It’s been 18 years since The Horrors arrived with their innovative, garage-goth LP Strange House.
The genre-bending outfit then undulated through a Mercury-nominated Primary Colours that boasted anthems such as Mirror’s Image and Who Can Say. Follow-ups Skying and V continued the streak, racking up awards and critical praise.
Safe to say, The Horrors have defined the recent era of music, simply by provoking the boundaries of possibility in their musical craft. They played Dark Mofo in the depths of winter this year as a one-off show that marked their first tour in Australia since 2012.
The Horrors tour dates:
April 10: Princess Theatre, Brisbane
April 11: Manning Bar, Sydney
April 12: Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
April 14: Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
April 15: Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
The band is set to return in 2026, playing five headline shows in cities Meanjin/Brisbane, Warrane/Sydney, Naarm/Melbourne, Kaurna/Adelaide and Boorloo/Perth. The tour will kick off in Meanjin on 10 April and conclude in Boorloo on Wednesday 15 April. Their Naarm show will fill the Northcote Theatre on Sunday 12 April.
They’re set to showcase tracks from their most recent album Night Life, which came to be from a new approach to the sonic craft and a new cohort of band members, centred around founders Faris Badwan and bassist Rhys Webb.
I spoke with Badwan about how Night Life is a representation of all that the band has been, fused with an expansive and explorative newness in their sound – a key ingredient to The Horrors’ longevity.
“I suppose this album is just as much a product of the time,” says Badwan. “With Night Life, we weren’t just writing an album; we were also rethinking how the band would work. As Reece and I were writing the songs, we were picking up members along the way and figuring out how they would fit in The Horrors.
“But you know, The Horrors these days is really a new thing, because we’ve been the same members for nearly 20 years, and then we had this different challenge of having a whole load of questions that we maybe hadn’t had to answer before.”
The new structure of the band had the opportunity to test out its dynamic in a live performance format this year, an experience that excited Badwan.
“We had such a good time playing in Australia for Dark Mofo. Being there as a group was fun. A big factor in why Joe and Tom left the band was because of the touring lifestyle. Not everyone wants to do that forever, which is understandable.”
Coming out to Australia affirmed The Horrors desire to play more shows and make up for their long absence.
“We hadn’t toured in Australia since 2012, which is really a crazy amount of time,” states Badwan. “We’ve made it a priority to be able to come back. I mean, the show itself at Dark Mofo was one of our favourites of the year. We were in this venue called The Odeon, which is an old theatre.”
Playing the Odeon shaped the band’s approach to venue selection when booking their 2026 tour.
“With the venues in Australia, we always want to try and find places that look interesting. Sometimes it’s possible, sometimes it isn’t, but we made it work with this upcoming tour. All the venues look pretty good, and some of them I’ve even been to before.”
This all comes with the band entering a new stage of life, a point where there’s an opportunity to acknowledge all that has contributed to their becoming thus far, as well as stepping into the newness of what lies ahead.
“I think it’s cool to be aware of the stuff that you’ve gathered over the years. To be aware of that, and reflect upon it. But I think I’m most excited about what might happen in the near future. It would be so easy if it felt natural to do songs like the ones from our older albums, but it doesn’t feel natural to revisit a sound and just do that.
“It feels way more natural to figure out how we all can work together in our new dynamic and what that would naturally sound like. In some ways, it’s kind of an easier task doing a new album because half the band is new, we just get in a room and see what raw materials we can get to mould something.”
It’s this intrigue and faith in the uncertainty that has propelled the band into the remarkable and complex project that became Night Life. If you’re a fan of The Horrors, or you’re not yet familiar with their art, this upcoming tour will be the perfect way to connect with their music in a whole new way.
You can buy tickets to their Australian shows here.
