The Horrors at the El Rey Theatre

This show was like watching a high speed car wreck. The Horrors crossed the pond again to descend upon the El Rey theatre for their brand of dirty surf garage punk rock. The Horrors are a polarizing band. You either get it or you don't. If you took a chance by going to the El Rey, you would have been impressed.



Suicide Club opened up the show with their stylings of My Chemical Romance influenced emo rock with a sprinkle of synths. I think they had 2 fans in the crowd. Even all the synth lines didn't grab my attention. It was like waiting at a stoplight before you get on the freeway.




Bloodcat Love was next and the show finally hit the freeway quickly dodging in and out of traffic. The last time I caught Bloodcat Love was during some of their first couple shows at Cinespace and opening for Jet at the House of Blues in Anaheim. Myles Hendrik (Vocals) is a dynamic performer shaking and shimming throughout the set backed by his dirty garage rock band that magically makes your foot tap without knowing it. The secret weapon for the band is Claudia Rossi (Drums) killing her drum set in the background. Myles worked the crowd and climbed the scaffolding of the El Rey to the crowds delight. They have a new EP coming out called "Only Dreamers Left Alive". If you like your rock dirty and sleazy with a knifefight sense of urgency check out Bloodcat Love.







The Horrors rocked Safari Sam's back in November of 2006 and you can check out the video of "Sheena Is A Parasite" in the archive show reviews to get a glimspe of the action. The buzz started to build as The Horrors were about to hit the stage. This is where the chaos of a car wreck comes in. With all the video cameras setup throughout the venue for a possible documentary, they captured a great show. They opened with a Joy Division cover "No Love Lost" that was just as haunting as the original. It didn't take long for the stage invaders to jump onstage and start the stage diving party. The pit in the front of the stage also grew larger with each fiery song performance. Their debut album "Strange House is good but nowhere near as visceral and raw as their live performance. Tomethy Furse (Bass) was tweaking a bunch of Moog Pedals for ambient effects during the show while Joshua Third (Guitars) was banging on his Fender Jaguar all night. Faris Badwan (Vocals) was pacing and prowling around the stage with multiple excursions out into the crowd and climbing the scaffolding of the venue. Faris did his best impression of Morrissey by accident when his shirt was ripped from his body out in the crowd. Spider Webb (Vox Organ) was stealing the show with his dark organ lines and spastic movements. It was interesting to note that David J (Bauhaus), Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle) and Danny Lohner(ex-Nine Inch Nails) were milling about the crowd showing their support. If you are still on the fence about The Horrors, I encourage you to wait till the DVD of this show is released.


The Horrors setlist for the El Rey Theatre(6/18/07)
"No Love Lost"
"Count In Fives"
"She Is The New Thing"
"Death At The Chapel"
"Jack The Ripper"
"Draw Japan"
"Sister Leonella"
"Crawdaddy Simone"
"Sheena Is A Parasite"
"Gloves"
"Happy Birthday"