From Brighton, ESBEN AND THE WITCH are a band still in their infancy but that's not stopping the world outside their bathroom taking a keen interest in the “nightmare pop” they're brewing .
Recording with equipment old and new, the three-piece’s first recordings were collected as 33, a demo-cum-EP that immediately attracted its share of discerning ears. You can download it for free here. They have since released a track (‘Skeleton Swoon’) with Dance To The Radio for their 4 x 12” Series and now announce their debut single, ‘Lucia, At The Precipice’ b/w ‘They Use Smiles To Bury You’, as a 7” for release through the Too Pure Singles Club on February 8th 2010. This release will be limited to 500 individually numbered copies and, like all releases on the rejuvenated label, once it has sold out, it won’t get a repressing.
To coincide with this release, the band will embark on their first UK headline tour. They have spent this year wisely, playing numerous shows with the likes of The xx, Fiery Furnaces, Sian Alice Group and Deerhunter alongside festival appearances including End of the Road, honing the band’s stagecraft and fuelling a further flow of comparisons – such as PJ Harvey, Portishead, Kate Bush, Björk, Radiohead circa ‘Kid A’, Cocteau Twins – all of which are flattering, but none are quite correct.
PRESS QUOTES:
“Instantly captivating… Like walking into a hidden attic full of ancient maps, portraits, furniture and ephemera… Romantic and gothic, a shadow of something intangible and otherworldly.”
The Quietus
“They channel literature, nature and sorrow to create hauntingly ethereal tales of dark, foreboding menace.”
The Guardian
“Sonic fairytales with gentle yet portentous beginnings, which gather you up and lead you on short journeys to climatic and momentous points.”
Drowned in Sound
“A haunting, evocative blend of electronica, gothic melancholia, and the dynamics of post-rock… Startlingly accomplished for a new group.”
The Stool Pigeon
“Dark, sensual cinematic fusion that blends the hi-tech with the traditional… A flow of music that would have the Mercury judging panel salivating, their pulses racing and gushing plaudits out one after another.”
Loud & Quiet
"There's just a glimmer of romance in Rachel's icy vocals but the skeletal percussion and eerie keys are gorgeously bleak and sinister."
Rock Sound (Bands To Watch 2010)
SBTRKT - He’s got the airwaves in a stir with Mary Anne Hobbs, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Benji B, Rob Da Bank Toddla T, Sinden and Gilles Peterson singing his praises. Recently SBTRKT has wrapped up remixes for Basement Jaxx, Modeselektor, Portico Quartet and These New Puritans. With solo releases forthcoming on the Young Turks, Brainmath and Ramp Recordings stables, look out for ltd release 12”s, a new album and further remixes from one of the hottest new UK producers…Sbtrkt is the elusive London based producer making some of the freshest beats around.
TICKETS SOLD OUT - LIMITED TICKETS *MAY* BE AVAILABLE ON THE DOOR
