Review: Feeble Little Horse @ Arts at the Armory 9/29

Photo Credit: Luke Ivanovich

Review by Robin Sheng

On Sept. 29, 2025, Pittsburgh indie rock band Feeble Little Horse played at Somerville’s Arts at the Armory. Having already gained much traction in their hometown’s DIY scene, Feeble Little Horse propelled themselves to further exposure with their acclaimed 2023 album “Girl with Fish.” After releasing another single, “This Is Real,” earlier this year, the band is currently on tour across the U.S. from September to November.

The opener, Kassie Krut, delivered a short set of highly experimental and abrasive music that left much of the audience reeling. However, one noticeable issue with the performance was the oddly low mixing of the vocals, which continued into Feeble Little Horse’s set. Nevertheless, despite the vocal mixing issue, Feeble Little Horse took the stage with ample energy with “Freak.” The performance was highlighted by its loud and noisy guitar tone, creating a sharp and angular impression that set the tone for the rest of the night.

The band performed several unreleased songs, including “Doorway,” which featured an interesting, krautrock-inspired verse paired with a loud chorus filled with downstrokes on the guitars. The contrast between a subdued verse and an explosive chorus was a hallmark of Feeble Little Horse’s previous work. Another new song, “Picture,” also included a bombastic outro. In combination with the song’s stop-and-start rhythm during the chorus, the performance certainly pumped energy into the crowd. Performances like these will keep current fans of the band excited for more new material.

Halfway through the show, another mixing issue occurred – this time a much more significant one. The bass, played by lead singer Lydia Slocum, was somehow completely cut out from the mix. While the mixing crew frantically tried to fix the problem, the guitarists and drummer continued to entertain the crowd with an impromptu jam session. Then, after an audience member loudly shouted for more, they were kind enough to fulfill the request and continued jamming for several minutes. Ultimately, when Slocum’s bass finally came back to life, the audience celebrated the moment with widespread applause.

Another performance that highlighted Feeble Little Horse’s aptitude for the quiet-loud dynamic was “Paces,” which featured an intimate, synth-led bridge that significantly contrasted with the preceding downstroke-based chorus. Although many songs employ a clear quiet-loud contrast, the band demonstrated its versatility with several other songs, such as “Shopping,” a slower and mellower song where Slocum’s vocals shone through. “Steamroller,” on the other hand, felt more akin to a stable wall of sound, embellished with a highly catchy “woo” in the intro. This song demonstrated their melodic strengths.

The closing performance, “Down,” was remarkably energetic and, more importantly, fun. The band was clearly enjoying themselves on all fronts, especially as the song escalated into a final hardcore punk-ish outro, accompanied by apt screams from the audience. The concert reached its end with the band’s guitarist attempting to smash his guitar — a visually cathartic moment, even if the attempt did not actually do much damage to his instrument. All in all, Feeble Little Horse delivered a fun, energetic, and truly memorable performance.