Live – The Horrors at Chalk – Breaking Glass Magazine

The Horrors at Chalk, Brighton, 23rd November 2025

When The Horrors released their debut album Strange House back in 2007, many took them to be a bit of a novelty goth band, albeit one that could write and play with some skill. The idea that they would still be regarded as a respected musical outfit close to 20 years later was probably an unlikely one but, none the less, here they are in 2025 pulling in crowds across Europe and with album number 7 under their cloaks. Night Life maintains the dark, dystopian flavour of their previous work whilst welcoming an underlying electro industrial feel.

It’s the latest step in their journey towards being something more than the sum of its organically changing parts. Of the original line-up, Faris, Joshua and Rhys remain part of the making of the record, and recent announcement that Joshua has moved on leaves just two of the starting line-up in place. An interesting mix of new recruits is clearly helping to shape their sound going forward. Telegram’s Jordan Cook on drums and Amelia Kidd on keys (ex The Ninth Wave) have been permanently joined in the last few weeks by guitarist John Victor, best known previously as one quarter of indie faves Gengahr. They all come from bands we’ve seen multiple times and would perhaps never have thought to put together, but it somehow seems to make sense and the new version of the five piece sound as though they have been playing together as a unit for far longer than is the case.

Their performance at Chalk was impressive sonically if a touch evasive visually. Appreciating that their aesthetic has long been to play with minimal lighting and seemingly unlimited fog, this show felt particularly difficult to watch. Swathes of deep pink, red and blue covered the stage, with only fleeting glimpses of the band members as they appeared for a second or two through swirling strobes and lasers. Atmospheric? Absolutely. Orwellian soundscape? Sure. But just maybe it would have been nice to be able to actually see the band, sometimes it’s what makes the connection between artist and audience. Still, the new tracks blended well with the old, The Silence That Remains opening the set strongly and recent single Silent Sister proving popular with the crowd. Lotus Eater made it to the encore followed by an unexpected Berlin-era Bowie cover of Heroes with a dash of Weeping Wall by way of intro. Their usual closer Something To Remember Me By finished the evening on a high. The changing line-up has done nothing to dispel the talent of The Horrors; they remain fiercely good at what they do and the quality of their material has never really dipped. Still would have liked to see them rather than just hear them though; limited photos for obvious reasons.