In a city boasting its very own Clockwork Orange a capacity Tuts awaits a performance which is proper horrorshow. Paper Planes open the evening with a stellar set delivered in their trademark bravado –a perfect warm up for anything. The sound owes a lot to traditional punk, there’s certainly a kinship with the sound of Blondie with the elaborate fuzzy bass lines and reverby surf sound of the guitar, from songs ‘Studio 45′ to ‘Diamond Diner’, the band radiate energy and effortless cool and with the stomping riff from ‘Doris Day’ still resonating in our ears the anticipation for the main attraction is palpable.
The Horrors are an interesting proposition. Debut album Strange House might have divided opinion but the band got a certain celebrity status all the same and then disappeared from view. With their second album they appear to have stopped toying with their hair and started gazing at their shoes and their sound and mood have altered drastically.
‘Mirror’s Image’ represents this to perfection. It’s menacing and lopsided, an intense little something that sits uneasily but draws you in all the same; like watching someone that could snap at any moment. And current single ‘Who Can Say’ is a real standout with a soaring synth hook acting as the lynchpin to a frenzy of noise. The resulting sound is peculiar but undoubtedly engaging, midway between threatening and anthemic.
Towering singer Faris Badwan has a spot of trouble managing with the low ceilings but before long is swinging from the rafters. Literally. His presence provides a real focal point and as he ambles and shuffles towards the crowd there are surges to get near enough for some fleeting contact. Enough of an excitement level is boiling under to get the Tuts audience properly involved and with each passing song it becomes more and more clear that their enthusiasm is altogether warranted.
For a set mostly encompassing new songs it’s remarkably strong and is refined by a degree of maturity. It’s easy to ravage a guitar like My Bloody Valentine and throw in all sorts of synth sounds but the Horrors use their new tricks to hone their style and to embellish upon their prior successes. An encore brandishes the old favourites and ‘Count in Fives’ and ‘Sheena is a Parasite’ sound markedly different to that which preceded them. All that’s really new, however, is subtlety. A greater understanding of their own sound and leaner means of recognising it have emerged, and whilst we came for the visceral rawness of the earlier stuff we stayed for album number two. Impressive stuff from a band moving in the right direction and a set full of welcome surprises. You can catch The Horrors and Paper Planes at T in The Park in July.
Pics: Euan Anderson
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