Wunderhorse Gig - A Review

By Rachel Moorhead

‘Do you feel the rain?’ The reign of Wunderhorse as they rocked a packed-out Dublin’s Vicar

Street on a Wednesday evening.

Despite only forming in 2020 Wunderhorse have gone from strength to strength, from

supporting Sam Fender, Fontaines D.C. and Declan McKenna to playing slots at all the UK’s

major festivals.

From the moment the lights went down and the band walked out, their eager fans’

excitement and anticipation filled the atmosphere for what would go on to be an

unforgettable gig!

Under a simple backdrop trademarked by their signature devil like logo and some

mysterious red lighting, frontman Jacob Slater looked effortlessly cool as he dawned some

black sunglasses and a casual oversized tee.

From the first few chords of ‘Midas’ the crowd erupted in a passionate display of admiration

for the band. As Wunderhorse performed blistering hits from both their highly acclaimed

albums, 2022’s Cub and 2024’s Midas, fans sang back the lyrics and electrifying guitar riffs.

My favourite moment from this gig was the audible gasp from the crowd each time they

identified the song from the first couple of notes. The excitement was contagious, this gig

felt like the epitome of what music means. The sense of community created through music

was apparent as in a room full of strangers everyone shared the same emotions as

Wunderhorse blasted through their impressive discography.

In a world of excessive set design, screens and animation there is something so impressive

in Wunderhorse’s minimalist approach. Just a band, a white sheet with their logo and simple

lighting casting shadows of their silhouettes on the sheet. Their music speaks for itself. And

it always has. They are a band that are raw, authentic and 100% true to themselves and I

think that’s why their music is speaking to so many people. The band kept the talking at the

gig to minimum but still held the crowd so captive throughout the hour set. Normally, I’m

not a fan of no interaction, I like to hear a band’s gratitude to the crowd but with

Wunderhorse you didn’t need to hear it – it was something you could feel. Slater did

address the crowd once to say, “Thanks for coming out Dublin, we appreciate you..”

As the lightening made a switch to purple the crowed geared up for mosh pits knowing the

significance of the lightening choice. Harry Fowler’s guitarwork throughout “Purple’ acted as

the heartbeat of the performance as the audience echoed Jacob’s lyrics pouring their heart

and soul in singing “and she dreams purple and anger..”

After a quick change of guitars, the band played a firm favourite of mine “Rain” of their

second album. The song began as bassist Peter Woodin joined drummer Jamie Staples on

the drum platform where Jamie burst into a massive high-energy crashing solo. All while

Slater in his signature raspy tone sang “do you feel the rain? Do you feel rain?” And on a

rather wet night in Dublin it’s safe to say the crowd did join Jacob Slater in feeling the rain.

From my first time seeing the band as they supported Fontaines D.C. in Belfast’s Ulster Hall

in December 2022 to watching them playing countless festival sets, I feel like I’ve watched

the story of one of the best band’s in this generation unfold. They simply just get better

every time you see them. Their passion and determination to be on that stage performing to

you transmits through any audience they play to. Vicar Street being the 7 th time I’ve seen

the band and I find myself itching to see them again – a real excitement most bands can

only dream to emulate.

As the band walked off the stage and the lights went out, in traditional Irish fashion the

adoring crowd bellowed “olé, olé, olé, olé” begging Wunderhorse to come back one more

time. The band returned with the massive single ‘Teal’ and Vicar Street was bouncing. A

song that is undeniably brilliant, the rawness of Slater’s lyrics and the emotion they hold

combined with his distinctive visceral vocal delivery punched with anguish through the

bridge of the track.

To end the evening Wunderhorse hit the crowd with the heavy grungy guitar of July and the

crowd barked back (quite literally in some cases, if you know you know). The gig ended on a

bang, there was crowd surfing, there was screams and there was roaring applause. An

unforgettable night, one that in years to come people will brag about being in attendance

of.

Overall, Wunderhorse were confident, loud and utterly fantastic! There is no band quite like

them and that is why I love Wunderhorse and I feel lucky to be alive at the same time as

them. They rocked the roof of Vicar Street creating a beautiful euphoric musical escapism

within their set. The audience left singing their songs and remarking a gig that will go down

in history as at the rate Wunderhorse are going their next tour will most likely be arenas.