Esben and the Witch at XOYO. February 9, 2011.
When I first heard of Esben and the Witch's Marching Song when I discovered their video for it, I was immediately enthralled, drawn in and mesmerized.
This was around summer of 2010. I would have the chance to see them for the first time at Constellations Festival up in Leeds if I didn't wake up too late to catch another bus after a night of heavy drinking.
Being a band from Brighton, it was just a matter of time before they played in London again. Plus a debut album was released a few weeks ago, Violet Cries, which I immediately loved upon first play through.
Venue was XOYO which is slowly growing on me as it's a cozy little venue in Shoreditch who has been host to some cool indie bands which I've seen at the venue so far such as Sleigh Bells, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, and now Esben and the Witch. In April, I'll be seeing Asobi Seksu and Architecture In Helsinki.
First support for the evening was Breton, and is another electro indie band based in London. Yes, another. However, I quite enjoyed listening to them play. Their blend of electro, synth and beats was quite pleasing to the ears compared to other electro and synth acts I've seen lately. A bit more polished really and with less beeps and bops. Also, they have a visual style of their own wherein video clips are show as their backdrop which makes things a bit more interesting.
According to their Last.fm profile page, the videos are made by the band who happen to be filmmakers as well under the guise of BretonLABS with a few short films around. Would need to check this out sometime.
Trophy Wife was the second support, a band whom I may have heard before while I was queueing at HMV Forum in attempts to leave my coat in the cloak room. It was a failed attempt, and I missed this band.
This time, I had the chance to properly listen to them. One could say they are yet another electronic band but they aren't just that. Being from Oxford, they share the same artistic flair, air and water familiar to Foals whom they support on NYE. Akin to Foals, they are also a bit math rock which always makes for a good listen.
Two interesting electronic bands for support who I should definitely check out more in the future. This evening was already doing quite well.
Before I move on to Esben and the Witch, I have to say that for the first time I absolutely loathe these "professional" photographers with their big flashy DSLRs. At bigger venues, there is normally a space between the front barrier and stage for real photographers.
With XOYO being so small and Esben and the Witch being lauded as the next big thing, there was a bunch of photographers lined up in front along with the rest of the crowd.
To make matters worse, one was holding her camera over her head whilst taking pictures (she was way short) and blocked my view for the first few songs. You can also notice how they some weren't really here for the band but only for the music.
End of rant.
Esben and the Witch was better than I expected and I was quite blown away by their powerful and eerie performance on stage. As with other electronic bands, their formation is different from typical bands. No full drumset and just a tom tom with cymbals plus guitars and synth.
As with their debut album, they opened their set with Argyria which is more than just appropriate as it is such a song one opens with, calm and slow to begin with, building up the tension and belting out riffs and a beautiful sound towards the middle. The type of song which would start you swaying until you feel yourself just bouncing around.
Similar to the album, the first song transitioned flawlessly to Marching Song which was also available on their EPs of the same name.
Here's the full setlist.
Rachel's voice is quite haunting but completely lovely and beautiful. Gothic but not goth. Watching her alternate from singing to playing the guitar and hitting the drums was enjoyable. She also had quite unusual moves on stage which are always entertaining.
At one point, all members of the band ganged up on the drums and just kept on hitting it. It was quite a joy. I am not completely sure during which song it was. Now that I'm listening to their songs again, it's possible this was during Lucia, At The Precipice which is not on their EP or LP.
Seeing new bands for the first time is always an experience. This is definitely one of those gigs I'll remember for quite sometime in the future and I can say with absolute certainty that I'll be seeing them again the next time they play in London.
If you've never heard of them, do give them a try. You'll most likely read a lot about them by the end of the year.
----------------
Now playing: Esben and the Witch - Warpath
http://foxytunes.com/artist/esben+and+the+witch/track/warpath
This was around summer of 2010. I would have the chance to see them for the first time at Constellations Festival up in Leeds if I didn't wake up too late to catch another bus after a night of heavy drinking.
Being a band from Brighton, it was just a matter of time before they played in London again. Plus a debut album was released a few weeks ago, Violet Cries, which I immediately loved upon first play through.
Venue was XOYO which is slowly growing on me as it's a cozy little venue in Shoreditch who has been host to some cool indie bands which I've seen at the venue so far such as Sleigh Bells, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, and now Esben and the Witch. In April, I'll be seeing Asobi Seksu and Architecture In Helsinki.
First support for the evening was Breton, and is another electro indie band based in London. Yes, another. However, I quite enjoyed listening to them play. Their blend of electro, synth and beats was quite pleasing to the ears compared to other electro and synth acts I've seen lately. A bit more polished really and with less beeps and bops. Also, they have a visual style of their own wherein video clips are show as their backdrop which makes things a bit more interesting.
According to their Last.fm profile page, the videos are made by the band who happen to be filmmakers as well under the guise of BretonLABS with a few short films around. Would need to check this out sometime.
Trophy Wife was the second support, a band whom I may have heard before while I was queueing at HMV Forum in attempts to leave my coat in the cloak room. It was a failed attempt, and I missed this band.
This time, I had the chance to properly listen to them. One could say they are yet another electronic band but they aren't just that. Being from Oxford, they share the same artistic flair, air and water familiar to Foals whom they support on NYE. Akin to Foals, they are also a bit math rock which always makes for a good listen.
Two interesting electronic bands for support who I should definitely check out more in the future. This evening was already doing quite well.
Before I move on to Esben and the Witch, I have to say that for the first time I absolutely loathe these "professional" photographers with their big flashy DSLRs. At bigger venues, there is normally a space between the front barrier and stage for real photographers.
With XOYO being so small and Esben and the Witch being lauded as the next big thing, there was a bunch of photographers lined up in front along with the rest of the crowd.
To make matters worse, one was holding her camera over her head whilst taking pictures (she was way short) and blocked my view for the first few songs. You can also notice how they some weren't really here for the band but only for the music.
End of rant.
Esben and the Witch was better than I expected and I was quite blown away by their powerful and eerie performance on stage. As with other electronic bands, their formation is different from typical bands. No full drumset and just a tom tom with cymbals plus guitars and synth.
As with their debut album, they opened their set with Argyria which is more than just appropriate as it is such a song one opens with, calm and slow to begin with, building up the tension and belting out riffs and a beautiful sound towards the middle. The type of song which would start you swaying until you feel yourself just bouncing around.
Similar to the album, the first song transitioned flawlessly to Marching Song which was also available on their EPs of the same name.
Here's the full setlist.
- Argyria
- Marching Song
- Chorea
- Hexagons IV
- Marine Fields Glow
- Lucia, At The Precipice
- Warpath
- Battlecry/Mimicry
- Eumenides
Rachel's voice is quite haunting but completely lovely and beautiful. Gothic but not goth. Watching her alternate from singing to playing the guitar and hitting the drums was enjoyable. She also had quite unusual moves on stage which are always entertaining.
At one point, all members of the band ganged up on the drums and just kept on hitting it. It was quite a joy. I am not completely sure during which song it was. Now that I'm listening to their songs again, it's possible this was during Lucia, At The Precipice which is not on their EP or LP.
Seeing new bands for the first time is always an experience. This is definitely one of those gigs I'll remember for quite sometime in the future and I can say with absolute certainty that I'll be seeing them again the next time they play in London.
If you've never heard of them, do give them a try. You'll most likely read a lot about them by the end of the year.
----------------
Now playing: Esben and the Witch - Warpath
http://foxytunes.com/artist/esben+and+the+witch/track/warpath