LIVE FROM THE PIT: Witch Fever, Cowboy Hunters and Third Kulture
- Amber Brooks
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
In the dusky evening haze of Manchester venue Ambers, the warm glow of its wide-set-entrance invites onlookers down three flights of stairs to its dark basement. It's a perfect night for a trip to your favourite local haunt, and for gloom punks WITCH FEVER, and this final set in the UK is nothing short of a homecoming. Off the back of the macabre-inspired record Fever Eaten - and a coveted spot as the Out Of Rage Halloween cover - they embark on their European tour with a roster of ghastly revolving supports. Tonight, they are joined (in body and spirit) by Glasgow mob COWBOY HUNTERS and melanated rap-pop outfit THIRD KULTURE.
Even as a local support, THIRD KULTURE commanded the stage. Opening a sizeable pit before throwing down an unmistakable rocky riff to SAM SMITH's Unholy, the three-piece band, consisting of dual vocalists Nameka and Lashimba with guitarist Lawal, blended rap and sultry R'n'B vocals, backed by a ferocious overdriven riffs. Despite moments where all components of their sound seemed to melt together into one, maybe more on the venue than the band, there is real promise. With time and more patience, this is an artist to watch. Definitely.
Glaswegian duo COWBOY HUNTERS, sauntering on to the stage with Buckfast in hand, are the comic relief of the evening. They're arguably not WITCH FEVER, even though they claim to be, but the crowd was completely invested in their bullish charm and on-the-nose charm about vaginas, going to the club and trying to find a lass called Gemma. Reaching their peak with an inspired cover of Saltburn classic Perfect (Exceeder) they sauntered off into the night with a club remix of all the best year seven disco hits, until they were cut off by the venue during Pink Pony Club. The definition of going big, then going home.
“There’s a German film crew making a documentary about us because we are broke.” WITCH FEVER’s Amy Walpole explains to the crowd, cracking a smile. By now, you’d expect the band’s frank conversation about the realities of touring to die down, but the issue is systemic and affects a large proportion of the local music industry. There’s an unusual tension in the air tonight, not just from the large camera bobbing around the pit but also swathes of the black-clad WITCH FEVER community packing the room out, including the band’s family and friends.
Feeling like a much-needed moment of solidarity, any nerves are squashed as the band begins to roll through their new record, Fever Eaten. Opener Dead To Me! is explosive, throwing heavy-handed riffs around as drummer Annabell tempos the electric crowd to make the pit spin faster and faster. In Northstar and The Garden, the pit becomes more abrasive and wild, as Amber becomes the cooldown before a damaging roster of tracks from their early discography. In this pause, there’s a moment to grasp the full complexity of their music, infinitely cool and even more dynamic live than on record.
In the unholy trinity of Blessed Be Thy, Congregation and Reincarnate, we are introduced to a fuller, more bombastic sound reminiscent of their early years. Crowd pleasers by nature, they bring out the band’s aggressive stage presence. Fiery rock-infused needledroppers, this is the pit at its most intense, before the gazey trance of safe pulls the energy back to a satiated lull.
Doomy riffs reverberate off the cavernous walls, in a full-expose of the band’s awe-striking sound. Plucking those infamous BLACK SABBATH chords, the tenacity that bassist Alex and guitarist Alicia commands in the moment is deliciously fierce. Reprise is the damaging pinnacle of the set punchy in it’s stormy overtones and all-consuming chorus. In a moment of surprise, they finished on a DEFTONES cover of My Own Summer, bringing a night to a close, and the crowd off into the dark March evening.
From the moment we entered the venue, the band made their statement loud, plastering the back wall with a striking banner that read “WITCH FUCKING FEVER”
We do fuck around with WITCH FEVER. In fact, everything they stand for, and their dominating vice grip on the ever-changing British music landscape.
Words: Amber Brooks
Photos: Zack Blacey
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