A Gig with Wild Horse

First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Culture Editor.

Date Published: 19th May 2023.

Wild Horse consists of two brothers Jack and Henry Baldwin and their best friend Ed Barnes from a primary school in East Sussex. Since 2018, they have released four albums: ‘When The Pool Is Occupied’ (2021), “WE ARE IN AN IDENTITY CRISIS…BUT WE LOVE IT’ (2020), DANCE!! Like An Animal’ (2019), and ‘Sings About Last Night’ (2018).

Henry Baldwin and Ed Barnes started a band together during secondary school until Jack Baldwin was convinced by his brother to join while still in primary school. Jack was beginning to learn guitar, so it seemed like perfect timing. Jack jokingly claims he only learnt guitar, as his brother got all the attention at family parties, as he would play songs for the family. However, it all works in the end. Jack enjoys ‘being the centre of attention’, which is apparent in his stage presence when performing gigs. He is lively and joyful, and gets the crowd going.

While it is a cliché to say it’s better live, I mean that for this band, the lead singer Jack Baldwin puts on a performance to Matty Healy’s chaos and energy. Jack comments in his interview that ‘the 1975 are a guilty pleasure’.

‘When The Pool Is Occupied’ (2021)

The 2021 album ‘When The Pool Is Occupied’ is coherent and must be listened to from start to finish. The album’s ending resembles The Beatles’ Abbey Road’, the brilliance of ending an album with a short closing song, ‘Thank you (It’s Gonna Be Alright)’, but with a twist, they also begin the album this way, ‘Happy Love Songs’.

The album is introduced through a very raw song that is heavy on the keys. It perfectly follows into ‘Freaky Together’ until the drums are introduced into the song, which increases the song’s groove and picks up the beat. Jack belts out the vocals with a rougher undertone in their performance, and the music is catchy.

In comparison, ‘Pornstar Martini’ starts with a more classic rock vibe, and the singing is much softer. At the same time, ‘W.A.N.T’ is heavy on the guitar.

One of my favourites from the album is ‘Coffee In The Morning’, which feels like an authentic and raw song concept. It starts softly, with the keys and strong vocals. While most songs have the music at the forefront, the singing and lyrics take the spotlight for this song. Especially the way Jack belts out the lyrics, ‘I don’t know you, but I want to feel your skin on mine, welcome to the autumn time’.

Jack engaged heavily with the audience during the introduction of ‘Feel’.

Another one of my favourites is ‘Anxiety’, and the backing vocals throughout bring the song to life. The best part of the song is the electric guitar song, about 2 minutes and 20 seconds. The use of the guitar song without the lyrics over the top is almost what anxiety itself is like. Though the lyrics aren’t present, you can still hear them like an echo in your mind, almost like worrying thoughts.

Ed’s use of drummers throughout ‘Symphony of Broken Hearts’ creates an almost anxious feeling. The buildup of drums is an outstanding part of the song. The drums feel like a representation of a broken heartbeat combined with the use of keys, making a beautiful and painful heartbreak song.

‘Playin’ On My Mind’ and ‘Pray ’89’ feel like summery indie pop songs. Something great to blast on in the car on the way to the beach.

‘Confidence’ reminds me of a very 2000s aesthetic song. Perfect for getting ready to go clubbing or getting prepared to see Wild Horse at a gig.

‘Record Collection’ is currently on repeat for me, between this and ‘Joy Ride’. When playing this song, you can’t help but dance along. It’s the catchiest of the entire album. The outro with the guitar and the drums is pop perfection.

The album highlights the musical range of the band and the singing range of Jack Baldwin.

‘Cougar‘ got the most significant reaction from the audience. It also has the best beat drop of the singles.

‘Joy Ride’ was the best performance of the night from Wild Horse. It is undoubtedly my most played from the band. The melody scratches an itch in my mind, especially one minute in with the way Jack sings, ‘I can’t keep it together oooo’. All the instruments work together smoothly, while also keeping the sound interesting. With this song playing in the car or at a party, it would be hard to resist dancing to the groovy tune. The song begins slowly to ease you, then grows into a charming pop song. When choosing which song should be the next single, Jack replies that it’s a ‘gut feeling’ that he will look at some songs and ‘just know’.

Their new single, ‘Tangled‘, will be released on the 12th of May.

Lead vocalist Jack Baldwin writes most of the songs for Wild Horse. However, songwriting is only one of his many talents. He can also play guitar and keyboard, and is self-taught learning the saxophone. Jack tends to write demos for Ed and Henry to listen to; this helps the band choose songs to produce and record. Usually, the idea for songs comes from the guitar, but most recently, for Jack, it has come from ‘messing about on the keys.’

While drummer for most songs, Ed Barnes can also play the guitar. He plays the guitar on the song ‘Just About Enough’ from the album ‘When the Pool is Occupied’. He is a self-taught drummer who works out the drums for the song by working with Jack to play the guitar. Ed helps put the rock in the rock ‘n roll aspect of the music.

Henry Baldwin, the bass guitarist, learnt to play the guitar in year three and was one of the youngest in his school to learn an instrument. As the band progressed and the songs changed, Jack began singing a lot more, so Henry decided to step up as bass guitarist for the band. He also wrote many keys for the new single ‘Tangled’.

Half the reason for the band’s name is, of course, a reference to The Rolling Stones; all the band members would choose The Rolling Stones over The Beatles. The other reason is after Neil Diamond’s band ‘Crazy Horse’. They came up with the idea at eleven years old after a gig in the car.

When asked what songwriters inspired Jack Baldwin, he lists the typical ‘The Beatles… Noel Gallagher’, before finishing with ‘One thing I think Taylor Swift is a really good songwriter, I have a lot of respect for her… I love Taylor Swift’. Jack describes songwriting as an outlet, while Henry describes it as a sense of expression.