Live Review: Brown Horse @The Blue Heart Festival, Alkmaar, NL – 11th April 2025

Following the album release of ‘All The Right Weaknesses’ on April 5th Brown Horse took to Holland for three shows before a planned return to the UK for a series of dates supporting the album release. This seemed a perfect opportunity to see what awaited the UK audiences and to report back before the tour starts proper on the 23rd of April in Bristol. Their first night in Holland was part of a brilliantly run festival called ‘The Blue Heart‘ which took place in a pair of dedicated auditoriums in Alkmaar. There were several artists on the bill including a rare sighting of Mark Olson, an acoustic set from Sam Outlaw (before the Horse came on), and some local artists notably the jazz-inflected Americana of Minko and the Floydian The Great East. The festival times meant that each act cut into each other by about 15 minutes between a smaller room and a, frankly wonderful, larger auditorium. The audience was very much up for their country music and Outlaw filled the larger room for an hour with several punters sporting dungarees and big hats. I was slightly nervous that Norfolk’s finest would have to work hard to win this crowd over, particularly the seated back row of BBQ-eating OAPS who appeared keener on chat than on the music. Sam Outlaw played from 5.30 pm ’til 6.30 pm and after a brief sound check, Brown Horse took to the stage at 7.15 pm. And the room very quickly filled!

Opening with ‘Verna Bloom‘ the band unrolled their ramshackle charm, locked into a groove, and invited everybody into the party. A bold move, opening with a ‘new’ song from a ‘new’ album, a song filled with both time and mood changes, but it is a measure of Brown Horse’s self-assurance and confidence in their material that it paid off immediately as the crowd moved towards the vast stage. Patrick Turner’s burred vocals and temporary bass and acoustic player Natacha Simoes’s counterpoint harmonies coaxed “Press your face up to the screen and you can feel the static” As the locals engaged and without pausing between songs the Horse leapt into ‘Dog Rose’ and its beguiling swing. By now the sound technician had really perfected the mix, not an easy task with six on stage and such an original blend of instruments and vocals. And the song really began to sway as the band also relaxed into its elastic groove. As a frontman Turner held the room without conversation as the lap steel and guitar began to make their presence felt. ‘All the Right Weaknesses’ followed and with it the belief that the whole set was going to be new material. Emma Tovell’s and Nyle Holihan’s electric strings intertwining to glorious effect.

Next up is another new song and this one isn’t even on the new album ‘Comeback Loading’ features a brooding intro that explodes into life thanks to the Ralph Molina-like drums of their new drummer Ben Rodwell and it must be said that his addition has added extra muscularity to their live sound. And then it was time to throw some shapes as ‘Corduroy Couch‘ followed in smart order with the band really enjoying the way things were unfolding. Rowan Braham, perched over his keyboard, appeared to be particularly lost in the moment as the audience began to sway. Turner introduced ‘Radio Free Bolinas‘ which launched from the epic drums and bass into a screaming pedal steel and accordion cacophony. So much sound, it was glorious, and the moment of silence following the lines “When it started to snow” or ” A moment pickled in sugar again and again” was completely sublime. A crystal in a cave of sound. Just fabulous and what a finish!

The audience was completely theirs and the band cantered for home with the stately and deeply moving ‘Stealing Horses‘, the emotional, melancholy ‘Wipers‘, with its heartbreaking guitar figure dripping emotion recalling Jason Molina at his desperate best and finally ‘Shootback‘ with its Faces’ keyboards connecting the new with the old.

An hour of blissful live music with a bunch of musicians making fabulous music plus the mention of two unrelated Molinas in one article, what more can you ask for?  Not much I say. If you haven’t got tickets for their upcoming gigs. Do it now. This band is the real deal. Gawd bless ’em.