Few bands have the ability to take a room of a thousand rowdy Scousers and command their undivided attention for over an hour of live music. Yet, as frontman Jacob Slater takes to the Liverpool O2 Academy stage wielding his iconic Fender guitar, there’s a palpable feeling in the air that Wunderhorse might just be a generational talent.
Photo Credit: Dylan Cox / @dylancoxmedia
There’s a single word spoken by Jacob that sends the room into instantaneous rapture. “Midas" he snarls, the name of the night's opening number, a jumble of four chords being thrashed in a furious barrage. The title track and lead single of Wunderhorse’s recently released sophomore album, 'Midas' puts a match to the fuse, the crowd exploding in a fit of sprawling bodies. Jacob executes the choruses with glee, revelling in the opportunity to ad lib the lyrics and launch himself enthusiastically about the stage.
The setlist favours the recent works of Wunderhorse, with the 'Midas' tracklist played in full all bar the exclusion of one song. Arriving early in the evening, 'Emily' is greeted with a hushed reverence by the audience, its mechanical verses receding to a haunting refrain. Drummer Jamie Staples fills the tender pockets with gargantuan symbol crashes and industrial style fills. Jacob and Jamie share a moment whilst ripping into the opening of 'Cathedrals', face to face with one another like predators before a bout.
Photo Credit: Dylan Cox / @dylancoxmedia
Long term fans of Wunderhorse are rewarded with a handful of picks from the band’s debut album 'Cub'. Following an avant garde, impromptu cover of Tom Waits’ 'Romeo Is Bleeding', the four piece deploy 'Leader Of The Pack', a bluesy Americana infusion taking a not so veiled stab at the sleazy underbelly of the music industry. Bassist Pete Woodin excels during a mammoth rendition of 'Girl Behind The Glass', playfully teasing the audience with the intro tab like an engine sputtering before roaring into life.
Photo Credit: Dylan Cox / @dylancoxmedia
Each passage of the show invokes a raw wave of emotion; from Jacob's anguished pleading during 'Arizona' to the epic rush of euphoria in the opening riffs of 'Butterflies'. 'Aeoroplane' arrives as a cathartic respite midway through the set, with guitarist Harry Fowler performing a blissful solo atop Jamie's languid backbeat. It’s a brief moment of reprieve before the amps are cranked back up to eleven for ensuing cuts 'Purple' and 'Rain', the latter number sparking raucous amongst the audience during which the performers slink off stage.
There’s a sense of unfinished business when the quartet come back from behind the curtain following desperate calls for an encore. The rhythmic chimes of 'Teal' illuminate the room to a wild reception, the crowd readying themselves to bellow every word of Wunderhorse’s most emotive hit. The euphoric singalong is quashed by the seething Grunge rage of 'July', a song so violent in nature it makes Nirvana sound like a nursery rhyme. Jacob stands awash with strobe as he roars one final lament.
Photo Credit: Dylan Cox / @dylancoxmedia
Beyond the departure of the band to confinement backstage, there’s an unrelenting buzz that spills onto the streets of Liverpool. Wunderhorse have created a habit of causing a cacophonous stir that cannot be ignored, amassing sell out hoards of fans across the UK. With a tour of America on the horizon and a momentum that refuses to show any signs of slowing, the mantle of Britain’s next best guitar act looks to have been passed on to four white-knuckled musicians still champing at the bit.
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