By Lucia Cinquino, Staff Writer
Who: Deux Visages, Wunderhorse
Venue: The Sinclair
When: January 27, 2025
Wunderhorse “Blows To Boston”
Wunderhorse plays a wunderful set at The Sinclair. On only the fourth show of their North American tour, the band stunned at The Sinclair in Cambridge on Monday night. The eager crowd loaded into the venue at 7 pm, filling up the house quickly for a sold-out show! I had never been to The Sinclair before, but making the trek out to Cambridge was definitely worth it. The intimate feel of the venue made for a jam-packed night of great rock music.
The four-piece band, Wunderhorse, came together to build on frontman, Jacob Slater’s independent project. Harry Fowler, Peter Woodin, and Jamie Staples became permanent band members while working on their debut album, Cub, which was released in 2022. More recently, they are on the road taking their most recent album, Midas, across North America. One fun moment that garnered a bit of attention recently was in the summer of 2024, when the band played a cover of Billie Eillish’s “LUNCH,” on a BBC radio show. The cover starts slowed down and calm with a touch of the distorted guitar, but quickly their signature rough and grungy rock sound comes out with Jacob Slater borderline-screaming Billie’s lyrics into the mic.
Originally formed in Newquay, UK, the band has amassed a huge following in London and the whole United Kingdom. When taking the stage in the UK they are used to playing for crowds up to eight times the size of the ~500-person capacity of The Sinclair. In addition, Wunderhorse just finished supporting British rock artist Sam Fender’s most recent tour. They opened his sold-out shows across Europe in iconic venues such as the O2 Arena in London and the 3Arena in Dublin. While the air in the crowd at The Sinclair was surely different from those bigger UK crowds, Boston showed up and gave Wunderhorse the audience they deserved.
Deux Visages, Viennent Du Garage! (Deux Visages, From The Garage!)
Opening up the night was Deux Visages, a band that hails from a garage-turned-practice studio in Miami, Florida. The band's four members, Daphney, Jack, Tony, and Antoine, raised the energy of the crowd and warmed up the air inside The Sinclair. They played a total of seven songs, and after a bit of warming up they showed off their skill and what seemed to me, a true enjoyment of their craft. They played one unreleased song towards the end of their set, which really got me excited for the music they plan to release in the coming months. I wasn’t very familiar with their discography before the show, but their rock/punk influence makes me eager to dive into their music!
Some songs of theirs to check out if unfamiliar with Deux Visages are “Cheetah” and “Tethered.” If you are in the mood for strong female rock vocals I can’t recommend Deux Visages enough!
The Midas Touch
The lights went dark and a red glow took over the stage as a folk harmonica-focused song began to play, that I honestly didn’t know. Some members of the crowd sang along to the lyrics, as the band walked onto the stage in style. They did not waste any time getting right into the humming intro to the title track of their newest project, Midas. Jacob Slater’s strong and bold vocals rang throughout the house alongside the ripping guitar.
When my concert-going friend, who is a massive fan of Wunderhorse, showed her dad a video of Slater’s performance, he said “It looks like he is in a fight with his guitar,” and there’s no better way to describe his motions on stage. Although midway through trashing and jolting with the strings of his guitar, his chords were powerful and calculated. The rest of the band followed suit in their passionate displays of instrumentals and vocals the whole night.
Cub Turns Back the Clock
After opening strong with tracks such as “Midas” and “Emily” from their newest album, they took a step back in their discography to Cub, and played my personal favorite song of theirs, “Butterflies.” While the recording of this song is already incredible, hearing it live with Slater’s softer and raw vocals paired with the heavy and enchanting guitar interludes was really incredible. It is always extremely special to hear a song like that live and grow a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship and their ability to transform it in front of an audience. It leaves you wishing you could hear them play it over again.
They played more songs from Cub, including “Girl Behind The Glass” which is a song that is not very often included on their setlist. Despite Midas being a big success, some of their most popular songs come from this debut album. Cub’s two color-named tracks, “Teal” and “Purple,” hold the position as their top-most streamed songs on Spotify–clearly for a reason. Their catchy melodies make for a great song that is easily singable and danceable for both Slater and the audience. When they began both of the songs, the stage became aptly washed with their respective colors, adding a cool touch to the show.
Another rare performance featured at The Sinclair was “Cathedrals,” a track featured on Midas. Songs like this and “Girl Behind The Glass” do not usually make an appearance on their setlists, but getting to hear both of them within the same show was a lovely little surprise. Wunderhorse also played “Aeroplane,” an eight-minute instrumentally-heavy song that takes the energy down a step with its slower melody and contemplative vocals. This breath of fresh air was much needed before the final stretch. While the rush of jumping and dancing is great for a while, songs like “Aeroplane,” that give a bit of rest are much needed at this sort of high-energy rock concert.
Even Great Nights Have to End
They finished off the night–as they do all of their shows–with “Superman.” It was an epic way to end. The subtly building guitars, drums, and bass grew and grew until a full-out (but calculated) mayhem. The band concluded the song and exited with the droning feedback occupying the now-empty stage. The amps were struck, and the lights went up. While the ending was quite abrupt, with no encore, it was a masterful finish. It only left the audience wanting more.
