Faris Badwan
| Faris Badwan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Faris Adam Badwan |
| Also known as | Faris Rotter |
| Born | September 21, 1986 Bexley, Kent, England |
| Origin | Leamington Spa/Rugby, England |
| Genres | Post-punk revival, Garage rock revival, Alternative pop, Classical music |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 2005 – present |
| Labels | Loog Stolen Transmission Polydor XL Recordings |
| Associated acts | The Horrors, The Rotters, Lumina, Cat's Eyes |
| Notable instruments | |
| Microphone, guitar | |
Faris Badwan (formerly known as Faris Rotter) is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist of The Horrors, and more recently one half of his side project Cat's Eyes with Rachel Zeffira[1].
[edit] Early life
Born in Bexley, Kent[2] on 21 September 1986 to a Palestinian father and English mother, Badwan grew up in Warwickshire along with three brothers, Tarik, Harry and Laith, and attended Arnold Lodge School in Leamington Spa. In 1999, Badwan obtained a scholarship to the exclusive public boarding school Rugby School, where he met Horrors bassist Tomethy Furse[3]. Continuing his education, Badwan moved to London to study illustration at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2004,[4] eventually deferring from his studies to concentrate on his musical career with the band.[5]
[edit] Musical career
Badwan is best known as vocalist for The Horrors, an Alternative Rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, their debut album "Strange House" was released in 2007. 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.[6] 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.[7] 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".[8] This recording appeared as a B-side on the Black Lips single "Drugs".[8]
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,[4] 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.[9] Due to its popularity it was then taken to Milan, Italy.[4]
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.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/aug/16/cats-eyes-ron-arad
- ^ http://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/england-and-wales/results?event=B&recordType=GRO&route=&recordCount=-1&forenames=faris&includeForenamesVariants=true&_includeForenamesVariants=on&surname=Badwan&_includeSurnameVariants=on&fromYear=&toYear=&county=&_county=1&district=&_district=1&mothersMaidenName=&_useMothersMaidenNameAsSurname=on&sortOrder=RK%3Atrue&_performExactSearch=on&x=19&y=8
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-horrors-know-fame-is-nothing-to-be-frightened-of-2313751.html
- ^ a b c "The Horrors' Faris Badwan for Milan art show", NME, 16 October 2010, retrieved 2010-11-06
- ^ Paphides, Pete (2006) "The rocking Horrors show", The Times, 18 August 2006, retrieved 2010-11-06
- ^ "Horrors Singer Attacked During CMJ Performance", SPIN, 1 November 2006, retrieved 2010-11-06
- ^ "The Horrors Thrown Out Of Concert Venue", contactmusic.com, 16 March 2007, retrieved 2010-11-06
- ^ a b "The Horrors' Faris Badwan to release Black Lips cover", NME, 7 August 2009, retrieved 2010-11-06
- ^ "The Horrors' Faris Badwan to exhibit his art in London", NME, 7 July 2010, retrieved 2010-11-06
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