I think Wunderhorse took a wrong turn somewhere. Within about 30 seconds, it’s pretty clear that this group are destined for far larger stages than the 260-capacity Deaf Institute.
And that’s even without them firing on all cylinders.
Jacob Slater, the man who previously fronted punk rock outfit Dead Pretties before moving to Cornwall and rebranding himself as Wunderhorse, is sick. Sick as a dog, in fact.
He says his voice is ruined. But given the grunge and aggression laced through the music that’s to come, his slightly rougher voice sort of enhances the whole experience, much like Phoebe Buffay’s sexy sick voice.
Wunderhorse are touring their debut album Cub, with stand-out tracks aplenty.
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There’s ‘Leader of the Pack’, an instantly sing-along-able stomper; ‘Purple’, the closest he comes to a heartbreak anthem; and ‘Teal’, a spit-spraying spoken word track where Slater’s voice takes on more than a passing resemblance to Bruce Springsteen.
The whole debut album and the entire set at Deaf Institute feels like Nirvana meets Sam Fender meets Radiohead, with a sprinkling of raw magic.
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At one point, Slater reminds us that ‘you can move, you know’, as the tightly-packed venue has just been gently bobbing along. Within seconds, the crowd-surfing begins, beers are thrown, arms flail.
Wunderhorse are a band who move with such enthusiasm they knock over microphones and accidentally close the stage curtains with a spinning neck of a bass guitar (but politely put it all back again).
Thankfully, they’ll have a lot more room to play with when they’re back in Manchester next at least – they’ve already booked in a gig at the O2 Ritz in October, a venue five times the size of this one.
It’s a short gig, over and done with in about 55 minutes, but with that much energy packed in it’s hard to feel short-changed. We’re here for a good time, not for a long time.
There’s no encore, no goodbye, no thank yous, they just put their instruments down and walk off, like a dissatisfied office employee leaving at 5pm on the dot, office chair slowly spinning behind them.
But rather than a pile of admin, they leave behind a small, sweaty room of people who feel like they’ve had their head inside a kick-drum for an hour. There’s not a complaint to be heard.
You can get tickets for Wunderhorse’s next Manchester gig at See Tickets.
Featured image: Publicity picture
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Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
Daisy Jackson
Niall Horan will be back in Manchester this year on a huge newly-announced European arena tour.
The former One Direction star (and chart-topper in his own right) has just announced his Dinner Party Live On Tour tour.
The tour comes in support of his upcoming fourth solo studio album, Dinner Party, which promises to be ‘cinematic and organic’.
Niall Horan will be performing at the Co-op Live in Manchester this September, along with gigs in other UK cities including Sheffield, Glasgow, and Newcastle.
He’ll then head right across Europe, playing music from his multi-Platinum-selling songbook.
Niall first shot to fame as one-fifth of One Direction, but has one of the group’s strongest solo careers, with three chart-topping albums and massive hits like Slow Hands, Heaven, and Our Song.
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
He’s also worked on some exciting collaborations with the likes of Anne-Marie, and most recently Myles Smith.
£1 from every ticket sold for Niall Horan’s Dinner Party tour will be donated to the LIVE Trust, which is dedicated to protecting, expanding, and supporting grassroots music across the UK.
Niall Horan will be at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Friday 25 September.
Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Thursday 2 April HERE.
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
Daisy Jackson -
1st April 2023 
