Not content with merely inspiring mosh pits, Ho99o9 (it’s pronounced ‘Horror’) are the sort of band who want to be down there in them. During their Great Escape set at Patterns it doesn’t take long before co-vocalist Eaddy is off the stage and in the pit, shirtless and screamin into his mic. A few days earlier, at their first ever London show at Electrowerkz, Eaddy and bandmate The OGM had begun the show in the crowd: one wearing a wedding dress, the other with a plastic bag over his head.
Although they’ve now moved to LA, Ho99o9’s shows pull together the disparate influences they witnessed growing up in New Jersey, on the outskirts of New York, where The OGM says they bonded over “girls” and going to “punk shows, rap shows and art shows.” All those elements combine in a visceral mix the pair have been honing since they first played together in 2012. “We went into it headfirst with our eyes closed,” remembers Eaddy. “We weren’t really expecting anything or trying to be a certain way.”
There’s more to them than killer lives shows. Their music – drenched in blood- and-gore imagery straight from horror films and slasher flicks – stands up to repeated playback. “Our music is diverse,” says Eaddy. “A lot of it is built for the live show, but a lot of it you can take home, listen to it, vibe to it, drive to it, bash your head against the wall to it or just chill and smoke a doob to it.”
There’s a new EP due on June 8 before they return to the UK in August to play Reading and Leeds. If their Great Escape debut is anything to go by, they’ll no doubt end up as one of the most talked about bands of the summer. “We want to make a statement with our presence,” says Eaddy. “It’s a powerful force. It’s like Mike Tyson entering the ring. You’re thinking: ‘This motherfucker’s about to do some damage.’ It’s heavyweight title shit.”
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