Faris Badwan
Encyclopedia
Faris Badwan is a British
musician, best known for being the lead vocalist for the English Alternative Rock band The Horrors
, and more recently one half of his side project Cat's Eyes with Rachel Zeffira
.
and Rugby School. In 1999, Badwan obtained a scholarship to the exclusive public boarding school
Rugby School
, where he met Horrors bassist Tomethy Furse. Faris was famously embarrased to be seen around Furse, as Tomethy was in the year below Badwan. Continuing his education, he moved to London
to study illustration
at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
in 2004, eventually deferring from his studies to concentrate on his musical career with the band.
, an Alternative Rock
band formed in Southend-on-Sea
in 2005, their first album was released in 2007, titled Strange House. Badwan is notorious for his onstage activities, which have featured violence, the use of black paint to mark audience members, scaling anything available, and using items found in the stage area to antagonise the audience. Badwan and his band were thrown out of a concert in Massachusetts
in 2007 after he accidentally smashed a ceramic bust of Elvis Presley
on stage. He once fractured his nose when Horrors guitarist Joshua Third accidentally hit him with his guitar headstock. Faris is also a keen birdwatcher, who enjoys watching and drawing unusual birds. He also enjoys reading, writing, and directing short videos.
Prior to forming The Horrors, Faris took part in a pseudo-punk band, The Rotters, named after the novel The Rotters' Club
by Jonathan Coe
. The band formed in a hurry after a club offered them a gig, and featured Badwan on drums, Dylan "Rotter" Wigoder on vocals, "Robot" Jess Meek on bass guitar, and Emily "Rotter" Watson (later of London band Boys of Brazil) on guitar. Although not in any way a serious drummer and unable to keep a steady beat, Badwan took up the instrument and played on the band's only single, the triple A-side "Japanese Punk". The Rotters have admitted they are not a serious outfit, wrote all their songs in a matter of hours and never practiced; the band are theoretically on hiatus rather than defunct, but a reunion seems unlikely.
Faris has recently begun a solo project under the pseudonym of Lumina, teaming up with ex-Ipso Facto
member, Cherish Kaya to record a cover of the Black Lips
song "I'll Be With You". This recording appeared as a B-side on the Black Lips single "Drugs".
Badwan also produced
Hatcham Social
's 2008 single "So So Happy Making", and is rumoured to be producing their forthcoming follow-up single.
Badwan's illustrations have also earned him admirers, he has had his work featured on releases by The Horrors, the Charlatans and Hatcham Social, and VICE magazine has even done a feature on his work. His 'Drawing A Straight Number Nine' exhibition featured a drawing series of 100 new works by the frontman and took place in London. Due to its popularity it was then taken to Milan, Italy.
Badwan discussed his work, "What I wanted to get across with this exhibition was how much of a part of my life drawing always has been. It invades all of my daily routine, be it in the shredded form of masking tape stuck to my walls, line-drawings on restaurant napkins or supermarket receipts, to the sketchbooks I carry with me. It really is the one constant solid thing in my life – a stream which runs regardless of what I happen to be doing or where." Livemusic.fm
In 2011 Faris collaborated with Canadian opera singer Rachel Zeffira
under the moniker Cat's Eyes. Under this project he has focused on more symphonic music. The band have released an EP Broken Glass, and a full length self-titled album. The visual aspect to the band has been directed by Chris Cunningham. Badwan and Zeffira are rumoured to be in a relationship.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musician, best known for being the lead vocalist for the English Alternative Rock band The Horrors
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...
, and more recently one half of his side project Cat's Eyes with Rachel Zeffira
Rachel Zeffira
Rachel Zeffira is an Italian-Canadian soprano, composer, and multi-instrumentalist currently based in London, England. She is also one half of the duo Cat's Eyes, the other being Faris Badwan of the noise rock band, The Horrors.- References :...
.
Early life
Badwan was born on September 21, 1986 to a Palestinian father and English mother. He has three brothers, Tarik, Harry and Laith, and he attended Arnold Lodge SchoolArnold Lodge School
Arnold Lodge School is a co-educational independent school in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, founded in 1864.The school has approximately 280 day pupils, ranging from kindergarten, aged three, to GCSE pupils aged sixteen...
and Rugby School. In 1999, Badwan obtained a scholarship to the exclusive public boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, where he met Horrors bassist Tomethy Furse. Faris was famously embarrased to be seen around Furse, as Tomethy was in the year below Badwan. Continuing his education, he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to study illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
in 2004, eventually deferring from his studies to concentrate on his musical career with the band.
Musical career
Badwan is best known as vocalist for The HorrorsThe Horrors
The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...
, an Alternative Rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band formed in Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
in 2005, their first album was released in 2007, titled Strange House. Badwan is notorious for his onstage activities, which have featured violence, the use of black paint to mark audience members, scaling anything available, and using items found in the stage area to antagonise the audience. Badwan and his band were thrown out of a concert in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 2007 after he accidentally smashed a ceramic bust of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
on stage. He once fractured his nose when Horrors guitarist Joshua Third accidentally hit him with his guitar headstock. Faris is also a keen birdwatcher, who enjoys watching and drawing unusual birds. He also enjoys reading, writing, and directing short videos.
Prior to forming The Horrors, Faris took part in a pseudo-punk band, The Rotters, named after the novel The Rotters' Club
The Rotters' Club (book)
The Rotters' Club is a 2001 novel by British author Jonathan Coe, set in Birmingham, England during the 1970s. The title is taken from the album The Rotters' Club by experimental rock band Hatfield and the North...
by Jonathan Coe
Jonathan Coe
Jonathan Coe is an English novelist and writer. His work has an underlying preoccupation with political issues, although this serious engagement is often expressed comically in the form of satire. For example, What a Carve Up! reworks the plot of an old 1960s spoof horror film of the same name...
. The band formed in a hurry after a club offered them a gig, and featured Badwan on drums, Dylan "Rotter" Wigoder on vocals, "Robot" Jess Meek on bass guitar, and Emily "Rotter" Watson (later of London band Boys of Brazil) on guitar. Although not in any way a serious drummer and unable to keep a steady beat, Badwan took up the instrument and played on the band's only single, the triple A-side "Japanese Punk". The Rotters have admitted they are not a serious outfit, wrote all their songs in a matter of hours and never practiced; the band are theoretically on hiatus rather than defunct, but a reunion seems unlikely.
Faris has recently begun a solo project under the pseudonym of Lumina, teaming up with ex-Ipso Facto
Ipso Facto (band)
Ipso Facto were a goth-inflected, melodramatic psychedelic rock band. Founded in 2007 by Rosalie Cunningham , Victoria Smith , Cherish Kaya and Samantha Valentine . They were based in London but individually originated from different parts of the UK, including Southend, Newcastle and Bedford...
member, Cherish Kaya to record a cover of the Black Lips
Black Lips
Black Lips are a "Flower Punk" band from Atlanta, Georgia.-History:The band formed in 1999 in Dunwoody, Georgia after guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley left the Renegades, and guitarist Ben Eberbaugh left the Reruns. Alexander and Swilley were known for their crude antics both...
song "I'll Be With You". This recording appeared as a B-side on the Black Lips single "Drugs".
Badwan also produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Hatcham Social
Hatcham Social
Hatcham Social are an English indie pop band who first met and formed in New Cross, London, and who have released a string of singles on indie labels since 2006, a debut album in 2009 and are currently active in a Pledge Campaign for the release of their second LP...
's 2008 single "So So Happy Making", and is rumoured to be producing their forthcoming follow-up single.
Badwan's illustrations have also earned him admirers, he has had his work featured on releases by The Horrors, the Charlatans and Hatcham Social, and VICE magazine has even done a feature on his work. His 'Drawing A Straight Number Nine' exhibition featured a drawing series of 100 new works by the frontman and took place in London. Due to its popularity it was then taken to Milan, Italy.
Badwan discussed his work, "What I wanted to get across with this exhibition was how much of a part of my life drawing always has been. It invades all of my daily routine, be it in the shredded form of masking tape stuck to my walls, line-drawings on restaurant napkins or supermarket receipts, to the sketchbooks I carry with me. It really is the one constant solid thing in my life – a stream which runs regardless of what I happen to be doing or where." Livemusic.fm
In 2011 Faris collaborated with Canadian opera singer Rachel Zeffira
Rachel Zeffira
Rachel Zeffira is an Italian-Canadian soprano, composer, and multi-instrumentalist currently based in London, England. She is also one half of the duo Cat's Eyes, the other being Faris Badwan of the noise rock band, The Horrors.- References :...
under the moniker Cat's Eyes. Under this project he has focused on more symphonic music. The band have released an EP Broken Glass, and a full length self-titled album. The visual aspect to the band has been directed by Chris Cunningham. Badwan and Zeffira are rumoured to be in a relationship.