Matty Healy wishes he looked as cool as Jacob Slater smoking a cig: Wunderhorse at deer shed review

Words: Cameron Whittaker

Photos: Emie Grimwood

Picture this, you’re at a family friendly festival and the crowd is quiet, or sitting down in the sea of camp chairs dominating the hill overlooking the main stage. Wunderhorse are using the time to experiment and somehow, someway, they are still absolutely immense. 

It was covering the meteoric rise of Fontaines D.C., that led (by my reins) to Wunderhorse. This is no surprise considering they supported the Irish Alternative/Indie band for much of their last UK and US tour. Wunderhorse are a four piece group of the same ilk, made up of Laconic frontman Jacob Slater, Harry Fowler (Guitar), Seb Byford (Bass) and Jamie Staples (Drums). With their 2025 TRNSMT performance cancelled the day prior via their instagram story, Deer Shed was my first chance to see them live since their return from a European tour. I knew this would be an opportunity to relish as, much to my annoyance, the band has flown under my radar for much of the last few years. 

Live, the group’s sound blends hard 90’s grunge with flowy indie guitar riffs. The result is gritty and catchy tracks that implore you to move. Starting with hit, ‘midas’ off their most recent album of the same name, the band moved slickly through a setlist of tracks predominantly from their two studio albums. Songs, ‘Butterfly’ and ‘July’, provide substantial doses of guitar distortion and heavy drums, while ‘Leader of the pack’ and ‘Teal’, are lighter indie bangers which were well sung from the young crowd. The real treat came at the end with ‘Superman’ and ‘Rain’, (both incidentally from the most recent album), which were incredibly strong, both heavy hitting and sung with real heart by Slater, this was the highlight of the evening and genuinely special. 

Slater’s voice is the band's most valuable asset, one of remarkable timbre. Slater himself is like a highly tuned weapon – you’ll find him circling the mic from all sides – ready to growl the emotionally charged lyrics which make up the majority of their songs. Despite rarely speaking to crowds, he has an imposing stage presence that really encapsulates what wunderhorse are all about. ‘He genuinely has ridiculous aura,’ one teen could be overheard saying to their mates as we left the main stage: he wasn’t wrong. 

It’s important to note that Deer Shed is a unique location for artists/bands to perform. The family friendly festival is geared towards accommodating children; meaning you’ll find the main area teeming with  activities such as climbing, ring making, kayaking and more. At a first glance you may think this means that the music is of secondary importance, yet this is not the case. Up and coming artists attract decently sized crowds at even the smallest stages. A mix of parents and young adults congregate (often with their kids), to genuinely listen to what there is on offer. Crowds were not necessarily bursting with energy, but people were more than willing to turn up (no not in a fergaliscious way) and wunderhorse were no exception. 

As much as I enjoyed the kick about I had with a group of seven year olds, (right before the band opened), I will be endeavouring to see Wunderhorse next time in front of a more lively rabble. Furthermore, new additions to the performance – such as experimenting with long heavy interludes between some songs – were lost on a crowd that had a tendency to use this time to talk. Really, this can be put down to a quirky condition of this particular festival, and did not stop them getting thunderous applause upon leaving the stage. The fact they managed to be so expansive, despite the quiet crowd, is testament to how good they are. 

Jacob closed the set in characteristically brief style. “We’ve been Wunderhorse, we’ll see you somewhere down the road.” ‘Round the corner,’  in my case might be more appropriate, as I am looking forward to attending their next gig at my nearest possible convenience.