Silversun Pickups with An Horse

Posted 15 October 2009 Live Music Review

October 2, 2009

The Venue, Gainesville, FL

Written by Kate Dingle

I have always been a huge fan of the little guys, the people who are not the stars of the show or the headliners. And this time, it’s all about the little guy. So if you have a problem with this text NOT being about the Silversun Pickups (the headliner), you may as well stop reading now. Now, I am not saying that those guys (and girl) are not a fantastic act or that they lack any sort of talent. I’m just saying that An Horse deserves the attention a little more than they do.

For those of you who don’t know, An Horse is Damon Cox and Kate Cooper out of Australia. No, I did not forget to mention any other members there might be, there are just two of them. And it became blaringly apparent during their set that two is their magic number.

During their forty minute set, Cox and Cooper showed off their raw talent, and proved that there was no need for pre-recorded backing tracks. It was just Kate and her guitar and Damon behind his drum kit. They played nearly every song from their debut album, “Rearrange Beds”, and each rendition was definitely better than the recorded track. Kate’s voice was flawless, and the combination of both of their voices was powerful and unexpected. For an almost unknown band, their crowd interaction was as good as it could be, and they even paused for Damon to take a photo of the crowd (which was later posted on their Twitter page @anhorse).

Now here is my gripe. Gainesville, you should really work on your hospitality. I have seen my fair share of live events, and I have never seen a more lackluster crowd. There is no reason at all for ANY group of musicians to not receive the appreciation they deserve. I mean, most of you should have known at least one song by An Horse (they had a song in a Mercedes Benz commercial for crying out loud). And if you didn’t know, you should have at least acknowledged the fact that there were two people trying to entertain YOU. You probably should have just tried to acknowledge them period. But you didn’t. Maybe you all could start some sort of support group to try to get over yourselves. Just a suggestion.

Regardless of the disappointing crowd (and venue as a matter of fact), An Horse is an amazing show. There are no bells and whistles or any kind of sugar coating cover ups, they are just two people. Two extremely talented people who are obviously doing what they love. Their music is complex and full of surprises that nearly anyone can relate to. Everyone should get to know and fall in love with An Horse.

Photos by Christina Mendenhall