As Brisbane's main arterial motorway clogged with a post-peak-hour traffic jam (thanks to a big rugby league game), the scene inside The Princess Theatre was a world apart.
Fans of headliners, The Horrors, slowly sauntered inside and dispersed (10 April). It wasn't until the opening act had started that they appeared out of the shadows, or one of the many dark corners of the venue.
The support act was G.U.N. (short for GALVANIC. UNAPOLOGETIC. NOISE). The Sydney trio have been making waves on the industrial/ goth/ noise scene for a handful of years.
Multi-instrumentalist band members, Frxci Murphy and Roberto Kialc move through the fogged stage and commence a drone of keys and lead guitar. A long intro then sees a wiry figure grace the stage. Combining muscle flexes and Audry Hepburn grace, Nathan Dick is theatrical in a tight dress and sunglasses.
The trio grind through a set filled with walls of noise, avant-garde vocals and industrial dance thuds. The swirling mixing bowl of Einsturzende Neubauten, Sheep on Drugs, The Birthday Party and The Stooges is an absorbing, sometimes unnerving, journey into a shadowy Warhol-esque dimension.
G.U.N - image © Chris Searles
The shadows are again vacated and floor space filled in anticipation of The Horrors. A 14-year gap between Australian tours, this version of the band contains one original member – frontman, Faris Badwan.
The band shot to popularity in the mid-2000s with confrontational, goth-based noise rock. It rode the wave of raw, garage-sounding guitar rock with the likes of The KVB, TOY, Interpol and Bloc Party.
The Horrors aesthetic became a brand in itself, developing an army of similarly dressed nu-goth fanatics – black clothes, wrist wraps and an eye from under a crimped black fringe. Even the legendary comedy duo, The Boosh, had them as a band on their iconic TV show, 'The Might Boosh'.
The long intro for 'The Silence That Remains', from the recent album 'Night Life', is a great tone setter. New faces in the band have introduced a clearer production, lending itself to an instant atmospheric stage presence.
The Horrors - image © Chris Searles
Badwan paces, as if working up the nerve to commence singing. He need not worry because the fans are ready for it, cheering his every move. His voice is the same since their lightning bolt rise to fame, retaining its impressive combination of Ian Curtis, Ian McCulloch and David Bowie.
The new members are fantastic on their instruments. Guitarist and most recent addition, John Victor is frenetic and carries the drone and backbone fuzz required through all songs.
His efforts on 'Three Decades', from 2009's 'Primary Colours', is album perfect, something many fans seek in live shows with complex music. The shoegaze bends, ala My Bloody Valentine, blend seamlessly with Amelia Kidd's eerie keyboard crescendos.
Badwan calls "more smoke, please", thus producing a stage full of fog. With drummer Jordan Cook now completely buried in the thick soup, the band bounces through 'Silent Sister' and fan favourite 'Sea Within A Sea'.
The Horrors - image © Chris Searles
The haze of noise has resemblance to The Cure's 'Pornography' era, particularly 'A Short Term Effect' and 'The Figurehead'. There's nothing wrong with it and kudos to the band for producing dark melodies and moods such as this.
The set slows towards the middle and allows all to catch a breath. 'Endless Blue' and the excellent 'Still Life' from 2011's 'Skying' are rockier, melodic and sonically simpler to follow.
Badwan barely talks beyond a simple "thank you" after some songs. It's a strange option and feels a little disrespectful to dedicated fans who've stayed true since the early days.
'More Than Life' and the lovely 'LA Runaway' capture the evolution of the band. Less fuzz, bigger sequenced electronic beats and clear vocals are an exciting step forward. It's big, breezy and refreshing after a runaway train journey to destination 'grit pop'.
The Horrors - image © Chris Searles
A quick break sees the band back onstage and launching into 'Lotus Eater'. This is a fantastic 'burger with the lot' track, combining big beats with soaring trance chords with classic The Horrors guitar. It strays close to a Faithless or Underworld-esque anthem and the crowd lap it up. A dance-club atmosphere sets in as the light show levels up for good measure.
The surprise of the night is an epic cover of Bowie's 'Heroes'. Badwan's voice is scarily close to the Thin White Duke (Bowie's adopted mid-'70s persona). It's a soaring cover with all the classic trimmings, but done The Horrors way. Hats off to the band for a really excellent performance of a track that has been covered many times in all corners of the earth.
Rounding out the night is 'Something To Remember Me By' from 2017's 'V' record. It was the turning point of the band into exploring more electronic music. It's a wonderfully crafted track that should have been bigger than it was. This reviewer can't help but hear slivers of Australia's own Cut Copy in the DNA.
The track's outro is a soft landing out of a night of grunting garage, alternative dark rock. Upon exit, the fresh air opens the synapses. Clarity is now at play. While the songs are great and fans lap them up, the band felt forced.
The Horrors - image © Chris Searles
They're excellent musicians, but feel distant from what made The Horrors. . . well, The Horrors. The age gap between the new members and Badwan is strangely obvious, making it seem he's hired the winners of a Battle Of The Bands competition.
It's not a deal breaker at all, just a very obvious shift from what made The Horrors iconic. The aforementioned lack of conversation by Badwan seemed to disconnect many from the stage.
Halfway through the show, it felt like he was getting the songs 'out of the way' so he could get to the next gig. Probably not the case, but it's the kind of feelings an unappreciated audience can walk away with.
After 20 years of fandom it could be good to acknowledge those who've been there from the beginning. Maybe that's what made The Horrors famous in the first place, so why change? Who knows. Anyway, pass me the hairspray (made from the tears of Robert Smith).
