NME tour tensions

Little tour of Horrors for The Fratellis

13 Oct 06 - The Horrors reckon their tour antics haven't gone down too well with their NME Rock N Roll Riot tour headliners The Fratellis.

Horrors' frontman Faris Badwan told 6 Music they've been daubing paint on the Scottish outfit's stage back drop, and thinks they're now being given the cold shoulder.

The Southend goth-rockers are known for splashing black paint on the audience during their live shows. But Faris thinks they may have gone a step too far, by now turning attention to other bands:

"They are probably people who don't get our music. I'm sure they'll be much happier flogging their dead horse."
The Horrors' frontman Faris on The Automatic

Faris said: "We have met them [The Fratellis], but we haven't spent any time with them as they are always in their dressing room."

He thinks they made have made things worse when both bands were first introduced:

"The drummer got a hand print on his shoulder without realising it, and when he did find out he was also annoyed."

The Horrors are the openers for the NME tour, which stops off at Cardiff Uni tonight (Fri). The Macabees are also on the tour bill, with The Fratellis taking the main headline slot.

However, a defiant Faris showed no signs of patching things up with The Fratellis: "I'll shake their hand, but my hand will have paint on it."

Meanwhile, he had plenty to say about The Automatic, after the band laid into them in this week's NME - branding The Horrors "crap", over-hyped and who just have "big hair".

Over to Horrors' frontman Faris: "What? How dare we be creative and do something different? I can understand from their point of view that must be hard to understand."

He added: "I've never heard of them, though I can probably guess what they sound like though. Are they bland? Do they have a keyboard?

"They are probably people who don't get our music. I'm sure they'll be much happier flogging their dead horse."

The Automatic have enjoyed three Top 40 hits - including summer smash Monster, which made number four in the charts.

The Horrors release their first proper EP on 23 October, featuring tracks Sheena Is A Parasite and Death At The Chapel.

It's followed a week later by the non-chart eligible single Count In Fives.



Kellie Redmond