Wunderhorse at Brixton Academy

Straight off the back of a critically acclaimed album release, Wunderhorse are in the middle of their almost sold-out UK tour. Tonight’s show already feels special, partly because it’s at the recently reopened venue favourite Brixton Academy, and partly because we are in the midst of a great surge in popularity for the band.

Fronted by Jacob Slater, Wunderhorse released their second album Midas a couple of months ago to widespread positive reviews, with many fans and critics mentioning the band in the same breath as Thom Yorke/Radiohead and Nirvana.

Tonight’s set is energetic and full of passion, although with a side order of slight chaos. The set opens up with the brilliant track Midas, following a succession of cracking tunes off the new album. Slater is a decent lyricist, and these are the types of songs where the audience of screaming young girls knows every single word and doesn’t hesitate to sing along at every opportunity.

Leader of the Pack, off the band’s first album, rips through the Academy like an electric current, and Slater’s gravelly tones sound even better when they’re live. The next song brings a burst of shrieks and screams, as the opening riff of Arizona rings out across the venue.

The aforementioned chaos begins with a broken drum, and later Slater exclaims that his earpiece has fallen somewhere so he can’t hear anything, but these things are all part of live performance. If anything, they add to the experience, especially when bands know what they’re doing.

July has a more intense sound than the other Wunderhorse tracks, and it seems fitting to end the set with it. Listening to its heavy, blasting and morbid chorus live is a stirring experience, and the words no doubt echo the angst and frustration of the band’s target audience.

Wunderhorse are on the cusp of greatness, or perhaps they’ve just tipped over into it. Whatever it is, this is a band with a potentially incredible future ahead of it, and they’re highly likely to be playing even bigger venues when the next tour comes around.

Hannah Broughton
Photo: Jamie MacMillan

For further information and future events visit Wunderhorse’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Rain here: