Fresh from the Glastonbury haze, and with a summer filled with festival visits, Brighton based gothic rock trio Esben and the Witch are in for a busy few months, but multi – instrumentalist Thomas Fisher kindly managed to squeeze in a few minutes to have a chat about the band, their sound, and an 'eventful' Glastonbury.
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| Left to right: Daniel Copeman, Rachel Davies, Thomas Fisher |
Formed in 2008, with a focus on dark, ethereal sounds, the trio’s name originates from a Danish fairy tale concerning itself with childhood cruelty and murder, an idea which slots in with the darkness and gloom of their music. Thomas describes the choice of title as an “appreciation of the ideas and imagery that the story contained. It seemed like an appropriate fit for the music we were making.”
Yet these visceral themes of isolation have not gone unnoticed.
Having garnered a significant following with their beautifully claustrophobic debut album Violet Cries and even a nomination for BBC’s Sound Poll 2011, the band could be excused for soaking up some of the attention heading their way, but these accolades are something the band try to shy away from.
“It's heartening that some people enjoy the record but as far as polls like that one go we don't feel comfortable with the level of expectation that they generate. They aren't things that we put much stock in ourselves.”
Although seemingly unfazed by their growing popularity, the groups distinct sound mixing surreal gothic sounds with conventional rock is fairly profound. Yet as Thomas describes, their sound came about “without any real discussion”.
“We never set out to make music that sounded a particular way we just wrote and played what we wanted to.
None of us would describe ourselves as particularly proficient musicians, I'd never played electric guitar before, Rachel had never sung. I think that was an advantage when we were, quite naively, establishing a sound.”
Thomas then added that their fusion of sound is influenced by “all manner of things; books, cinema, curiosities and of late, our travels.
With these influences comes a dashing array of visual imagery, and by just checking out the group’s website, it’s easy to see that the bands ethos is heavily rooted in the mythical nature of the music. Singer Rachel is a keen artist, and is responsible for many of the scribes seen on the site, but Thomas describes the origins of this ethos purely comes from what they find interesting.
“We are aiming to create something more than just a collection of songs, aiming for something more enveloping and ultimately more satisfying. By surrounding the music with imagery that is tied to it is one way in which we feel this can be achieved.”
A massive platform to showcase these talents is Brighton, in which the band originated, due its vibrant and eclectic music scene. Brighton has already set host to a number of greatly successful artists, to name a few; The Maccabees, Blood Red Shoes, The Kooks, and a little known artist who goes by the name of Fatboy Slim. When asked what he made of all this musical success, Thomas replied:
“There is a great community in Brighton that is very supportive of the music that's made here. Its seems a good place for us to ply our trade.”
And it’s obviously worked.
The group played their first Glastonbury gig this year, despite forming just 3 years ago, and becoming the first UK based signing for Matador Records in over 6 years in 2010, the progression felt “entirely natural”.
“Last summer we played various smaller festivals so we felt prepared to play Glastonbury this year. We have ensured that anything like this is done at our own pace.”
“Although we had some trouble with flaming vehicles and crazed heavies, the show went very well.”
But with 7 festivals lined up across the world in the following months, including Japan and Turkey, there allure must be unavoidable, yet Thomas explains the bands initial reluctance towards them:
“They used to be something that we were quite wary of, worried about having to make certain changes to the way we would play one of our own shows. Its unquestionable that playing outdoors or in a tent requires a different approach. For us this tends to mean that the show tends to take on a more confrontational feel as we eschew some of the more delicate parts of the set in favour of a more aggressive approach.”
Esben &the Witch’s debut album ‘Violet Cries’ is available now. Check out single ‘Marching Song’ below.
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