Pulled Apart By Horses LIVE @ The Cellar, Southampton 10.05.14

Outside The Cellar in Southampton was strangely quiet – then upon going inside I saw a long queue stretch down the stairs. Tonight they’re hosting The Grenades, The Wytches, and of course Pulled Apart By Horses. Kicking off the night with a bang, The Grenades offered spirited punk tunes, getting the crowd from nodding and politely bopping to full on arms in the air. Concluding their set, they thanked the crowd after the pummelled final riff cut off and declared that many of their songs have been recorded on their phones, to which one ecstatic audience member shouted “I LOVE PHONES!” – with others holding them up in a proud salute.

Next came The Wytches, whose raucous punk – with a grungy tinge – drew comparisons to Nirvana from not only the audience but the lead singer of Pulled Apart By Horses, Tom Hudson, who mentioned in passing they had a ‘Love Buzz’ feel about them – referring to the Nirvana song. Here things got heavier – more people flooded in and the gaps in the crowd were getting tighter to squeeze through, while The Wytches threw raw teen angst in with jagged riffs that vibrated the floor.

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And finally there was the main event; the wonderful Pulled Apart By Horses launched off the set with the brilliantly boisterous ‘PWR’, which instantly turned everyone into malfunctioning nodding dogs. Proceedings powered forward with manic old favourite ‘Meat Balloon’ which went down a storm, bringing up the hype further. The ‘Tough Love’ single ‘Venom’ came shortly after and ricocheted the already buzzing crowd into a frenzied motion. It was at this point where the rapid, swirling mass of bodies behind me spun and started a human pinball machine – and so the mosh pit formed fashionably early. ‘Venom’ definitely asserted the bands ability at being able to deliver an active and genuinely exciting performance, and was the point early in the set where people really let loose.

By ‘Degeneration Game’ the head banging was so infectious that singing along didn’t seem rock and roll enough. Another live winner ‘E=MC Hammer’ followed; a thrilling whirlwind of guitars and thudding drums. There’s never a lapse in the quality of the material. ‘Wildfire, Smoke, and Doom’ charged ahead with Tom Hudson’s raw, loud, and rasping vocal commanding the song, while ‘Some Mothers’ is a full on attack on the ears with short bursts of exuberant punchy punk. New songs were also pulled off with great aplomb and maintained the same level of antsy activity from the sore necked audience. While towards the end of the set was much sweatier than before it led into the band’s biggest hit ‘High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’. It proved to be even more eventful despite nearing finish, as it was bassist Robert John Lee’s birthday. So of course the set halted for a group singalong of ‘Happy Birthday’ where a cake and candles was brought out. Cake? At a Pulled Apart By Horses concert? That can’t be right. The rock and roll mentality was contained when the cake was then smashed into his face and hair.

But on with the show! We finish off with “Den Horn” in which lead singer Tom Hudson walked across the side tables on the wall handing his guitar to a fan also standing up there. He then swan dived (no high fives or nose dives) into the ready crowd. Some young girls on the edge looked concerned at the hype around them; some elderly men looked disapprovingly in disbelief. Though it is safe to say that the majority basked in the glory of this intimate yet undoubtedly rollicking return. It’s reassuring to know that there are still bands that can sit outside and smoke with fans, and even just engage with the audience (my friend realised she still had Tom’s lighter and handed it back to him while he was on stage). You can’t fault the group – they’re nice guys, heavy rockers and they give it their all onstage. In a day of increasingly untouchable rock icons it’s good to know the best of them are still down on earth with us. So savour it while it lasts, as Pulled Apart By Horses are set to break through the atmosphere.

Oliver Evans

Oliver Evans

I'm Oliver and I am currently based in Bristol. I prefer the rock genre, but I like writing about other genres like blues, jazz, reggae, pop, R&B, and hip-hop as well. Live for anything by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metronomy, and Pulled Apart By Horses. Future UWE Bristol Journalism Graduate. If you wish to get in touch please email - oliverevans95@gmail.co.uk
Oliver Evans

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