Falling on the same night of the 2024 BRIT awards, Wunderhorse took to the stage last Saturday to rapturous applause. The legendary 700-year-old pub announced the secret set just hours before the group were scheduled to perform, causing fans to scramble to purchase last-minute tickets. Fronted by singer-songwriter Jacob Slater, his distinctive rough and ready vocals and razor-sharp lyricism are hard to shake off. Slater’s gritty on-stage persona is reminiscent of blistering American garage bands, causing him to launch into a series of rage-fuelled outbursts, only to lose him again in a 90s psychedelic fog.

The Hertfordshire-born musician had made the decision to exit his old band Dead Pretties in 2017, a path that would eventually lead him to form his next project Wunderhorse, releasing their debut, critically-acclaimed album ‘Cub‘ in October 2022, a beautiful yet bloodied catalogue of teenage misadventure. The past two years have seen Slater build up a fair amount of mileage, having scored not only glowing album reviews and international recognition, but rather ironically his first ever acting role as Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook in Danny Boyle’s tv miniseries Pistol.

A multifaceted writer and instrumentalist, Slater has also curated his own separate solo project, releasing his first ever record ‘Pinky, I Love You‘ in August 2023, another deeply personal and tender account of youth driven by a rousing, prog-rock sound. On February 5, the band announced they will be performing at Isle of Wight, TRNSMT, Boardmasters and Reading and Leeds festival this summer.

As of last weekend, they also shared they will be headlining Dot To Dot Festival in May alongside Irish electronic duo Jockstrap, and Brighton’s The Great Escape festival accompanied by other major acts such as Faye Webster and SOFTPLAY. Great Escape Fest is known for showcasing the biggest and brightest up and coming artists from around the country, with over 150 acts set to take part in different venues across the city.

Wunderhorse took to Instagram last month to lift the lid on new music, revealing they are currently in the process of recording their sophomore album, simply commenting: “Back on the road in March, new music in tow”. The four-piece will be supporting English singer-songwriter Declan McKenna on his 2024 UK tour this month, kicking things off at Cardiff University’s Student Union on March 23. You can purchase tickets here.

Since then he has released many new songs, each different from the last, that will go towards his debut album Cub due out on Communion Records on September 16th this year. His latest single “Leader Of The Pack” came out today and is another stormer from the surfer that usually calls Newquay his home.

Set up on a blistering guitar riff reminiscent of early naughties American rock, it’s an immediate foot stomper that really kicks up a gear when Slater’s chorus sings “Some people have a special kind of knack, Of getting what they wanted, Just to stab you in the back, 9 times out of 10 it’s the leader of the pack, Leader of the pack”.

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Speaking with Dork, Slater said: “Leader of the Pack is a song about betrayal, about not being able to escape the thing that eats away at you, it’s a song written as a means of getting even”, before further clarifying his current emotional status on Instagram by saying “I’m glad I wrote this when I was still a teenager, otherwise I would have probably calmed down before it came out of me“.

Maturity is certainly a hallmark of Wunderhorse and something Jacob has gone through many different guises to acquire. Previously the frontman of British post-punk band Dead Pretties, and now ironically starring in his first acting role as Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook in Danny Boyle’s “Pistol”, he is a multifaceted character that has seen many sides of the industry on his road to becoming Wunderhorse. His mileage seems to be paying off, with dexterous new music and slots supporting the likes of Sam Fender, Foals, Fontaines DC, and Sorry, his momentum and notoriety is building, especially as a live performer of which I can wholeheartedly verify having been blown away by his performance at The Lexington in London earlier this year.

In short, Wunderhorse seems to be a pony well worth backing, so make sure you hop on board and listen to his new single “Leader Of The Pack” before you fall behind.

You can catch him performing at his upcoming headline show this year at London’s Lafayette on the 20th of October. Grab your tickets here.