By Hannah Compton

I can’t think of better band to end the gig season for me in 2016 than A Thousand Horses. Having only seen A Thousand Horses briefly at C2C Festival earlier in the year, I was more than excited to catch an entire set and am happy to report that they didn’t disappoint.

We arrived for the show about fifteen minutes before ATH took to the stage. Having a prime spot in the balcony VIP area, I was happy to be able to view not just the band on stage, but the entire audience too, which made for a different experience as I could then see the reactions of the crowd throughout the night.

A Thousand Horses seemed to draw not just a Country music crowd but a Rock crowd too and, as a fan of both genres, I was right in my element. There was already a great atmosphere before the show even started and I, for one, could not wait. Having just spoken to the band a couple of hours before, I was even more excited, as they were all such nice, humble and down to earth guys. Michael Hobby – lead singer – even made a song up on the spot during the interview, as I referred to myself as the bag lady. However, I had no delusions that they would play that song that night, haha!

The band took to the stage with Blaze Of Something which got the vibe going. A Thousand Horses have such great stage presence without even trying; they just have such a natural way about them that is so infectious and exciting. Michael Hobby has a real, raw, Country-Rock voice that you could listen to all night – and live, well it’s even better. He has one of those distinctive voices that belong up there with artists such as Chris Cornell and Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone. A born-to-be singer and performer, he owned that stage; he had the audience in the palm of his hand and the entire band knew how to deliver a stellar performance.

Travellin’ Man was next, which made the crowd go crazy. I scanned the audience and it seemed that every single person was singing along – and rather enthusiastically. There were so many happy faces and, for me, the most respectful audience I have ever been in during a show that leans more towards the Rock genre. I mean that as a positive thing. Usually during gigs with a rockier sound, you are stuck in an over-capacity audience full of drunk people who don’t give a dang about their neighbour. That being said, I did find myself reverting back to my youth – and rather missing it! The days when I would go see a rockier/heavier band similar to A Thousand Horses – days long before I was a Country music fan. I was suddenly remembering cringe worthy yet brilliant times at shows of some of my favourite bands such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine, when I would be right in the middle of a mosh pit and loving it! Ha! You would NEVER catch me doing that now. Not out of embarrassment but out of being too old or maybe just being too much of a prude ha!

Heaven Is Close and (This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial were next on the set list, with both tracks being from debut album Southernality. Everyone sang along again – in fact they did for all the songs played and with a very dedicated fan base force. The only song that the crowd did not know all the words to, understandably, was the new song Preachin’ To The Choir, which was very well received – and most of the audience actually got the wording by half way through.

Trailer Trashed was one of the highlight songs for me. That song live is just WOW! Need I say more? They also gave a great cover performance of Otis Redding’s Too Hard To Handle, which is a song that always makes me tongue tied, haha!

Song after song, the music and the atmosphere got even more electric, loud and jumping. There is always a certain bond between a Country act and their audience, one that seems to be like you are amongst family. You always feel somewhat connected to a Country star, even if you never meet them or never get close to the stage – and I felt that way that night. Michael Hobby has a great rapport with his fans, as he leant over the barrier to sing to them and to high-five some fans. The band even sat on the front of the stage at one point to give the fans at the front a more intimate performance for a song or two.
The additional band members, such as the fiddle player and drummer, just made the show that bit extra special – and I have to give a massive shout out to The Horsettes (backing singers) who have two of the most awesome female, rock-style voices I have ever heard. Their vocals were insane and they could really rock out a tune. I would love to hear them sing solo one day. If anyone knows where I can hear their solo material, let me know please.

When the band performed Back To Me, everyone went wild. You could hear every single person’s voice as they sang along to that song – more than you could on any other song that night. The ‘Whoa’ in the chorus created an arena-filling atmosphere and I really felt as if I was in an arena not a small, intimate venue.

Seemingly ending the night with Southernality – the band returned to the stage after a roaring crowd rooting for their encore. The encore gave us energising performances of fan favourite Smoke and ended with a mind blowing performance of First Time.

You don’t have to be a die-hard fan to enjoy and appreciate the kind of band A Thousand Horses are. My friend had never heard of them and came out after having a damn good night.

Everything about the evening made the long trip from Gloucestershire worthwhile. I go to so many gigs but this was a definite stand-out gig for me, one that I will remember for a long time. A Thousand Horses have fast become one of my favourite bands and I hope that this is the first trip of many. I see A Thousand Horses getting bigger and bigger and becoming one of those bands that have a huge loyal cult-band fanbase, who will go to every show even if they don’t release new music for years.

I do regret not buying a tour poster but I ran out of funds so alas, it was not meant to be – but hey! – the night wasn’t about a poster, for goodness’ sake, ha!

Overall, A Thousand Horses gave a thundering and electrifying show to a highly pumped, eager crowd whose energy filled the venue throughout the night. A crowd can kill a gig, but they can make it too, and the audience that night certainly deserve recognition. I would encourage anyone to see A Thousand Horses live, as it is an experience not to be missed.

You don’t need a thousand reasons to see A thousand Horses, just one and that is that they are awesome! Enough said!

Setlist

Blaze Of Something
Travellin’ Man
Heaven Is Close
(This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial
Trailer Trashed
TN Whisky
Preachin’ To The Choir
Feelin’ Alright
Just For Tonight
Back to Me
Hard to Handle
(Otis Redding cover – Too Hard To Handle)
Sunday Morning
Bridges
Landslide
Southernality

Encore:
Smoke
First Time