From the Shadows
The return of The Horrors feels nothing short of a rebirth. Twenty years after they first emerged on London’s fringes, the band unleashed their sixth studio album, Night Life, last March—and promptly embarked on their first full-scale tour in nearly a decade. From intimate basement gigs to sold-out theatres from Madrid to Manchester, frontman Faris Badwan and bassist Rhys “Spider” Webb sat down with us to reflect on sleepless walks, political urgency and the creative alchemy that has kept them vital two decades in.
Words Timothy N. Heinrich 
When The Horrors hit the stage at The Shacklewell Arms last August—complete with two new members, drummer Jordan and keyboardist Amelia—it felt less like a reunion than an ignition. “I completely forgot what it’s like to be in a band,” Webb admits. “We’d been writing, but not playing live, and then suddenly there we were with new blood. It’s been reinvigorating—almost like starting again.”
Within weeks, the response to new songs like “More Than Life” matched the fervor that greeted classics such as Primary Colours’ “Sea Within a Sea.” “Crowds were singing along to songs they’d only just heard,” Badwan marvels. “Some of the new ones even feel more natural live.”
“It feels like starting again.”
Insomnia, L.A. and the nocturnal muse
A through-line on Night Life is a restless energy—the product of Badwan’s chronic insomnia and nocturnal wanderings. “When I can’t sleep, I wander the streets taking photos,” he explains. Some of those early night-vision shots even made it into the video for lead single “Silence That Remains.”
“In London, it was about tracing footsteps through empty streets,” Badwan says. “Then in L.A., Rhys and I discovered hardly anyone walks at night. You feel this dissociative detachment—humans become silhouettes against neon parking lots. That isolation comes through on the record.”
Yet it wasn’t all desert nights and helicopter spotlights: “The homelessness crisis there is insane,” Badwan adds. “Every block we walked, tents lined the sidewalks. People just ignore it. It felt like witnessing society falling apart.”
Politics in the blood
That sense of fracture runs deeper. “I’m half-Palestinian,” Badwan reveals, “and you can’t escape the feeling that people are trying to erase Palestinians altogether. It’s part of my daily life.” While The Horrors never wear slogans on their sleeves, elements of political unease seep into Night Life’s tension and atmosphere. “We explore other ideas, too,” he continues, “but politics is embedded in how I see the world—and it’s bound to colour the music.”
“When I can’t sleep, I wander the streets taking photos. In L.A., you feel this dissociative detachment—humans become silhouettes against neon parking lots.”
Faris Badwan
“Physical media shapes the way you listen. It’s an anchor amid streaming chaos.”
Faris Badwan
From DIY basement to L.A. big leagues
The sonic evolution from debut Strange House through the lush trip-hop of Primary Colours to Night Life is marked less by style-hopping than by an ever-sharpening sense of space. “We’ve learned the value of silence,” Badwan says. “Knowing when to strip back arrangements to refine the atmosphere.”
Webb points to the album’s origins: “It started as a bedroom record, bouncing ideas in my flat basement: computer, keyboards, bass—everything at arm’s reach. You can’t replicate that intimacy in a big studio.” They carried those skeletal ideas to producer Yves Rothman in Los Angeles, layering electronic experiments while retaining a DIY character. “Working that way reminded us why we started making music—to learn by doing,” Badwan adds.
Lineup changes: expansion, not upheaval
Adding Jordan and Amelia might have sounded daunting—after all, The Horrors had been a tight-knit five piece for years—but the transition was surprisingly seamless. “Jordan’s been a friend since before the band,” Webb explains. “He’d turned up at our sessions for years, so inviting him in felt natural.” And Amelia? “She came down to lay tracks on a few songs, and by the end of the day we told her, ‘Just play on everything.’ It opened us up creatively.”
That expansion extended into the live show, too. “Rehearsals were quick,” Badwan laughs. “Our first proper show together felt effortless—like we’d always been together.”
Surviving—and thriving—in an ever-changing industry
In 2005, The Horrors formed on the cusp of digital upheaval. Back then, vinyl was a novelty; today, it’s a lifeline. “We’ve always been vinyl collectors,” Badwan says. “Physical media shapes the way you listen. It’s an anchor amid streaming chaos.”
Webb nods ruefully: “We’ve had three UK Top 10 albums; this one barely scraped Top 20. Streaming metrics are a minefield.” Yet both agree that chasing charts warps creativity. “You have to focus on emotional intensity—the stuff people return to in ten years,” Badwan insists. “That’s the foundation.”
“You have to focus on emotional intensity—the stuff people return to in ten years. That’s the foundation.”
Faris Badwan
How the F*ck did that happen? People who made The Horrors who they are
“One artist who still blows our minds is Geoff Barrow. To have him in the studio with us—someone whose ear for texture and atmosphere helped define an era—was surreal. He’s transformed Invada Records from a label into a full-fledged film production company, and his work scoring films has always been a huge inspiration. Along with his band Portishead—absolute legends whose classic records shaped our taste long before we ever picked up instruments. And Chris Cunningham, too: a friend and occasional collaborator now based in L.A., whose visionary videos we referenced constantly while making Nightlife. Finally, Jimmy Sclavunos from Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds co-produced our debut—he’s the only person we know who’s impossible to interrupt mid-sentence, yet he somehow whipped us into shape, refining our raw ideas into something sharper. Looking back, each encounter taught us a lesson in creativity—and that’s as thrilling now as it was then.”
Looking ahead: Tasmania and beyond
Tour routing finds them bound for Australia this autumn—first time ever in Tasmania. “Apparently it’s not sunny, but the creatures are nuts,” Badwan grins. “I’m itching for an insomnia walk where I might bump into giant spiders or bats.”
As for the rest of 2025? “Just more shows,” Webb says. “After Spain and Portugal, we could happily keep going.” Badwan concurs: “If the world endures, so will we—playing these songs night after night, chasing that feeling of newness.”
Two decades on, The Horrors are both veterans and neophytes: a band reborn in the moonlight, restless in the studio and on the road, determined that sleepless creativity still burns brighter than ever.
Team credits
Interview & Creative Direction: Tim N. Heinrich
Photography & Film Tim N. Heinrich & JC Verona
Styling Freya Thomas-Taylor
Make-up Samanta Falcone
Hair Miles Spooner
Fashion Styling Assistant Lena Angelides
Follow The Horrors on Instagram to keep up with the latest news and listen to their new album Night Life on Spotify
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