Wunderhorse Live In Leeds: Raucous Rain & Sweaty Singalongs

Millie Cain on 28 October 2024

I feel like I’ve been waiting for a band like Wunderhorse for quite some time. That’s not to say we’re short of new, and very talented outfits rising through the ranks of the indie rock genre – in fact the opposite. Among a sea of similarity Jacob Slater reared his head (albeit with 2 fingers down his throat) and has steadily chipped away at the stereotypes easily associated with such bands.

For, after all, what are Wunderhorse giving us that hasn’t already been done? Indie sleaze is dead and buried, despite how hard some bands may be gagging for its second coming. Post Punk has hit great heights and let’s face it; everyone’s favourite band Fontaines DC are mainstream artists now. Where is the crack to slip through? What fissure can bands root their fingertips into and grasp the light of a new opportunity? Perhaps the Victorian doctors were right and Slater’s restbite taking in the Devon coastal air imbued him with life after his notorious run with Dead Pretties and now Wunderhorse are giving us a live sound that beats out the streaming services by a country mile.

Leeds was the first city to sell out this tour – even surpassing the band’s London home show. Not surprising, the Leeds music scene is a relentless one and its fans are never ones to let a good gig slide by. Just before the support walked out, the queue was rammed down the side of Leeds Beckett Union – and a game of ‘spot the mullet’ kept us entertained (imagine an opposite Where’s Wally? situation). Fans all down the line bonded over a shared issue – forgotten physical tickets. A once unimaginable situation and a nightmarish one at that. Thankfully, the Beckett box office were working overtime and got everyone packed in drinking very flat, overpriced Amstel and buying up the particularly nice merch that isnt dissimilar to the legions of quality band tees I’ve taxed from my dad’s wardrobe.

Chatter filled the audience awaiting Wunderhorse’s arrival onto stage, it felt like a gig of a decade ago, notably one without blue screen light illuminating faces during conversations. The hum in the air was slowly building as an eccentric playlist prolonged the wait, until the white sheet fell, Wunderhorse’s moniker rose and I couldn’t hear myself think over the roar of the crowd as Staples, Woodin, Fowler and Slater stomped onto stage and straight into titular album track ‘Midas’.

As much as I adore my Marshalls, and am so rarely seen without them, I would’ve cast them aside in an instant to capture the quality and tight sound of the band live. What Spotify could never grant me is the crackling in the air from the riffs and the hoarse intimacy of Slater’s voice cutting through the crowd. I had the luck to chat to drummer Staples this summer, and after learning that his favourite way to play was a. barefoot and b. noisy as all hell, he certainly delivered. There were moments we were stilled to silence, a crowd of gazing eyes and grinning smiles – we were enchanted by ‘Butterflies’ and nodding in unison to ‘Emily’. Stark to me was the word-perfect singalongs, perhaps they had a secret karaoke machine onstage I was not privy to, or perhaps we’d all just really rinsed the album on repeat but the crowd was the 5th member of Wunderhorse this evening. From reminiscing on long lost loves to the time wasted chasing them, ‘Cathedrals’ was a standout and a very exciting moment to hear live. With ‘Rain’ serving as a reminder of their capabilities as a rock outfit, however the air quite literally being thick with the moisture of sweat. With a set punctuated by Slater’s chatting about the songs, and with a bit of back and forth with the crowd, almost climbing into it himself during fan favourite ‘Purple’. There’s a reason he’s so successful no matter where he goes, he’s a captivating front man, always busy and engaging and had all eyes trained on him at once. But under this pressure and the blinding lights he does not buckle. With a band at his back that match his talent and return it twicefold he has no reason to fear his potential but only to push forth.

‘Superman’ had the whole room holding its breath at once. A longer number that felt like it lasted an age and demonstrated the different levels that Wunderhorse can reach. They hold a sincerity that is rarely found within bands of this genre and it only works in their favour to be more vulnerable. Following an encore, they returned to play ‘Teal’, accompanied by a bizarre slow motion mosh pit that quickly ceased to exist and instead the crowd locked arms to match Slater word for word. Finally closing on ‘July’ it felt like no time had passed at all, and Wunderhorse for me, solidified their importance and their growing cult-following will ensure this will only continue and into bigger spaces.

Words by Millie Cain.

Wunderhorse Interview: Album Influences, Barefoot Drumming & Oasis Rumours

Millie Cain on 30 August 2024

Wunderhorse’s second album Midas is out today & definitely deserves a listen. Music editor Millie had a chat with the band’s drummer Jamie Staples earlier this week, on the album’s influences, drumming without shoes, and whether they want to jump in on the Oasis reunion!

Millie: Just to start, so you played the BBC Introducing stage at Leeds festival on Sunday, even on such a small stage you had a crowd of 7000 people – how was that for you guys?

Jamie: Yeah that was really surreal, I mean we were a little bit gutted that the Radio One stage collapsed or blew away or whatever but yeah it was pretty special to see how many people still came. We really had no idea what it was gonna look like and yeah that was pretty special for us.

Millie: It was really cool, especially since we all thought it would’ve been cancelled.

Jamie: Yeah us too, but yeah when they offered to jump on that stage you know didn’t wanna turn it down

Millie: You guys played at Jumbo Records last night as well, it’s such a pillar of Leeds’ independent music scene. Are you excited to be back in Leeds again later in October?

Jamie: Yeah Leeds just does always seem to go off for us, we always look forward to playing here and it’s one of our favourite places to visit – definitely for going out for a drink as well.

Millie: Do you have a favourite place to go?

Jamie: We love the Brudenell, the main room there is always great to play, you can get yourself a pie and play some pool, its great.

Millie: I read recently that you juggle working with the band and working on a building site?

Jamie: Yeah for me either building or landscaping, which I try my best to run away from but it keeps clawing me back.

Millie: How do you balance that?

Jamie: With difficulty honestly, and I don’t struggle as much as my bandmate Pete has done recently. Well I’ve been doing this for a long time so I’ve managed to land myself in a few jobs that are flexible for me, but it’s taken me a while to do that. But yeah, honestly part of it is quite nice to keep your feet on the ground and get a fair days work for a fair days pay which you don’t always get in music. So it’s quite nice to get that element in my life, but at the same time I’m very ready to leave that behind.

Millie: You’ve been in some punk bands before, Shark Dentist and Teeth Machine, do you prefer playing in a heavier setting or with softer tracks, like Superman on the new album?

Jamie: You’ve done your research! I like playing the heavier tunes, I think we all do live, but as long as we make what we think we’ve made is a good song, we’re happy to play it live.

Millie: July seems to have made itself a permanent part of the setlist, and there is a physical effort from [lead singer] Jacob in the intro where he is getting into the song, do you all do that, is there a character you feel you need to possess?

Jamie: Not so much a character, more tipping into a part of ourselves in order to keep our energy up. There can definitely be a need on tour when you’re having to do that and you’re also conscious of it being real and not contrived. We bang our head together before shows – not literally – but we try to get into a headspace to give whatever we have to the floor that night.

Millie: I read that you never wear shoes to drum? Is that true?

Jamie: Yeah always, I’ve never worn shoes to play. Its just something when I first sat down on the kit I wasn’t wearing shoes and I think when I started to learn the slide technique on the key pedal, I found it was a quicker route without shoes on. Its just the way I feel the most comfortable.

Millie: Highschool are supporting you later this year on tour, what other bands are you listening to right now that might be up and coming?

Jamie: Well, a lot of the bands, modern bands right now, Wu-Lu is a personal favourite of mine, and someone I’m always keeping an eye on and drawing inspiration on from drumming. There’s a lot of good bands at the moment, Highschool are a band we like a lot, they’re a bit different from us but they were willing and available when we were looking for our lineup.

Millie: As [debut album] Cub was seen as a solo project from Jacob, but Midas is a full band piece, is there any songs coming out that you had more influence on?

Jamie: Yeah I think everyone for this Midas record, Jacob came to us with the bare bones of the songs, ie chords and lyrics, but the songs where we would make things together before any chords or lyrics were a different way round of doing things as well. Some songs start with more of a feeling than anything else. I think you can feel everyone’s personality come through quite strong on this record, as far as I can tell anyway, which is not something that was lacking exactly on Cub, but experience has made this record in a short space of time, and we were all present for it so naturally the burden was spread across all of us and we all had input.

Millie: So you guys supported Pixies, they’re one of my favourite bands, and you’ve mentioned they had quite an influence on the album so how was it touring with them?

Jamie: It was amazing, it was surreal. They’re just living legends, we didn’t get to rub shoulders with them much, we all definitely got to say hi to all of them at points. I guess they’re a little bit further along and they know how they like to do things. But as a band, all 4 of us listened to them growing up and to see them perform live every night undoubtably rubbed off on the record. It was pretty much one after the other that we did it and not least they recorded a record off the back of it too if I’m not mistaken. So yeah, but I can’t say they were right at the front of out minds while we recorded the album but we were fresh off tour with them.

Millie: I’ve seen Nirvana be mentioned as a big influence for this album too, were there any other bands that influenced the album?

Jamie: Yeah, lots of people really, a lot of the records we were listening to while we recorded the album you know we often take the morning an intensive listening session if you like. Where you actually just don’t do anything else but listen to the records, which even as musicians we don’t do that often all about it was often – we should do more. It was The Beatles, particularly Rubber Soul, and The Rolling Stones. Also, a lot of replacements altogether definitely prior to the album. The essence of those bands that we wanted to capture. Obviously, Nirvana is a big influence anyway, especially if you’re wanting to make some heavier, darker music, they’re naturally an influence.

Millie: What are your thoughts on the Oasis reunion? Would you support them if they offered?

Jamie: Yeah, we’d support them in a heartbeat – in fact I think we should be put forward for it, I can’t think of anyone better. But yeah, its very exciting, I think we’ve actually heard bits about it over the last 2 weeks, I’ve had some friends in the music industry who have been saying it was gonna happen and I was pretty delighted to see it announced. We would love to be on one of those shows.

Millie: That’s everything from me! Thank you for your time Jamie! Can’t wait to see the show in October!

Jamie: Yeah, thank you so much & see you then!

Midas is out on all streaming platforms today & Wunderhorse will be performing Leeds Beckett Student Union on 19th October.

Wunderhorse’s Golden Touch: Midas Review

Millie Cain on 28 August 2024

Plunging into devastating ballad tracks and blistering singles, the main takeaway I have from Midas, Wunderhorse’s second album, is that this is their cementation of brilliance. After debut album, Cub (2022), which is undoubtedly polished and sprawling with lyrics that even the loudest critics (middle aged britpop dads) cannot fault – it is truly refreshing to see the rest of the band’s personality soak through into Midas, as they have now naturally become a fully-formed band.

Opening with titular single Midas sets the tone with an immediate punch to the gut. The long anticipation of the album, with already 5 singles out before release, has given fans high expectations. Interestingly by releasing the screamer earworm tracks first. One of these is Rain, a track which has spiralling guitar riffs that won’t leave your mind for days. Standing out is the direct, piercing sound of Slater’s voice punctuating the album. He’s speaking to us, with his drawling vocals and Pete Woodin’s menacing bassline, it’s clear Wunderhorse are not here to mess around. The sharp edges of this album mimic their raucous live sound and you can almost feel them looming behind you as you listen.

Emily is a song that finally shows off that Wunderhorse have successfully created a distinctive sound, albeit a cacophony of vulnerability, it has Jamie Staples’ incisive drums taking the lead. Yet Emily holds a feeling of Slater’s exposed self, seen in his previous solo album, Pinky I Love You (2023). Another single to be released was Silver, a lighter, catchier number, likely released to combat the miserably grey summer. The melodic guitar really comes through here, and it caters to a more generic indie-pop audience. Wunderhorse’s fanbase has massively grown since their debut, with them pulling huge crowds at Leeds Festival this weekend, with 7000 people coming to their last-minute performance on the BBC Introducing stage, as well as an intimate gig at Jumbo Records on Monday. I’m certain that the excitement surrounding Midas will only explode in the coming weeks, especially as their autumn tour looms.

Today, the final, and fifth single, Arizona was released. A song that I think really demonstrates the band’s growth since Cub, with added depth from backing vocals, with a reverberating rhythm that builds and crashes down. Arizona feels like a track that is built to play live, strong drums and a welcome instrumental solo that we can feel the band losing themselves in, and taking us down with them. Similarly, single July mimics the same feeling in Arizona, there are definitely lessons learnt from touring being felt, and a yearning, chasing feeling to both these songs, with feelings of Nirvana and Pixies’ influence leaking through. The extended intro of July has been added to many of their live performances, along with Slater’s slightly odd behaviour, including general screaming, choking himself and gagging on stage before July begins. Potentially reflecting on the energy that must be mustered through long touring and night after night of putting his whole self out on stage.

Standout track, and my personal favourite, is Superman. A slower, acoustic number, that has a crawling anticipation that leaves goosebumps on your skin. The depth of the softer drums is gorgeous and the universal theme of being misunderstood is translated from Slater’s mind into what genuinely feels like poetry. It’s raw, personal and it hits you like a slap. There’s a feeling of desperation that isn’t out of place for a band like Wunderhorse. One which isn’t trying to be cool, or to mimic bands of the past, or prove something to its audience. The cyclical sound scales all the way back by the end, and we breathe through the track with the band in a way that makes Wunderhorse feel closer than ever before.

The band’s work with producer Craig Silvey (The Rolling Stones, The National, Florence + The Machine) along with their organic, unpolished recording process is what really captured this closeness and the visceral atmosphere that they have already become well-known for. Cathedrals is a track that masters this; with a slower start that spirals into a heavier track. While feeling somewhat simple, built in elements of the song bring forth a bigger picture of a devoted love song that becomes increasingly raspy and raucous. Slater’s spacey vocals have quite simply never been better and the intensity of the song makes it feel almost like we’re intruding on Slater as he descends into a screaming cry that commands all the attention it begs for.

Penultimate track Girl leans into a more alternative sound, echoing cheery vocals and a summery melody give it a more 90s nostalgic vibe. It’s light, it’s catchy, it’s a spiralling singalong that will undoubtedly go down a treat live. On a complete contrast is final song Aeroplane, a mammoth 8+ minute number, opening with acoustic and snares that softly seems to be convincing us, or perhaps Slater himself, of his capacity to love. It’s a drawn out track of inner turmoil and clawing to be lifted out of this pit. Half way through, we get a well-awaited building, with the crackling of electric guitar coming through, becoming prominent and overpowering. There’s a hesitant feeling, until the guitar rips through and we feel the two sides of this album fighting against each other. Scattered, and losing all structure, it slows down into a repetitive sync, of tight-fast moments into long, technical notes. Aeroplane tackles the aggressive , fast-paced tracks of the album that demand to be heard, and pits them against the vulnerability that comes with sore, and unhealed exposure.
Wunderhorse had a laborious task, to follow such a clean debut album. Midas is a response which has stark edges and carefully placed tenderness. It lacks all the restraint of Cub and has all the power of not just Slater, but 4 musicians forcing their way through victorious. Midas is available on all streaming platforms on Friday, and even better, Wunderhorse are playing in Leeds on 18th October.