A little bonus to last night's Horrors' show at The Prophet Bar: Keyboardist Tom Cowan was nice enough to share some of his first show experiences.
The very first show he remembers seeing is a little different from the ones we normally hear about. For starters, he wasn't taken to the show by his parents. And, well, he didn't pay to get into the show either -- he didn't have to. The very first show Cowan ever saw was actually an in-store performance at his neighborhood Virgin Megastore in London.
It wasn't your typical in-store performance, either. As opposed to most in-stores, which are usually acoustic, stripped-down affairs, Cowan's first experience found him watching a punk band provide a full-on, plugged-in assault.
"I guess I was quite lucky in that respect," he told us.
For sure. After the jump, he tells us who he saw, as well as what he can remember about past tour stops in Dallas and Texas as a whole. Hint: His memories of Texas mostly have to do with a certain kind of cuisine that can be found quite easily around these parts.
What do you remember about the first Horrors' show?
We decided to start a band. Tried a couple of rehearsals. That was it. And we played a show at place called the Spread Eagle in London. It was really great. All our friends were there; it was completely packed. We played again a few days later, and we didn't stop getting booked, and we haven't stopped being booked.
What was the first show you remember seeing?
I used to go to the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street in London and watch bands play for free. There was this band called The D4.
The D4, not Dillinger Four?
Yeah! They were a great punk band. It kind of raised that bar in terms of how exciting shows can be.
Did they play an acoustic set because it was an in-store?
No, it was electric. They ripped their guitar strings off their guitars at the end of the show. Just a really cool punk show. I guess I was quite lucky in that respect.
What was the first show you remember paying your own money for?
I think it was The Datsuns playing Shepherd's Bush Empire when I was 14 or 15. That was great as well. They were a great band.
This was around the time of their first record, with "Harmonic Generator"?
Yeah! It was when they were on the cusp of doing quite well. In fact, when I was at school, me and my brother had a little band. We played covers and we played loads of Datsuns songs, so that was really great to see.
Any fond memories of playing Dallas or Texas, in general, on previous tours?
I couldn't give you exact times or places, but we've always had great audiences. You have good barbecue there.
