Wunderhorse: Live in Manchester
Indie rock's latest sweethearts tear down Manchester's Academy in a sold-out display.
Few bands can claim the ultimate prize of a sold-out Manchester Academy, crowd like putty in their hands; transforming a students’ union into pure gold for one night in Manchester.
Wunderhorse live up to that challenge.
Academy 1, filled to the brim with angst and anticipation, is the recipient of this occasion. Sweat hangs thick in the air, as support High School tear through a dynamic set, feeding off the energy thrown back at them by the packed room. Fog fills the space, as the Melbourne outfit exit the stage.
The mass bays, searching for any sign of life emerging onto the stage. In answer, stage-lights shoot towards the audience, as ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ perfectly transitions into Beck’s ‘Loser’.
The horde roars, welcoming Wunderhorse to the stage. Collective goosebumps rip through the crowd, as the band’s sophomore title track ‘Midas’ begins proceedings.
Jacob Slater (vocals, guitar) lurches and lunges around the stage, jerking and shaking in time to the music. Passion fills the room, as thousands chant his lyrics in unison. Slater attacks the microphone, assaulting each line with beautiful agony.
The room explodes at the culmination of the track, the band allowing a moment to take in the adoration before snapping back into the set.
Each song is dedicated to the room, it’s hard to distinguish between the band’s live sound and that which is on record, as the group are so incredibly tight. Each member feeds off the energy of the other three, gorging himself on the spoils of performing live.
Tracks like ‘Emily’ allow the audience a moment to breathe, finding space in gaps in the crowd created by past exuberance. The entire set is perfectly judged, finishing pre-encore on the symphonic ‘Superman’; building up the room’s collective emotion before the band exit the stage.
The crowd yearns for more, screaming for another song.
Wunderhorse emerge once more, brandishing their instruments like soldiers on the front line, firing excitement into the audience.
As the opening notes of ‘Teal’ are played, it is as if the entire room lets out a sigh of relief. This is the moment they’ve been waiting for. Not a single person is standing still, each and every body feeling every note as if experiencing nirvana. Strangers clutch strangers, as friends throw each other on shoulders to lift themselves closer to the action. This is what live music is meant to be.
As suddenly as it had begun, the gorgeously tragic ‘July’ closes the set. The crowd watches on as Slater and co. are overtaken by the emotion of their music, throwing themselves around the stage like rag dolls. The words ‘I’m ready to die’ echo round the room, as audience and band become one; fused together through raw intensity.
Guitars are thrown around the stage, chucked to the floor and scraped across the wood as a final, violent, finale. The band gives the crowd a final glance before disappearing into the black.
Wunderhorse truly set the bar for modern live music. Passion explodes off of the stage and into the audience, who carry it out of the venue and into the city. Walking home, the sounds of voices singing the band’s songs ring through the streets, down the alleyways and into kebab shops.
It’s impossible to deny the re-emergence of guitar music into the mainstream. Wunderhorse continue to prove they are up to the challenge of bearing the torch and leading the way. This is live music, this is the future.
It seems nothing can get in Wunderhorse’s way, when everything they touch appears to turn to gold.