Introducing #163 - Witch Fever
Let us introduce you to Manchester’s Witch Fever - who have just signed to Sony Music’s Music For Nations. Mixing sounds of Black Sabbath style sludge with nineties grunge, they took a moment to talk to us about their new single ‘Reincarnate’.
Hey Witch Fever, how are you? So your new track ‘Reincarnate’ is out now, can you tell us what it is about?
Hello! We’re great thanks, hope you’re well! Reincarnate is about coming out of a relationship, finding yourself again, and vowing to not take any shit ever again! It’s about reclaiming your independence and knowing your worth.
Where does the name Witch Fever come from?
Witch Fever is a name we settled on when we started 5 years ago. We all agreed that the two words sounded good together and we liked the history and imagery that goes along with the word witch. We later found out that the term witch fever was used to describe the paranoia and hysteria that arose when women were being accused of witchcraft for behaving outside of societal ‘norms’, so it felt like we were reclaiming that in a way, and making a conscious effort to express ourselves in whichever way we wanted and be totally uncensored.
How did you all meet? What made you want to start a band?
We all moved to Manchester from across the country for uni about 5 years ago. The band initially began with a couple of other members, and then Alex joined a year later. Our love for music is what made us all want to be in a band, and our love for each other and heavy music in particular kept us going with it. We’ve all dreamed of being musicians since being young so it’s amazing that we get to do it now.
You are based in Manchester, what are your favorite things to do there?
Yeah Manchester’s great! Eating and drinking out is obviously a big one, and the galleries are sick. Gigs are always good fun too, there’s some amazing venues here like Deaf Institute, Albert Hall, Band on the Wall, Soup Kitchen, YES, The Ritz, Gorilla etc
In January, you will be supporting IDLES at O2 Academy Brixton, which will be a huge show for you. Do you have anything special planned for it?
Yes, we’re also going on tour with them in Europe in March which we’re very excited about! The Brixton gig is particularly special though. We don’t have anything planned yet but we’ll make it a good one that’s for sure!
What are your key influences when it comes to your music?
We’ve all got such a varied music taste it’s hard to pin point! Alisha gets a lot of influence from bands like Nirvana, PJ Harvey and Warpaint, Annabelle loves Lou Reed and electronic/noise stuff, Alex is really into post-punk like Slow Dive and Just Mustard and I’ve always got influence from hardcore bands like Show me the Body and Ho99o9, as well as softer stuff like Angel Olsen.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
Heavy, uncensored, doomy, fun!