Sounds On The Ground #18: Esben and the Witch
By: Dan Monsell
What’s The Deal: We really, really like these guys, and here’s a much overdue Sounds On The Ground feature to tell you why. We say overdue as praise is quite rightly popping up here and everywhere for this Brighton trio right now and we loves to be the first to stick our hands in their air - school nerds that we are.
Esben and the Witch make wonderfully captivating, timeless yet futuristic, electronica-infused folk-pop noir. Melding Kate Bush-style wide-eyed creativity with assured yet fragile soundscapes reminiscent of Fever Ray and Radiohead-esque sci-fi bleeps and beats, Esben and the Witch are a wonderful new group. We were lucky enough to witness a memorably affecting performance at the excellent End Of the Road festival in Dorset last month. As a band they come alive in rural setting (in said case a tipi) - suitably listing their influences on their MySpace as “glaciers, caverns and waning moons”.
The tracks we’ve heard are full of effortlessly-pulsating, fantastical pop-splendour, and emerge incredibly original without really having to do much that different at all. As a new band they are of course nicely rough around the edges, and we can’t wait to see what they’ll release, what their live shows will become, what they'll grow up to be and who they’ll marry etc. It’ll also be interesting to see whether some of their similarities to The XX, (a quietly assured, youthful yet fragile nature and drum-machine-backed great songs) could lead to wider exposure than anyone might have thought, or whether they will grow as a creative prospect in their own natural way. Either way, they don’t need that sort of pressure on their shoulders right now, so let’s just leave them alone and let them play some great music for us all to enjoy. Have fun guys.
What can I hear: There seems to be some evidence of a little home-pressed EP on their MySpace, but how one would get their hands on it we just don’t know (please tell us - we want it!) Otherwise head on over to www.myspace.com/esbenandthewitch to hear a ton of their songs, or if you’re a different way inclined go here - last.fm/music/Esben+and+The+Witch
When can I see them live – It’s all about getting regional this October, with just one London date planned.
1st Oct The Harley Sheffield
2 Oct The Jericho Oxford
7 Oct Audio Brighton
14 Oct The Lexington London
19 Oct The Deaf Institute Manchester
25 Oct The Freebutt Brighton
We all know music peaked in 1994, so give me a sound-bite about how we could compare them to some kind of obscure band from the Britpop era: In which once more we reduce a band to a cheap Britpop related laugh. In this case we’re probably looking at a group who’d drag Britpop kicking and screaming into those confusing late nineties, but here goes anyway - grab Kula Shaker by the horns, charge them head on into Salad (don’t remember them either? – nah me neither, it was our editor Tom’s idea) and get Echobelly to split the whole thing up. Then have them all smoke it up and jam around a Brighton campfire on the beach. Jeez…
Artists in this article: Esben and the Witch