Taking the Brighton scene by storm, Will. E. Blay’s Horrible Lot bring the energy to your night out
Each month, we feature a guest column from up-and-coming writers at BIMM, shining a light on fresh voices and the passions that drive them. This time, it’s the turn of Brendan Finn, who urges you to seek out the eclectic five-piece Will. E. Blay’s Horrible Lot – a band that promises a unique and memorable live experience…
More of an enigma than a frontman, Will. E. Blay paces around the stage as if he were trying to escape the horrors of his band, bellowing down the mic and asking the crowd to give the band the respect they deserve, which is apparently none.
Having began rehearsals in their second year of studies at BIMM Brighton, their trajectory towards the upper echelons of the Brighton scene has been nothing short of remarkable – and, if we’re being honest, their real rise hasn’t even started yet. With no released music (yet) and their first ever gig just over a year ago, The Horrible Lot have found themselves as direct support for the majority of their gigs this year and, back in February, performed their first headline show to a sold-out Rossi Bar. The show was stolen by Will. E. Blay himself, whose performance of a song he’d written to come out to different members of his family left not a dry eye in the room.
The performance was unreal. The crowd loved it. Using a musical opportunity to create such a personal memory was bold, but, oh my, did it work. Musically complicated, The Horrible Lot’s Instagram bio claims that they’re “rusty, punky, jazzy and funky”, which besides the cleverness, is probably as close as you can get to describing their music.
Comprising Will E. Blay on vocals (and the odd percussion instrument), Aaron Scudder on guitar, Felix Shelton-Barrow on keys, Ethan Drew on drums and Dom Bailey on bass, their ‘default’ sound is often quite mellow, however, attending their live shows would have you feeling otherwise.
Built on crowd engagement, performing ‘bits’ and ramping up the energy to a thousand, the genre/sound of the music often gets lost in the performance. Though this sounds like it could be a negative, it is in fact a testament to their performances, rather than a refutation of their sound. It’s music like no other.
Songs like ‘Campervan’ and ‘Jeopardy’ help to engage the crowd, while ‘I Know’ and ‘All She’s Ever Known’ bring a realness to their set, albeit a realness hidden behind a silly chorus. As much as I’ve banged on about their prowess as a live band, they’re bloody good at songwriting too. The band have a way of delivering songs in an almost nonsensical fashion, but below the surface lies a very well written piece. Using metaphors as a key technique for writing lyrics, the audience is presented something quite goofy sounding but, truthfully, there’s something real in there somewhere.
So, why should you go and see Will. E. Blay’s Horrible Lot? There’s never a dull moment. Flamboyant outfits to practically no outfits. SpongeBob interludes. Inter-band ‘arguments’. It’s chaos. With the majority of their songs featuring recognised parts for crowd participation, the only possible chance of a dead show is in the hands of the crowd; and, even then, I’ve seen these lads get the most stony faced of gig-goers involved in the fun. Crowd involvement ranges from call and response to dance tutorials, even allowing an audience member to play tambourine on stage!
The endless possibilities with this band is what makes them deserving of a sold-out show every time they perform. No matter who they’re playing with, how long the set is or where they’re performing, they’ll turn up with something that will have you in fits of laughter; but more importantly, they’ll put on an exceptional show. From heckling authorised by Will. E. Blay himself to band members dressed in bin bags, there’s no telling what these five lads will have up their sleeves next time they perform, but one thing is for certain
– you won’t want to miss it.
A group of genuinely talented musicians who all deeply respect each other, even if they don’t show it on stage, Will. E. Blay and his Horrible Lot have it all. There are very few bands on this planet who can go out there each time and be entirely true to themselves, putting on a show for the people and delivering something so unique that I can’t even find a comparison act. They are horrible, but oh they are good.
