The Horrors at Stage 48 (October 21, 2014)

My week of CMJ coverage began with a performance from The Horrors at Stage 48. It was my first time at the venue, which is basically a more upscale Terminal 5, in both setup and location. So take that as you will.

I last saw The Horrors when they played for free at The House Of Vans back in April, right before their new album Luminous was released. There performance at Stage 48 was the final one of the tour, so there was definitely a feeling of finality and release from the band, who gave there all in an impressive and expansive set that was mostly taken from either Luminous or Skying, save for “Who Can Say,” “Mirror’s Image,” and “Sea Within a Sea”, all which are off their sophomore album Primary Colours.

On stage, they kept themselves tucked away into a foggy darkness, mostly keeping to the shadows. This element adds to their live show, where the band mostly keeps to themselves, except for the few moments than frontman Faris Badwan spoke to the crowd or let loose doing intense break downs such as the epic performance of “Moving Further Away.”

Every time I see The Horrors live, I’m still amazed and impressed at how far they’ve come from their early days as these horror-show punks that had the NME going apeshit. Their transition into a new-wave rock band has been one of the best surprises, and still leaves me impressed. They’ve progressed far beyond what most everyone expected, and have become one of the most reliable modern bands out there.

Find the setlist, and a photo gallery posted below.

Setlist:

1. Chasing Shadows
2. In and Out of Sight
3. Who Can Say
4. Sea Within a Sea
5. Endless Blue
6. Change Your Mind
7. Mirror’s Image
8. Still Life
9. I See You

Encore:

10. So Now You Know
11. Moving Further Away