Background/Composition:
Brighton, England’s Esben & The Witch take their name from a Danish fairytale and play a brand of creeptastic, extremely claustrophobic neo-darkwave. Their Violet Cries debut album came out in February.
Grade: 84
Comment:
Musically speaking, I didn’t see a more interesting set at CMW. Esben And The Witch’s set-up was also unique, featuring a single floor tom, plenty of pedals for guitarists Daniel Copeman and Thomas Fisher and most of the instrumentation coming through timed samples on a keyboard.
Achievement of Rock ‘n’ Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock ‘n’ roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock ‘n’ roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.
Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really
Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: S
Pronunciation: G
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: S
Image: E
Appearance: E
Use Of Stage: G
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Esben And The Witch didn’t acknowledge the crowd very much during their set, but they kind of didn’t have to; darkwave is far too moody for such things and it would have killed the vibe.
Copeman grabbed the floor tom at the end of their set and jumped off stage into the crowd, slamming it in time with singer Rachel Davies’ vocals. It prompted the most ironic “we’re jiving to songs with the stench of death about them” dancefest I’ve ever seen.
Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: N/A
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: N
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Davies is quite obviously influenced by Robert Smith circa Disintegration and Pornography-era Cure. There’s a type of woeful desperation in her voice you won’t find almost anywhere else except on those records. She approaches Peter Murphy territory in terms of morbidness. That should basically tell you what you’re getting into with this band when you see them live. Happy, their songs are definitely not.
Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: E
Problem Solving: N/A
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: S
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: E
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: S
Actual Ability: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Copeman sported a women’s blouse with a flower pattern, tapered black dress pants and spent the set shoeless, playing in striped socks. I’m not sure anyone was dressed more geeky at CMW this year.
- Adam And The Amethysts @ CMW 2011
- Rich Aucoin @ CMW 2011
- Zeus @ CMW 2011
- Still Life Still @ CMW 2011
- Memphis @ CMW 2011
