Last Thursday saw new alt-rock favourites Wunderhorse take the biggest jump in their careers so far, selling out a wall-to-wall packed Brixton Academy. A night made all the more momentous being situated a few stone’s throws from Brixton Windmill where the group played some of their earliest shows, as well as seeing support from Australian group HighSchool, who gave room to Wunderhorse in years prior.
The Aussies took the stage an hour before the headliners and got to grips with a new sound – more emphasis on lead guitar and live drums appear to give way to a more traditional ‘band’ sound, leaving behind dancier hits such as ‘Colt’ in favour of other popular tracks like ‘New York, Paris and London’, and the Dan Carey produced ‘Only A Dream’.
Gig-goers were given ample amount of time to head to the bar, with the band coming on slightly after the listed time of 9pm, adding to the suspense felt since the show was announced. As ‘Loser’ by Beck rumbled, the group ambled on stage to open with ‘Midas’, throwing fuel on an already warm reception from the crowd. New tracks such as ‘Cathedrals’ and old ones like ‘Butterflies’ perfectly display the band’s aura and ethos from the get-go, pairing melodies and sentiment with a racket that perfectly fills a 5,000 capacity room.
Anyone with the pleasure of seeing ‘the horse’ live so far will be familiar with their old-school attitude – while they may have garnered a core younger audience, this has only been earned via relentless gigging and work ethic. No handouts here. Jacob Slater and co flex the full might of the group’s sound with extended intros on ‘Leader Of The Pack’ and ‘Girl Behind The Glass’, nailing home the growth from Wunderhorse being a solo project, to a fully fledged 4-piece including Jamie Staples, Pete Woodin and Harry Fowler.
That being said, Slater found time for a rendition of ‘One For The Pigeons’ whilst the group sorted out some technical difficulties – harking back to what is essentialy one of his solo tracks allows for a brief moment of reflection on how far he’s come. Whilst looking back on the past marks an incredibly sentimental moment, it appears Wunderhorse have never felt more comfortable than where they are now – after years of teasing tracks like ‘Arizona’, ‘Midas’ and ‘Superman’, the four-piece are now able to hear the tracks sung back by thousands of fans, who are insistent on gaining the best view in the house on their mates shoulders, despite the best efforts of security. Absolute highlight of the night ‘Teal’ was rife with fans climbing on top of eachother, whilst heavier tracks like ‘Rain’ and ‘July’ saw movement of the more horizontal variety.
Headline shows at Brixton Academy tend to be landmark gigs for any artist, but possibly most notable in the indie scene – DMA’s pre-lockdown show in 2020 making it to vinyl is notoriously indicative of this – however whilst the band seem to be happy to sit in the present for a little while, they’ve already booked the next leg up in the other end of the capital for May 2025. Tickets for what will be Wunderhorse’s biggest headline show yet at Alexandra Palace can be found here:
Words by Seanan McEvoy