‘We like it when things fall apart’: heavy rockers Wunderhorse on embracing music’s messy side

Jacob Slater was a surf coach in Newquay when he was cast as the Sex Pistols’ drummer in Danny Boyle’s TV series Pistol, but as the singer’s latest album with his band Wunderhorse confirms, he will always be drawn to chaos

For Jacob Slater, the frontman of Wunderhorse, chaos isn’t just part of the job – it’s the lifeblood of his art. “We like it when things go wrong,” he says with a hint of amusement. “When Jamie’s snare drum breaks or the amps cut out, there’s this moment where you want to disappear. But then you realise – this is where the magic happens.”

If that embrace of the unexpected explains Wunderhorse’s blistering live shows, it’s also a metaphor for Slater’s circuitous journey through the entertainment industry. Slater first rose to attention in the mid-2010s as the lead singer and guitarist for the teenage punks Dead Pretties. Their furious performances in London’s dingy basement venues (most notably the Windmill Brixton, proving ground of many established indie bands such as Sorry, Black Midi and Shame) were the stuff of legend, but internal conflict and personal issues saw the band break up in 2017, leaving only a Facebook post and an excellent goodbye single in their wake. Slater retreated to Cornwall, trading the capital’s chaos for odd jobs and surfing in Newquay.

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