More about: Witch Fever

Sitting on a bench at Rough Trade East, I smoke a cigarette and listen to two goths behind me argue over the best way to scratch a scratch card. The weather hangs calm, teasing rain that never falls and only the occasional pinch of wind. On the table in front of me are two empty pint glasses, some cans of rum and coke and a napkin with blood on it. To my right are a line of posters advertising Arctic Monkeys new album, to my left are Witch Fever having a cigarette and mentally preparing for their set. 

Only a couple of hours earlier I sat on the same bench with Alex and Alisha, the bassist and guitarist from the band, doing a quick interview for a separate piece. They spoke highly of Rough Trade East and were excited for the gig later, having only the night before done something similar but in a record shop with no stage, where Amy, the singer, was forced to climb racks of LPs in order to get a good look over the crowd. 

The two both seemed very chilled out when we spoke despite the fact that weekend marked a monumental occasion for the band. On 19th October Witch Fever’s killer debut album Congregation was released and has received nothing but positive press since. The band are exceptional when it comes to controlling chaos, with heavy music and expressive vocals constantly combining to deliver noise that metal fans everywhere have been folding themselves into since. 

The love for this debut is clear in the crowd. The two goths behind me take a break from scratch cards as one of them clocks Amy stood at the bar. “Oh my god, I think that’s the singer of the band!” they say. I’m almost tempted to point out the rest of them are only 5 metres to the other side but decide against it. Everyone entering the venue shares a similar excitement with vinyl and t-shirts being purchased and the room quickly floods as show time edges closer. 

“Putin wishes he was fucking gay,” is scribbled across the toilet wall and I stare at it for too long trying to wonder what it actually means. I’m not sure Putin wishes for anything, I’m not sure he dreams, or even sleeps for that matter. The words form the shapes of an anti-war statement of punk in my head and when those pieces finally connect, their met with a low groaning guitar and cheers. Blessed be thy name. 

I quickly head out to avoid missing the beginning of the gig and the first thing you notice before any music can properly hit you is the swagger the band carry with them. Amy, walks up and down the stage and stares with both affirmation and anger. “Resentment makes me yours baby,” she says intermittingly locking eyes with drummer, bassist and guitarist. Bassist Alex wears a leather bralette and carries bondage chic better than anyone, with every thud of her bass it feels as though the world is ending. Guitarist Alisha looks off in the distance as though she is trying to count stars, she is connected only to her guitar and uses that to play the parts of what sounds like 3 people at once. Finally, Annabelle, the drummer, is, to put it plainly, fucking insane. 

I found out earlier the band have been together for around 6 years and very much see themselves as a live band. Nothing has ever been clearer when you listen to how much they have perfected their sound. It’s hard to describe in that it feels as though it is constantly going to slip away from them, as if amps and vocal chords are on the verge of breaking, but they hold those cracks together so that they only tease downfall, creating a sound which is raw and emotive. It means that Amy can break her voice on command and the band can be fast and loose with the way they play whilst still being on top of everything. 

'Beauty and Grace' bangs so hard I worry disco balls will fall from the sky and the band become so engrossed they don’t realise time is a thing until they dip their toe back into the real world outside of their debut. “We’ve done five songs in fifteen minutes… fuck.” Says Amy. 

The venue isn’t right for the gig, as lovely as Rough Trade East is. This kind of sound needs most pits and dancing but the crowd here are very aware they’re in a record shop and therefore hold back. 

"Everything is politics..."

The best thing about Witch Fever is that firstly the band have a mastery over their music. But secondly they are unrelenting and unapologetic. They have a firm grasp over who they are and what they stand for, clearly reflected as they dedicate time out of their set to discuss inequality within the music industry. This is met with cheers from the crowd and smiles from the group. Amy takes a final moment here to reflect on a time when during a similar speech someone heckled, “music not politics,” which she stated was “fucking dumb because everything is politics.” 

Other tracks like 'Market', 'Congregation' and 'I Saw You Dancing' are all also played to perfection by the band, showing what they can do as a headliner after a year of successful supporting. Even when I go back to the toilet I’m overwhelmed by the way their hard sound carries through and causes ripples in cubicle water. I look up one more time to the bang of Witch Fever in full force. Putin wishes he was fucking gay. Everything is politics. 

See all the photos from Dan Landsburgh below:

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More about: Witch Fever