Band of Horses 

Avis

• Band of Horses

  Friday 21st June, the Forum, London, Band of Horses. It’s best to get this out of the way first. BoH are probably my favourite contemporary band. They probably have about a dozen stone wall classic songs. It’s been ten years since I first saw them at Lollapalooza in Chicago where they took on Janes Addiction on an adjourning main stage and blew them away. Tonight’s show is a dilemma as its clashes with an electric Ryan Bingham and band in Islington but Ben Bridwell and his compadres get the nod.

  It’s rare we get to The Forum these days unlike the nineties heydays when we seemed to be there every other week. It’s a big room and tonight the sound is very off from the outset. This isn’t helped initially by an under the weather Bridwell who has been nursing his throat for a few days. I am happy to say that both the overall sound and Bridwell’s voice warmed up during the night and although you could still barely make out his between song chat it didn’t detract from the great music.

  Band of Horses have had a bit of an upheaval in the past two years with two long standing members, bassist Bill Reynolds and guitarist and harmonist Tyler Ramsey both quitting the band in 2017. Ramsey especially is a huge gap to fill both musically and vocally who I think acted as an important file for the band’s rough edges.

  Back to tonight and it’s a big set with large spotlights surrounding the sound which I guess they are needing for their Black Deer festival appearance on Saturday. These are used to great effect and really add to the musical spectacle.

  The set tonight kicks off with a new songs and then leans heavily to the first two albums and last long player ‘Why are you OK’. All the classics are here ‘Laredo’, ‘Ode to LRC’, ‘Great Salt Lake’, ‘Ghost’ but it is obviously set closer ‘The Funeral’ that makes the hairs on your arms stand up. It’s a truly spiritual moment, beginning with a simple hushed guitar and just Bridwell’s fragile voice building and building to that spectacular crescendo when the band and audience kick in and take over before we are taken right back down to basics of one man and guitar and then repeat. Stunning.

  How do you follow that in the encore, well with a shambolic but enjoyable version of ‘Throw my Mess’ and finally a superb ‘The General Specific’. Despite sound and voice problems another standout show from one of the best live bands out there.

  Till the next time keep on rockin y’all

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  par garyw66

• Thursday 23rd February. The Troxy. Band of Horses. So a trip into deepest East London at the lesser used Troxy. My only other experience of the venue is a few years ago to the short lived supergroup Monsters of Folk. It’s a nice size but get there in good time to get into the pit at the front.

  Taking our own advice we get there early for the excellent support of Israel Nash. It’s just an acoustic guitar and pedal steel for this short taster set for those who don’t know him. It works really well and arguably highlighted the songs and his superb falsetto voice better than the full band show from last year.

  Next up is Band of Horses. Confession time. These are in my top three favourite contemporary bands so this review is somewhat biased. But in summary they f@ckin rocked. To describe BoH as purely a country rock band is doing them a massive disservice. Every time I have seen them they have offered the lighter contrast of an acoustic segment be it lead singer Ben Bridwell on his own on stage, up in the circle at the Hammersmith Odeon or by turning a Lollapalooza set in 09 into an intimate club gig. Tonight’s acoustic section is Bridwell, joined by guitarist Tyler Ramsey, and on mandolin Ryan Monroe surrounding a single mic ‘bluegrass’ style. Beautiful stuff.

  Band of Horses are five albums into their career and they already have probably a dozen stone wall classic songs and to my delight they perform most of them tonight along with some assorted cuts from their new album ‘Why are you OK’ neatly skipping tracks from the below par Mirage Rock.

  Bridwell advises the audience that the evening has not got off to a great night after severely cutting his finger and treading in shit, possibly human outside the venue (welcome to East London). Bleeding all night on guitars, jeans and towels he doesn’t let it affect his performance and he leads the band through a storming set.

  Highlights too many to mention. ‘Laredo’ is a great singalong as is ‘NW Apartment’ and the encore of ‘Funeral’ and ‘General Specific’ ensures the pace doesn’t let up and there’s even time for a spot of Powderfinger’ for good measure.

  It will take a lot to beat this from a purely rock concert perspective and joins Mandolin Orange as my favourite gig of the year so far of the ten I have been to

  A great rocking night and keep on country rockin y’all

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  par garyw66

• I saw the southern/Indie, country rock band Band of Horses live at the Lincoln Theatre, a huge concert venue in Washington, D.C., in February 2014. I've been a fan of Band of Horses ever since they first hit the music scene in Seattle a good decade ago, so I suspected it would be a good show. The four person band, led by singer Ben Bridwell, sure knows how to entertain an audience. Short on talk and long on music, the show was enjoyed by me and everyone I could see in the distance.

  They began by singing "Is There a Ghost" and that made the audience go crazy. After that, they did songs from each of their albums, including Cease to Begin, which is my favorite. The best song, in my opinion, was "Heartbreak On The 101," a soulful and dramatic song that tells a heart-wrenching story. The show concluded with "No One's Gonna Love You," which probably would have resulted in a standing ovation if everyone wasn't already on their feet.

  It's not hard to understand why Band Of Horses has such a huge fan base and worldwide recognition. Quite simply, they're good, and so was their show. If you have the chance to see them perform, do it because it's pure, soulful entertainment.

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  Par Anonymous

• Something of a slow burner to the UK markets, Seattle rock outfit Band of Horses have gained serious momentum over the past few years following the release of their acclaimed album 'Mirage Rock' which appeared to open them up to a brand new untapped British audience who attended their shows in force to view what was seemingly America's best indie rock secret.

  The crowds were not disappointed by the warm mannerisms of the quintet as well as the traditional, well tuned instrumental methods. There is no show element to Band of Horses' tour yet what keeps the audience thoroughly engaged is the brilliant musicianship and instrumental richness of the members onstage. They really do dissect their discography and build it back adding numerous layers of percussion or stripping some of the grander tracks back to their acoustic skeletons. In whatever way they are performed, the audience are fantastically responsive and cheer intently at the closing bars of every track. The band looks thoroughly pleased with the support and thank them sincerely before wrapping up with the stomping 'Ode to LRC'.

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  par sean-ward

• Band of Horses, the brainchild of legend and genius Brad Bridwell, have evolved into one of the most iconic contemporary cult American rock bands. The indie band was astonishing on stage, captivating the crowd with their soul, with Brad’s soft vocals and with Tyler Ramsey’s incredible guitar skills. From the moment that the chords for arguably their greatest hit, ‘Funeral’, were struck, the crowd was putty in their hands. An ethereal, beautiful and brilliant atmosphere was created as the crowd went silent to hear every note played, every string and every tone of Brad’s voice. The mood was both melancholy and rapturous. Everyone was very aware that they were in the midst of real musicians playing real music, music that meant something and that was beautiful and powerful all at once. ‘No One’s Gonna Love You’ opened the show and ‘Funeral’ closed it, but the songs in between were just as magical, displaying the band’s impressive repertoire. From ‘Is There a Ghost’ to ‘Infinite Arms’, the band put on one hell of a performance and left the crowd awe-struck.

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  par sabraziz

• There is something about this band that is both beautiful, and haunting at the same time. I've seen them live several times (both acoustic and full sound) and they have never disappointed me. They are very personable on stage, and look like they are having the best time up there. This sets a good tone with the audience, and helps the room to feel more relaxed to dance, laugh, and enjoy the show.

  Throughout the night the band tossed candy into the audience, and people seemed to really enjoy the whole festive atmosphere. About half-way through the set I remember saying to my wife, "They have so many good songs." And they do; i just sometimes forget how fantastic their sets can be.

  I'm looking forward to the next show.

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  par slumlord13

• To this 60 year old man, Band of Horses on Sunday night sounded excellent. Although their two and sometimes three guitar assault was thrilling, my favorite moment was when the Bridwell and Ramsey boned it down to just the two of them on stage and sang "No One's Going to Love You". It was heart breakingly simple and beautiful. The whole show was just a great night of music, including the opening act The Shelters. That's a new band that I'd only heard in the car on the way up, but I enjoyed live. Their guitar work was great too. Reminded me of the groups from the 60s and 70s I used to listen to. My daughter says they were to her the best opening band she's ever heard. I agreed.

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  par hoppingr

• It was a magnificent night. Despite my unfamiliarity with their new album, I still enjoyed the whole experience. Pleased to be able to sing together the hit songs, such as The Funeral, No One's Gonna Love You, and Laredo. Although I am a little disappointed that they didn't sing Blue Beard, For Annabelle, and Infinite Arms, but I realise that 1.5 hours is not enough to sing that many songs from the older albums.

  A little highlight of the night is the fact that Ben cut his finger 30 minutes before the show. After performing mere 2-3 songs, it started bleeding again but he kept it cool and kept playing the guitar. Such a great dedication on showmanship!

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  par ridwanphy

• WOW! 10/10! I have been a fan of Band of Horses for 8 years now and I knew they were great, but the live performance was outstanding. The energy and professionalism of the band was amazing! Ben's vocals were PERFECT! He sounds exactly as he does in the studio when he is live. I was also so surprised at not only the amount of energy that he had, but his stage presence and confidence was captivating! He has swagger! They played a non-stop action packed set and I would definitely recommend seeing them live. Worth every dollar. Keep up the good work guys!

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  par anewbern1911

• You really should see these guys live. What a pleasant surprise. To be honest, I've never been into Band of Horses. They're one of those bands that Spotify is always throwing at me, but their music never hooked me. But I had heard they were a good show so I figured I've give it a shot. Man, I am glad I did. They are GREAT live. The crowd was clearly full of die hard fans, and the energy in the club was palpable. The sounded great, had a lot of fun with the crowd, and built their set list perfectly. For the money it may be the best show I've ever seen.

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  par frank.lawson