Horse at Mining Institute, Newcastle 23/11/13

Horse, In a Library! Perfect.

My other half and I stumbled into the rather dramatic surroundings of the library at the Mining Institute, three songs into Horse’s set. The parking in Newcastle city centre is extra scarce right now due to the alterations at Central Station, taxis are parked everywhere. Enough of our logistical problems what about this gig?

First of all, I’m a little annoyed. Horse has been making amazing music since 1989. It took me until this week to hear any of it. I got in touch with Horse to get a couple of tunes for the Jowheretogo Show on NE1fm, to give a gig a little plug, as I do. I heard the songs and knew that this was something special. I feel I’ve missed out on some amazing tunes. Jools Holland is a fan and Q Magazine have been raving about Horse. This may be the year of finding Horse where you don’t expect.

The music of Horse is soulful pop. A blues – soaked picture of a woman’s life, struggles, relationships, hopes, dreams and loves. In this venue, at this time, it was perfect. The band held this together so well and Horse’s voice got increasing powerful and rich as the gig progressed. I was surprised that such a cavernous interior could have such great acoustics, but there was a lot of carved wood, carpet and books to buffer those sound waves. Horse has a stunning voice, a cracking set of pipes, and a songwriting talent that should have had her firmly in the public consciousness for a large part of the last 30 odd years. If you haven’t found her yet, check out her website www.randan.org . She’s also adept at keeping the audience amused between songs. None of this head-down, play the songs business. She talks, she jokes, she pulls you in. The little meet ‘n’ greet at the merch stall after the gig revealed a really personable woman, happy to chat and sign CD’s.

I’m looking forward to seeing Horse again in Newcastle, I think the rest of the audience would agree. I’m so glad I finally found her!