Review: Wunderhorse at Manchester Academy

The running theme with Wunderhorse seems to be that, once you have been introduced to this red-hot band, you simply cannot get enough. Whether it’s through support slots for Fontaines D.C. and Sam Fender or being lucky enough to discover them organically, there is something deeply addictive about the rampant emotion, unbridled energy and sheer human beauty of these songs that leaves you wondering how you lived without them. I am no exception to this experience and have been fixated by Wunderhorse since witnessing them cram Radio One tent with euphoric revellers at Reading festival and being utterly captivated by the adoration and fervour of the crowd. On my second time seeing them in two months and with their second album now out in the world, this deep connection between the audience and the music was even more potent and was an experience that was rare to behold. In the days after, I certainly have been a bit hoarse and it is no wonder why!

After storming out to the erratic title track from their new album Midas, the band raced through a barrage of blistering songs with the emblazoned crowd hardly being able to keep up. The intensity of their catalogue is consistent but the mood varies greatly, moving from the tense and eery ‘Emily’ 

which sizzled with uneasy vocals and chilling riffs into the more expansive ‘Cathedrals’ 

which was a favourite amongst the captivated audience and exploded with an unreplicable passion. 

Magnetic frontman Jacob Slater is worshiped by the young crowd (many of whom seem to have sought inspiration from him for their mullet-ed looks), despite him saying few words during the time they were on stage; the burning intensity of his presence says plenty. Slater offsets his relentless on-stage persona with a tranquil existence spent surfing in Cornwall, a slower paced lifestyle which afforded him the opportunity to refine and grow what became Wunderhorse’s discography. As a keen surfer myself, I can appreciate the clarity and calm that this has afforded Slater. Sadly, this is where our similarities end!

His soul-stirring writing, which is bursting with fierce emotion and sincerity, chronicles his own past difficulties and the lives of his friends, such as in the redemptive chronicle of ‘Teal’ and the staggering sing-along of ‘Purple’. These tales of youthful struggle and growth are latched onto by the band’s listeners and you need only glance around Manchester Academy to see that these songs mean a great deal to most in the room, even those that have only been in the world a matter of weeks. The outpouring during the blazing balladry of ‘Superman’ was a mighty testament to this.

As well as their performance being unrivalled in terms of spirit and feeling, Wunderhorse are a truly exceptional live band with a catalogue of excellent songs. The intoxicating groove and melodies of ‘Girl Behind The Glass’ and ‘Leader Of The Pack’ were infectious in person and both charmed and ignited the audience into a typical surge of bodies and slung pints during the latter. Midas’ ‘Silver’ was a particular stand-out and a perfect advert for Slater’s lyrical brilliance and musicality - a breath-taking song of immense power with two chords.

The band closed the show with the explosive chaos of ‘July’ where Slater’s showmanship was on full display. During the track, he plays the part of a crazed lunatic, impossibly giving the performance even more vigour, and launching his guitar around (this does make me wince, no matter how dilapidated the instrument is) before skulking off stage.

The show was incredibly impressive, an illustration of the magic of music and was undoubtable justification for the plaudits that Wunderhorse have received. To see them in such a venue, I imagine, will one day be considered to be a unique privilege as talent and power of this kind is rare and will no doubt propel them to wherever they choose to go.