Confirmed: Wunderhorse are the next great rock band

Wunderhorse solidify status as British rock music's newest guitar heroes at sold-out Ally Pally show

“Rock and roll will never die” Neil Young cried on ‘Hey Hey, My My’, a song he wrote to emphasise his own waning relevance during the advent of punk. Irrespective of his original intention, it’s a message that has resonated with generations upon generations of new rock bands. The latest of which being Wunderhorse, who – having opened with said Neil Young song at their sold-out Alexandra Palace show – confirmed they’re taking on the mantle as rock music’s latest luminaries.

Founded and fronted by Jacob Slater, he’s become a bit of a pin-up – at least based on the largely young male audience who seem to have mimic his style, the no frills baggy t-shirt and mini mullet. But Wunderhorse’s appeal is down to Slater’s songwriting.

His unfiltered lyrics unfold with personal turmoil and triumphs. But his bruised vulnerability is remarkably relatable, maybe at a time when disillusioned youngsters need masculine role models that can expose themselves in order to cultivate connection. Much like Wunderhorse’s grunge music elders (they did record their recent album Midas in the same complex where Nirvana recorded In Utero, after all). They’re a classic kind of guitar band, familiar enough to evoke when rock was truly the mainstream musical mode of expression but not derivative enough to be dismissed as a throwback.

One thing is for certain. They’re one of a handful of contemporary bands that have revitalised rock music’s audience. A cursory glance at the numbers packed into Alexandra Palace will tell you that their demographic is young. The word ‘cathartic’ is painfully overused in music journalism. But there’s no other applicable expression for what the 10,000-strong audience were collectively experiencing from beginning to end of Wunderhorse’s set, based on the arms aloft, bodies on shoulders, and lung-bursting chants throughout.

Midas makes up most of the band’s set – they only have two albums’ worth of songs to choose from, with the exception of new song ‘The Rope’ which they announced that day – opening with the title track as Slater thrashed around, veiled by trademark wraparound sunglasses for the most part. Flanked by guitarist Harry Fowler and former bassist Peter Woodin’s new replacement, there was a shift in gear from the band’s engine room, who pummeled the Great Hall with ‘Rain’ – which broke down into Dick Dale’s ‘Misirlou’ – the swagger of ‘Leader Of The Pack’, ‘Silver’ and ‘Purple’, jamming with smoggy distortion like they were Crazy Horse.

There was some awkward dead air, with Slater predominantly ignoring the crowd in between songs, perhaps out of nerves. Which is understandable. The band’s ascent has been impressive, a word-of-mouth-ish rise that feels refreshingly rustic. Now, they’ve sold out the “palace of the people” and are British rock music’s newest guitar heroes.

For the band’s landmark occasion, they brought everything in their arsenal – bullish energy; raw and impulsive musicianship with Slater’s throaty snarl thrusting each song into the audience; melodic moments that were littered by spurts of aggression. It was a no-nonsense rock show.

Before concluding the set with bone cruncher ‘July’, it’s ‘Teal’ that generates rapture throughout the venue, Slater’s royal ‘fuck you’ to depression, his paean to turning life around when it feels like there’s very little life left. “Now I live in a basement, a blade at my wrist,” he wails in anguish. “I think this is over/I think this is it.” As the deeply personal song plays out the 10,000-strong crowd wail back “a beautiful world and a beautiful mind”, in a truly spine-tingling crescendo, a story of renewal and pulling through that everyone can identify with in some way.

For Wunderhorse, thankfully there’s plenty of life left: this is just the beginning.

(Photos by: Rory Barnes)

Wunderhorse perform at TRNSMT and Reading & Leeds Festivals this summer. Find your tickets here.