Wunderhorse, deemed one of the U.K.’s best upcoming rock bands, played to a sold-out O2 Academy Brixton, their biggest headline show to date. As a Wunderhorse fanatic since the beginning, witnessing a queue wrapping itself around the whole of O2 Academy Brixton was something quite surreal. It felt like a best-kept secret that was finally released to the world. A weird mix of pride and anticipation swarmed through me, feelings that I think many fans shared that night.
With energy rolling off of them, the boys stepped out on stage to a crowd jittering with excitement. ‘Midas’ came clashing off of their instruments; a hefty, guitar-driven tune that is the title track of the band’s new sophomore album. A perfect choice to open the set with, ‘Midas’ immediately involved the crowd, offering a cathartic release of anticipation. Guitarist Harry Fowler was especially mesmerizing, carrying the track seemingly effortlessly.
Following tours supporting huge names like Sam Fender, Fontaines D.C, and Foals, the band is no stranger to playing massive, sold-out venues. Their comfortability and pure belonging on stage, especially for such a young band, is something to behold. Wunderhorse not only has a sound bred of genuine nostalgia, they play like a band who has been together for ten times the amount that they actually have.
‘Cathedrals’ follows, a track that is criminally underrated. Opening with a soft guitar and slamming into heavy drums, it is a worthy display of Wunderhorse’s ability to flow from washed out sounds to sharp ones. Vocals isolate and then collide with everything else throughout the song, pulling the crowd along. Jacob Slater (vocals, guitar) sings with his unwavering passion, ‘I will disappear myself / I will become something else / I will swallow all my filth / If you’d like me to.’ I mean, how can you not scream those lyrics?
It is hard to articulate what it is like to watch Jacob sing his lyrics. Emotion emanates from him, his voice pained but not hoarse, his expressions and inflections raw and brutally honest. ‘Silver’ is my favourite song to hear live for this very reason. One of the more lyrically driven tracks with a catchy chorus, ‘Silver’ is addictingly easy to sing along to, and the crowd was doing just that. Many fans were climbing onto shoulders and raising their arms up high, swaying along with the steady strums of Peter Woodin’s bass. It became clear to me that Wunderhorse has fans that not only listen to, but feel their music deeply.
When it was time for an encore, the crowd happily obliged. The band answered with one of their most famous songs, ‘Teal’ followed by ’July’, a single from their newest album. ‘July’ is a rocky, intense track full of screaming guitar riffs, and it closed the set with a bang. Wunderhorse is simply a really solid rock band, and they will undoubtedly continue to rise. Compelling, deliciously chaotic, and refreshing, Wunderhorse delivered an unbelievable performance.
