Esben and the Witch (band)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Esben and the Witch
darkwave
Years active2008–present
LabelsNostromo Records, Season of Mist Matador
MembersRachel Davies
Daniel Copeman
Thomas Fisher
Websiteesbenandthewitch.co.uk

Esben and the Witch are a British three piece rock band formed in Brighton in 2008.[1] consisting of Rachel Davies (vocals, bass), Thomas Fisher (guitar), and Daniel Copeman (drums, electronics – formerly guitar).[2][3][4] Their name comes from the Danish fairytale, "Esben and the Witch".[1][2]

After a self-released

Violet Cries in January 2011. The band's second album, Wash the Sins Not Only the Face, was released in January 2013. In June 2014 the band announced their third album A New Nature, the first to be released on their own Nostromo Records label.[5] The band signed to independent French metal label, Season of Mist, in July 2016.[6]

History

Formation and Violet Cries (2008–2011)

Rachel Davies and Daniel Copeman performing at the Psychedelic Double Bubble, Brighton 2009

Esben and the Witch formed in 2008 when Daniel Copeman moved from Southampton to Brighton and met Thomas Fisher and they began making some music, eventually they decided they wanted a vocalist and held auditions which were unsuccessful. Thomas Fisher bumped into his old friend Rachel Davies, who had just graduated from Brighton University, and asked her if she would like to join the group and she accepted.

Lucia, at the Precipice in February on limited edition seven-inch vinyl on the Too Pure singles club, an accompanying video was also released.[8]

In 2010, the band signed to

Allmusic awarded it three and a half stars out of five, calling it "a promising and often captivating debut".[10] NME said it was "gothic but not goth" giving it 8/10. After the release of the album they went on to release two more singles off the album, "Warpath" and "Chorea". In November 2011 they released the Hexagons EP
as a digital download.

Wash the Sins Not Only the Face (2012–2013)

In 2012 the band began work on writing the new material for the album, unlike their debut album, Violet Cries (2011), the lyrics were written solely by Davies. The writing for the album was done while they were isolated in a cottage in East Sussex. The songs were first recorded live in the studio, Davies said that they wanted the album to have a "warmer" sound. They co-produced the album with Tom Morris, saying that "It was great to have someone else in the process, actually, which is something which – again – we hadn’t done".[11]

La Antena at the East End Film Festival. Wash The Sins... proved to be the band's final album with Matador, announcing their departure alongside their PledgeMusic[15]
campaign in February 2014.

Use of music in popular culture

The band's music has been used in a variety of TV shows across the world, most notably "Marching Song" on

Skins
.

Musical style

The band's music has been described as "electronic dubstep soundscapes"[16] and "Radiohead without the mithering, goth stripped of unnecessary melodrama", with Davies' vocals compared to Siouxsie Sioux and PJ Harvey.[17] The Quietus called it "perfect gothic pop".[18] The band themselves once described their music as "nightmare pop"[19] around the release of the '33' but have attempted to avoid genre classification since. With A New Nature, Rachel Davies alluded to wanting to have a less electronic feel with further emphasis on the rock element of the band.[20]

Discography

Main article: Esben and the Witch discography

References

  1. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Esben and the Witch - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Ones To Watch 2010: Esben And The Witch", Clash, 21 January 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013
  3. ^ Lester, Paul (2009) "New band of the day: Esben and the Witch (No 635)", The Guardian, 25 September 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2013
  4. ^ Meighan, Nicola (2010) "Exposure: Esben and the Witch", The List, 29 April 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013
  5. ^ "The Quietus - News - Esben And The Witch Announce New Album". The Quietus. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Esben and the Witch, Nowhere album, Expansive Primal Goth-Punk (news, biography, releases, downloads, line-up, tour dates) | Season of Mist, Metal Label". Season-of-mist.com. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Just Because - Shows - Esben [and] The Witch". Justbecause.ch. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Esben and the Witch - Lucia, at the Precipice". YouTube. 24 February 2010. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  9. ^ "Marching Song Hot Singles Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  10. Allmusic
    . Retrieved 24 March 2013
  11. ^ "Esben and the Witch Slow Wave". Clash. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  12. ^ "track-by-track guide to Wash the Sins Not Only the Face". Official Esben and the Witch Facebook page. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  13. ^ Hewitt, Ben (18 January 2013). "Esben And The Witch - 'Wash The Sins Not Only The Face'". NME. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Esben And The Witch - Wash The Sins Not Only The Face". Clash Magazine. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  15. ^ "Esben and the Witch". PledgeMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  16. ^ Cripps, Charlotte (2010) "'You heard them here first' - London festival keeps picking the hits", The New Zealand Herald, 30 July 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013
  17. ^ Turner, Luke (2010) "Live Review: Esben And The Witch, Madame JoJo's, London Tuesday, January 5", NME, 12 January 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013
  18. ^ "Field Day 2010: A Mix From Esben & The Witch", The Quietus, 29 July 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013
  19. This Is Fake DIY
    , 5 January 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013
  20. ^ Cummings, Bill (2014) "INTERVIEW: Esben and the Witch: “I was getting a little disenchanted with boring wet music. I wanted something with some kind of punch to it!”", God Is in the TV Zine, 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014

External links

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