Dark Horses

Dark Horses

Dark Horses are a UK group centred on vocalist Lisa Elle. The band forms with Andy Bang, Harry Bohay-Nowell, Tommy Chain, Lisa Elle, Stevie Ingham and Bobby Waterson, and their music is associated with shoegaze, indie, indie pop and alternative rock.

Background and sound

The band develops around Lisa Elle’s voice and a dark, psychedelic style that mixes drone, soul and open-ended song forms. Their material is described as drawing on spiritual and meditative themes, with a “high-lonesome” sound and a strong emphasis on atmosphere.

Recording and collaborations

Dark Horses record their debut album in Chicago at KeyClub studio, where they share space with The Kills. Richard Fearless of Death in Vegas and Black Acid works at the mixing desk, and Tom Meighan of Kasabian adds vocals in the studio. Serge Pizzorno of Kasabian first hears the band on a tour bus in Cape Town and later the group opens for Kasabian on a UK tour, including shows at Brixton Academy and Wembley Arena.

Reputation

Early reactions to the band’s debut long-player, then working under the title Hate Blues, frame them as a distinctive and unusual presence, with listeners linking Lisa Elle’s voice to figures such as Siouxsie Sioux and Grace Slick. The band is also associated with a mythic, story-led image that presents them as a collective formed from a narrative around “five drowned leather boys” and a singer named by Lisa Elle.