Review and live images by Jonathan Taylor.

Instagram: jonathantaylorphotography.

Following the release of their critically acclaimed second album ‘Midas’ at the back end of August, Wunderhorse head out on the road on a sold out 14 date UK tour.

Tonight, is the second night of the tour which sees the Cornish four piece perform at the O2 Institute in Birmingham. On arrival to the venue, it is already packed with a predominantly youthful crowd, with mullet hairstyles a plenty.

The set kicks off with Album title track ‘Midas’, which sees Wunderhorse’s front man Jacob Slater deliver his snarling, Dylan-esque vocals which are backed by rousing fuzzy blues inspired guitars, which sees the venue erupt in a wave of appreciation.

The energy levels fail to waver with the beautifully melodic ‘Butterflies’, ‘Emily’ and ‘Cathedrals’.

The explosive onslaught of dark, twisty, bluesy guitar-based anthems and big hitters from the debut album, in the likes of ‘Leader of the Pack’, the incredible ‘Girl behind the Glass’ and ‘Purple’ all sound perfectly at home with new material ‘Arizona’ and ‘Silver’.

‘Superman’ is one of the evening highlights. It is a cathartic, pensive moment of beautiful story telling cementing the confirmation if it was ever needed that Slater is without question a rousing generational talent when putting pen to paper.

The set is brought to a close with another Dylan inspired moment in ‘Teal’ and the whirlwind and thunderous tones of ‘July’, after which Jacob Slater picks up and launches the microphone stand at the stage backdrop before walking off stage to a sea of affectionate applause.

Wunderhorse may be a band in their infancy in terms of album releases, but their unformidable energy and captivating conviction on stage, along with the dedication of their fan base, they clearly are on an upward trajectory and have the songs to back their ambition and self-belief. Tonight epitomised the joys of live music and Wunderhorse captured that raw power and energy that has set them apart as one of the most formidable live acts of recent years.

Setlist:

 

Midas

Butterflies

Emily

Cathedrals

Girl

Leader of the Pack

Arizona

Girl Behind the Glass

Sliver

Purple

Rain

Superman

Encore:

Teal

July