Jarvis Cocker, The Horrors
London Limehouse Troxy
17th June, 2009

The Horrors pitch up with an incredibly accomplished set from Primary Colours. The sixth-form element has been removed, they smoulder and shake, and bassist Tomethy Furse has located the funk. Then, bursting onto the largely instrumental Pilchard, from his new Further Complications, Jarvis is, as always, master of his own space. Everything now seems a little more exaggerated, extreme, gagpacked. Leftovers is a hilarious showstopper, and Black Magic, with its superb Crimson And Clover big sound, enchants. By the end, he’s almost a sideshow at his own gig. There’s a tremendous amount of love for him, just not a lot of interest. Playing only solo material, you feel one sop to the past would’ve enraptured a crowd ready to go where their hero took them. In the encores, Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time provides the release needed.