16 Horsepower

On 29 May 2026, 16 Horsepower will play at SPOT/De Oosterpoort in Groningen. The band around singer and multi‑instrumentalist David Eugene Edwards formed in the early 1990s in Denver, with steady members such as Pascal Humbert and Jean‑Yves Tola. Their sound sits between American folk and country, with bluegrass accents and a post‑punk punch. The lyrics often carry biblical imagery and the mood leans on Appalachian traditions, while remaining austere and purposeful.

On stage, 16 Horsepower seek the tension between acoustic and electric: banjo, bandoneon and guitar against a tight rhythm section. Albums like Sackcloth ’n’ Ashes and Low Estate captured that tense, compact approach; Secret South opened it up in a more acoustic direction, while Folklore places traditional songs within its own framework. Live, the repertoire moves freely through those phases, with short, charged songs that build steadily. Followers of related projects such as Wovenhand or Lilium will recognize the signature, here returned to the source in a set that draws their gothic Americana into the present.