London’s Sebright Arms has a reputation. A calling card for bands across the globe, it’s often their first port of call when taking those initial steps that define exciting new acts.
Those nights packed into the basement venue to witness the ‘next big thing’ before heading upstairs to discuss just how exciting things are getting have become synonymous with discovery. It’s why tonight’s Dork’s Night Out feels fitting. Since dropping their first track a few months ago, Witch Post have become a band that we here at Dork have been keeping an eye on. Formed from two songwriters finding and honing a natural bond, it’s clear why they’ve become the talk of the town. Tonight, sold out and buzzing, that anticipation to catch a glimpse of the future is palpable.
Vincent’s Last Summer arrive like a thunderbolt, delivering a feel-good thrill ride where fun takes centre stage. Transporting us back to 2008, their fizzing buzz of indie-sleaze wonkiness cuts through any pretence and draws Sebright Arms in. ‘Hotline’ exemplifies this fully, with mid-interlude phone calls about X Factor winners shining bright – an uncompromising world of fun that revels in their indie-meets-disco-meets-punk-meets-theatre playground. Closer ‘Doing It For The Country’ is their whipping grandstand invitation, and if you’re not accepting that invite now, you certainly will soon.
A tangible buzz takes over the Sebright Arms as they wait for Witch Post. Packed to the point of backs against the wall by the door, what awaits is a band with everything that makes new music thrilling. Purposeful, transfixing and commanding complete attention – tonight plays out like one of those gigs you’ll tell your mates about in a year’s time. Dylan and Alaska are punching their card to the big leagues, and they do so by forging their own path rather than taking the easy route.
Jeff Buckley-esque flair meets crunching grunge-fuzz at one turn, twisted country meets whipping indie-smarts the next – here’s a band with everything in place for the world to fall in love with. ‘Country Sour’ is a raw ballad built on delicate, hypnotic alternative sounds, while ‘Rust’, their early statement of intent, breathes with immediate hooks that showcase pop sensibility.
Trading tales behind each song creates an intimacy that holds firm even though fans know only three songs. They take time to play music from previous projects (including Dylan and Alaska’s collaborative track ‘Vampire’, released before Witch Post existed, and ‘Big Bunny’, from Alaska’s solo project). The connection between them on stage threads through every moment. This shines brightest on ‘Spell’, where just Dylan, Alaska and an electric guitar transport the Sebright Arms into raw emotion. It has the room transfixed – a modern alt-folk epic that taps into something special and cements Witch Post as a band with unmistakable chemistry.
A scorching ‘Chill Out’ rounds out a night where the future stands as a star. The unmistakable power of Witch Post. The widescreen potential of what’s to come. All emerging from that core of what Dylan and Alaska have found together in a band whose voice grows ever louder. Their next year is set to soar into the stratosphere.
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