Wunderhorse show their unrivalled live power at Glasgow’s Barrowlands

A review of Jacob Slater and co’s sell out show in Glasgow’s east end on Tuesday 15 October 2024.

Wunderhorse are arguably THE hot upcoming indie band right now.

In the two years between debut Cub and sophomore record Midas (which arrived at the end of August 2024), their stock has risen rapidly, moving from small settings to some of the UK’s largest non-arena venues. Tonight, they play a sold out show at Glasgow’s Barrowlands, an iconic and historic venue that seems apt for the purposely raw and no frills sound of their second record.

Impressively, Jacob Slater’s lyrical themes of self-destruction, heartache and youthful joy have hit a chord with a young generation of music fans. And the 2,000 strong crowd this evening is mainly within the 18-24 age group; a mix of baggy clothed students with mullets and girls dressed up as if for a night out on the town.

Now, I’m as guilty as anyone for treating support bands as an afterthought. But having been blown away by Wunderhorse’s support of Fontaines D.C. back in 2022, it only felt fair to head along early for tonight’s opening act.

In fairness, HighSchool don’t disappoint. Heavy hints of Interpol and New Order provide familiarity without being too contrived. While they aren’t quite the finished article, the brooding post punk Aussie duo are having fun (swigging on local favourite tonic Buckfast must’ve helped in that respect!) and their energy is infectious. One to keep an eye on for the future.

After a brief jaunt downstairs to the join the shortest pre-show bar queue I can ever remember at the Barrowlands (don’t young people drink as much as older music fans?!), we arrive in position for the main event. The excitement in the air in palpable.

Suddenly, the lights dim. The sweet sounds of Judy Garland’s ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ are abruptly cut by Beck’s 1994 hit ‘Loser’. We sing along to the words we know (“in the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey…”) and as the chorus kicks in, so appears Jacob Slater and the rest of Wunderhorse to a hero’s welcome.

“Midas” exclaims Slater and they effortlessly break into their second record’s opening track. Bodies are instantly bouncing at the sizeable front section. Yep, it’s going to be one of those nights. Impressively, the energy is maintained into Cub opener ‘Butterflies’, exuberance replaced by an arm in the air singalong. There’s then no letting up for grungey Midas deep cuts ‘Emily’, ‘Arizona’ and ‘Cathedrals’ proving the love for their second will soon rival that of their debut.

On stage, Slater is one seriously cool looking dude in his dark baggy clothes and customary sunglasses. He pulls off the detached frontman role perfectly and, as such, crowd interactions are kept to a minimum. In fact, for a good while there’s barely an acknowledgement of the crowd’s existence. So, when Slater does eventually speak, it carries weight. And he does so late into the set by declaring Barrowlands the best venue in the world, buttering up the buoyant crowd further by claiming Glaswegians are “always the best crowd”.

Though, to be honest, Wunderhorse’s last appearance in Glasgow – at TRNSMT Festival in July – was a poor reflection of this. An overall feeling of ambivalence was felt in a quarter full stage space. But anyway, let’s not dwell. Tonight though, the crowd more than redeem Glasgow’s reputation and the response to each song really makes a big difference to the enjoyment of the show.

Into the second half, ‘Leader of the Pack’ is arguably their most catchy and performed with a heap of charisma; 6Music favourite ‘Silver’ packs in the power and emotion; ‘Superman’ allows for a spine-tingling breather; and an extended version of ‘The Rain’ has the crowd outdo themselves once more - the mosh pits making for a fantastic sight in front of us.

As the band depart the stage, chants of “one more tune” spread through the venue. I make a joke to my friend that perhaps this request is selling ourselves short and thankfully the band are in agreement. We get not one, but two final songs to enjoy. ‘Teal’ has emerged as Wunderhorse’s signature tune and tonight the words are passionately spat out both from the stage and the floor. They then finish on the grungiest of odes to grunge in ‘July’, the crashing guitars and drums raw and explosive. It may only be two guitar chords but the absolute racket that aids Slater’s primal screams leave quite the impression to finish on.

So, there we have it. The lights are now on and it’s time for home. As we shuffle down the Barrowlands stairwell there’s an atmosphere of joy in the air.

More and more people now are donning t shirts from the band’s merch stand. Which is great. Wunderhorse is their band, not their parents. And in an age of nostalgia for indie sleaze/Britpop acts, its genuinely a pleasure to see a young band at the top of their game and appreciated at the same time. If Wunderhorse can maintain that draw, who knows just how big they’ll get. In a live setting, their power is unrivalled.