The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spurgeon. Their music has been classified as garage rock, garage punk, gothic rock, shoegaze and post-punk revival. The band have released five studio albums: Strange House (2007), Primary Colours (2009), Skying (2011), Luminous (2014) and V (2017) all of which charted within the UK Top 40. History Origins (2005–2006) In the early 2000s, the Horrors coalesced around shared interests in obscure vinyl and DJing. During trips to London and on the Southend circuit, Webb met Badwan (formerly of the Rotters) and Furse through their mutual interest in 1960s garage rock and new wave as well as post-punk bands such as the Birthday Party and Bauhaus. In 2005, the three formed a band with Hayward and Spurgeon. The band was centred around Junkclub, an underground club founded by Webb and Oliver Abbott. Their first rehearsal consisted of two covers: the Sonics' "The Witch" and Screaming Lord Sutch's "Jack the Ripper" (interpreted in the tradition of previous garage covers such as those by the Fuzztones, One-Way Streets and the Gruesomes). The latter rendition was later rerecorded as the opening track of their debut album, Strange House. The Horrors made their first live performance at The Spread Eagle on Kingsland Road in London on 16 August 2005. The Horrors drew the attention of critics and the public with their debut single, "Sheena Is a Parasite". Their second release, "Death at the Chapel", a high-profile show at London's 100 Club in July 2006, and an appearance on the cover of NME that August greatly increased their profile. The band played the NME Awards Indie Rock Tour in early 2007 along with Mumm-Ra, the View and the Automatic, which helped garner further fame. Strange House (2007–2008) After the release of Strange House in March 2007, the Horrors embarked on an 18-month promotional world tour. A slot supporting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in the United States in summer 2007 was cancelled because of lack of funds, but the band instead headlined a US tour that June. They made a number of festival appearances throughout 2007, including the Glastonbury Festival, the Carling Weekend (on the Radio 1/NME stage), various Scandinavian festivals, the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan and Splendour in the Grass