Live Review: Sugar Horse with Mount Forel at The Grace, London (22/02/25)

It feels like a lifetime ago that on a wet October evening in 2021, I popped along to see a band I had never heard of before at the 229 in London. This band was a baffling amalgamation of genres, neither one thing or another, but was able to perfectly combine metal and melody in a truly unique way. This band was, of course, Sugar Horse and I was in love.

A love that has only deepened as the years, the shows, and the releases have rolled by.

Having released my personal album of the year (2024) with The Grand Scheme of Things and showcasing some of those tracks when I saw them play at A Night of Salvation – Damnation Festival, it should come as no surprise that this show became one of my most highly anticipated of the year. Taking place at The Grace (it’s a little too clean, but I like it as a venue) in London, and with support coming from Mount Forel.

Speaking of, Mount Forel are a different kind of beast, one that sits more comfortably in the alternative and indie rock worlds but has some clever creative power that gives them more ‘oomph’. It’s very listenable, but it’s also got abrasive elements. It’s dreamy, but it’s also trippy, It’s danceable, but in a ‘freeform’ kind of way. The Mount Forel experience is one to remember, and while I didn’t know them at the start, come the end of their set, I became a fan.

It’s all about Sugar Horse though and after (what felt like) an excruciatingly long wait for them to take to the stage, they arrive and explode into The Shape of ASMR to Come. This is one of my favourite Sugar Horse songs, and live, it just hits so much harder. More melodic, more ambient, more intense, and more emotional than ever. There’s electricity in the air and we’re all the conductors.

How about the twisted oddity and off-kilter tones of New Dead Elvis? On record it’s a daringly weird listen, yet live, its strengths are more apparent. Then there’s the discombobulating brilliance of Office Job Simulator, where a wilder metallised edge sounds even more ferocious here.

It’s not just about the new album either, as the Sugar Horse unleash the staggeringly strong Shouting Judas at Bob Dylan from The Live Long After album. It’s a powerful listen, from both a manic and mellow point of view. It seems as though everyone in the venue holds their breath during the more vulnerable vocal sections.

If all of this wasn’t enough, we get to experience the mighty colossus that is Truth or Consequences, New Mexico in full. A track so unique, so clever, so intrinsically Sugar Horse, that all anyone can do is marvel at its ebbs and flows, its peaks and valleys, and its twists and turns. It’s such a strong piece, and live, it sounds even better. Especially as Sugar Horse play it, and everything else, with focus and passion.

These shows are never long enough. I’m always left wanting more, even though I’m thoroughly satisfied too. It’s incredibly selfish of me, but they have so much good music, I could watch and listen to them play for hours and never be bored. Each time, they’re just that bit better, and armed with tracks from The Grand Scheme of Things, they are undeniably a band everyone should see live at least once.