did you learn that from Wikipedia?

Yes.

F: I’d go to Iceland. We wrote in Iceland once. That was fun. We saw the northern lights on the final day.

R: I’m not too fussy, but sometimes if I’m like away from the big city I do find it incredibly relaxing.

‘Silent Sister‘ – Everyone has a “silent” side to their personality. What’s something about you that people might be surprised to learn?

F: I’m a brown belt in judo.

R: I need to think on that one.

F: You’ve got a comprehensive knowledge of every fast food restaurant in the Western Hemisphere.

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‘The Silence That Remains‘ – If the world suddenly went completely silent, what’s the first noise you’d want to bring back, and what’s one sound you’d happily leave behind forever?

F: Oh well, I mean, I would leave behind the sound of the freezer draw for sure that would be gone.

R: I’m not religious in any way, but I really love bells, church bells. I was in Essex this weekend and I could hear the bells ringing on Sunday morning. It’s just really amazing.

What about a noise you’d want to never return?

R: I quite like horrible noise, like I basically sleep listening to horrible noise.

F: He’ll turn it on for not any reason other than he enjoys it. He’ll be turning on like YouTube videos of explosions and buildings like being knocked down and big bang sounds.

Do you find that therapeutic?

F: He does, yeah.

‘Trial By Fire‘ – Includes the lyric “You’re locked in my memory”. What’s your happiest memory that you’ll never forget?

F: When I scored the goal on SoccerAM.

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What?!

F: And you know what, the audience were booing before I took the kick. It was very weird. The presenters were weird with me off camera. The audience were like a fucking bunch of lads, you know, like booing literally thinking like I was an idiot. I love football and I don’t think they knew that, and I scored and it was so good.

I bet that felt amazing. Rhys what’s one of your happiest memories?

R: I mean that might even be one of my favourite ones as well.

‘The Feeling Is Gone‘ – Name something you’ll never get tired of doing?

F: Talking about Palestine.

R: Listening to music.

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‘Lotus Eater’ – If you could indulge in any pleasure or luxury without consequences, what would you choose? (For example, drinking beer with no hangover, eating a particular food without gaining weight, bleaching your hair with no lasting damage)

R: I can’t really say.

Is it inappropriate?

F: Rhys is a man who, you know, no earthly pleasure is denied. So you’re asking him an impossible question.

‘More Than Life’ – “All these dreams of mine” what’s the best dream you’ve ever had?

F: Oh, no. I mean, you’re probably asking the wrong person, but you’re about to ask the right person. Have you noticed it’s never interesting to have someone talk about their dreams?

I disagree. I love hearing about people’s dreams!

R: Farris has been trying to take the piss out of me by it because he obviously- as he’s just put on paper- thinks it’s incredibly boring to hear people’s dreams. Which I do on a daily basis.

So what was the best dream you ever had?

R: Do you remember yours?

Yes, and Michael Bublé was my boyfriend at school. It was PG13, and we just walked around school holding hands.

F: That’s very wholesome. 

Yeah it was great.

F: I love those dreams that kind of feel like a real saga, you know. Like I’ve like been like a medieval knight for like 100 years or something.

R: All my memorable ones are just not really…I’ve had recurring dreams about getting away with murder. Then like even from being a kid and having like buried a body in the school. Then having got away with it and then accidentally found myself again in a situation where I’m trying to get away with murder again.

What does that even mean?

R: No idea.

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‘When The Rhythm Breaks‘ – Your favourite band of all time?

F: I mean, I was thinking about this earlier. I don’t really believe in the idea of a favourite band, but if I think about a band that I come back to a lot, definitely Cocteau Twins are one of them. I listen to them a lot.

R: But favourite band, I mean, like, you know, when I was a kid I had like 10 different favourite bands. Like it was like either MC5 or it was The Kinks next minute. I mean it definitely changes. I love music, it’s really difficult to have favourites. I really love Public Image, they’re one of my favourite bands. I think they’re like always one of my favourite groups. I would say Keith Levine’s guitar style is definitely something that we like.

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Okay one final question. Do you have your phone on you?

R: I smashed mine the other day. The ash tray fell on it from the cupboard.

Well I want to see your last few Spotify searches.

Rhys:

Green Noise – going to sleep

Pink Noise – Niagara Falls

What Am I Gonna Do – Gloria Scott album

You’ve Got the Flaw – Arthur Adams

Faris: Blind Boy Podcast – Abstract Art and CIA

Aphex Twin – Stone in Focus

james.K 

Joy Squad – Koreless

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The Horrors new album ‘Night Life’ will be released on March 21st.

Words: Jazz Hodge
Images: Paul Grace

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