The London band wade through the murky depths of gritty and neon-lit noise rock.
Words by Karl Johnson
With your debut release it’s important to make an impression, and this band do not do things by halves. Body Horror have been tearing their way through the underground scene in London with their sweaty, beat-driven and incredibly ferocious brand of noise rock for a little while, all that was missing was the release of music. On their debut single The Gimp’s Gimp, the four-piece have presented us with a searing swipe at 21st century living, unafraid to delve into the unspoken and sordid undercurrent of straight male relationships and their hierarchies. We caught up with the band to discuss their opening statement.
What’s the inspiration behind the mad video for The Gimp’s Gimp, it was filmed in your bedroom right?
“Yeah that’s right. My room doesn’t have any windows so it’s perfect for having full control over lighting. I turned it into a gimp dungeon basically. The visual is more of an experimental tone piece rather than a traditional video, piecing together a sort of snuff film with very carefully chosen footage so it all ties into the world of the song. The editing is a very prominent part of the video. I wanted to make something visual that was as close to the music as possible. The rhythms totally dictate the visuals.”
Why was this the track you wanted to present first as Body Horror?
“It’s probably the most intense song we’ve written so far. We wanted our first single to basically kick the door down and announce our presence.”
What can you tell us about the message behind the track?
“Well it’s about a gimp that belongs to another gimp, and if that gimp has a gimp then maybe his gimp also has a gimp, and so on. It’s a funny metaphor for the sexual undercurrent of straight male relationships and how they form hierarchies. How our role in the bedroom carries over into our role in society. There’s a bit more to it but I don’t want to give too much away, it’s more fun to pull it apart yourself.”
You’re releasing your debut track just as the music world is re-opening, any aspirations/ plans for 2021?
”Definitely, we actually sat on this release for a while, waiting for the moment when things started to open up again. Now we finally have music out there we want to keep moving forward and releasing singles, expect to hear a lot more music from us this year.”
Does your live performance leak into your recordings or are they separate beasts?
“They’re one and the same. We only know how to perform one way really. The track was recorded live and performed as if it were a live show.”
If you could tour the world alongside two other bands (past or present) who would they be?
“That’s a tough one. Maybe Suicide, as seeing them perform live every night would be an absolute dream, and I’d say The Prodigy circa 1997. They’re a band I wish I got the chance to see live. There live shows were legendary, finishing our set and then watching that would just be insane.“
Has the pandemic taught you any lessons about being a musician/ being in a band?
“Perhaps that moving forward is the key to keeping your head screwed on. After this imposed halt on everything I definitely understand the importance of change and moving forward a lot more.”
Find the band on Spotify here.
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