HORSKH live at Backstage By The Mill

The last time we saw HORSKH play live they were onstage at the Zénith here in Paris, where they hit the stage like a nuclear assault and didn’t let up for the entirety of their set. It was the memory of this that made us wince at the thought of a venue like Backstage By The Mill being able to contain such energy – but still, there was no way we were going to miss it.

That night at the Zénith in October 2022 when HORSKH opened for Carpenter Brut gave a mass live Parisien audience a chance to see exactly what the band really wanted them to see. You could tell that it was an opportunity that they absolutely did not want to waste, and it converted us on the spot into huge fans of the band. It has therefore felt like an age until we’ve had the chance to see them again.

The band get the reaction we expected, the crowd are clearly pumped for this, and when the band hit the stage with their wall of noise and flashing lights (we were happy to see they didn’t rely on the venues lights which are always a little bit lacking – despite this being such a great place to come see live music) there was no holding them back. Despite the genre, the music of HORSKH is instantly memorable. The songs are coming out like hits, even the tracks from their latest album, Body, which was released in January of this year. Turbine ON kicks things off perfectly while later in the set we are still treated to “classics” like Engaged And Confused from their 2017 album, Gate, and K-RPM favourite Cut The Knot from 2021’s Wire.

It was always going to be a night that was destined to leave us wanting, however. They arrived, did their thing, and then just as abruptly it was over. But after all of that there wasn’t one single disappointed face in the house to be seen. Awesome stuff.

words and photos : Brian Downie