Brown Horse

Brown Horse are back at Norwich Arts Centre on Friday 23 October, their first show here in a while. They're playing their third album, Total Dive, which they describe as their strongest and most grounded work so far. It's a bit of a shift from the playfulness and eclecticism of their previous records; this time they're stepping into darker territory, though they keep a cautious optimism running through it. The songs were written by all four members — Patrick Turner, Nyle Holihan, Emma Tovell and Rowan Braham — so it's a proper group effort.

On the record, they're bolstered by Norwich drummer Ben Rodwell and the vocal harmonies of Leeds-based musician Neve Cariad. Critics have had a hard time pinning them to one sound, but they usually land somewhere between the stark country rock of Uncle Tupelo, the raw intimacy of early Cat Power and the haunted landscapes of Magnolia Electric Co., while still holding onto the self-possessed noisiness of alt-rock trailblazers like Built to Spill and The Breeders. It's a fair spread of influences to pull from, and it gives you a decent sense of where they're coming from.

The show is a standing one, and it's already listed as sold out, so you'll need to keep an eye out for returns if you've missed your chance. Doors open at 7pm, with the music starting at 9pm. Tickets are £15 for supporters and £17.50 in advance, and there's a free offer for under-26s using the code 'horseoffer' — that one's for under-26s and low-income concessions, and it's limited, so it's worth moving on it if you qualify.