After a few years of listening to the noisy guitars, witty lyrics, and titillating synths that feeble little horse curated on their first two EPs, I finally had the opportunity to see them live at beloved local music venue the Bug Jar.
feeble little horse is a Pittsburgh indie band that has been gaining traction over the last few years since their 2023 release “Girl with Fish,” featuring the hot track “Freak,” with over four million streams. The striking and bold lyrics are part of the reason why “Freak” is so popular, repeating continuously, “I know you want me, freak” but also dominantly stating, “How can you be satisfied / She’s five-foot-one, you’re six-foot-five.”
The majority of feeble little horse’s songs have this confident undertone, but their debut EP “Hayday” paints a more romantic scene with songs like “Picture,” which murmurs of an unspoken connection between two people, only mentioned through drawing one another. This softer side of feeble little horse is also exposed through a more acoustic sound palette, rather than the blaring and loud guitars found on “Girl with Fish”’s track “Steamroller.”
Currently feeble little horse is touring on their single “This is Real,” a three-minute track that lasts for a relatively long time for a group whose songs are typically around 2 minutes.. This single dives into a slightly different sound from feeble little horse’s typical noisy guitar, harmonious singing, and twinkly synths. It also dives into some screaming — a tactic that is not unusual for them, but more prominent here than in their other songs.
When I got to the Bug Jar, I knew this show was going to be different from the rest of the shows I’d seen at the Bug Jar: the venue was filled with 20-somethings and the performance area was barred off for the group’s sound check. After waiting through the check, it wasn’t long before everyone flooded the standing area. Luckily enough I managed to snag a spot right by the front, in front of the subwoofer.
The lights dimmed to a dark red, and the opener, Kassie Krut, took the stage. They took the audience by storm, and for the first few songs the people were motionless until further into their set when everyone started to sway in sync. The bass was greasy and right in your face; at some points I felt it moving over my skin, pulling at my hair, and making it almost impossible to breathe.
Kassie Krut’s songs were dark, overwhelming, and unpredictable. Almost only synthetic instruments were used, aside from the metal hubcap they had attached to microphones. They had multiple synthesizers in use and utilized a synthetic drumkit, taking control of the unruly beats and sounds. All of the songs they performed were from their only EP release, “Kassie Krut.” Each song blended into the next, until suddenly they were done, the lights turned back on, and everyone came back from the bone-rattling realm of Kassie Krut.
The crowd pushed to the front as Kassie Krut struck their set, and feeble little horse set theirs up. Anticipation only grew as Lydia Slocum fiddled with her bass and Jake Kelly stood in the doorway blowing smoke over his shoulder, until finally they picked up their instruments and filled the Bug Jar with noisy sound and biting lyrics. They brought a raw unpredictable energy that vastly differed from their openers, starting with the aforementioned fan favorite, “Freak.”
As someone who has been to arena concerts all the way to backyard venues, I dare say I love a performance like Kassie Krut’s,where the songs are played back to back and connected by a seemingly endless flow of synthesizers. Yet, it was all the more enjoyable when feeble broke the persona and whispered to the sound guy about their instruments sounding flat, subsequently daring to be “sharp for Rochester.” But they still had consistent bits, like when during the last song before their encore, they threw around their guitars and pushed down the drumset, throwing the cymbal to the crowd. Despite their fickle instruments, they still put on a show, and the crowd followed the energy by pushing, shoving, and dancing around the venue.
Lydia Slocum of feeble little horse performing.
feeble little horse previewed two unreleased songs, both of which had the recognizable fuzzed-out guitar and daring lyrics that is associated with their style. Along with newer pieces, they also played their most streamed songs like “Steamroller,” “Chores,” and “Picture.” This reception proved old horses can learn new tricks: the crowd loved the new songs as much as they loved their biggest hits. I left the venue feeling like the feeble little horse concert lived up to what I hoped, as it had the rawness the rising band showcases in their music, while maintaining the intense sound they so perfectly embody. I wasn’t the only one enjoying themselves, as a respectable mosh formed, and people almost got shoved onto stage. At some point someone lost a shoe, and a few people surfed the crowd. I got lost in the performance, but sang along and felt the beat in each song.
