Tales of an Amorphic Destiny

Witchcraft at Borderline, London

December 16th, 2007 at 03:57pm James

Witchcraft are one of my favourite bands to emerge in recent years. Their style harks back to early Black Sabbath but also draws on enough other influences to give the band their own distinctive sound, rounded off by the unique howling vocals of front man Magnus Pelander.

Last time Witchcraft were in London was as a support and that was when they first caught my ear. Since then I’ve become a big fan so I was very excited to get the chance to see them live once more.

After a few warm-up beers in the Intrepid Fox and then the Cro-bar, Sarah, Lynda and myself headed in to the gig. The Borderline is apparently a venue of some renown but this was the first time we’d been there. Descending the stairs into the crowded underground venue it struck me as the perfect, intimate setting to see a band like Witchcraft.

Before Witchcraft though, we were greeted by the grooves of Leeds band Gentleman’s Pistol’s.  Apparently they state their influences as simply "1968 – 1973" which could only be a good thing. They rocked out in style with an energetic stage presence backed up by instantly memorable tunes like "Heavy Petting", "Widowmaker" and "The Lady"  and much grooving was to be had by all. Awesome stuff and more than enough to convince me to pick up their album from the merch stand after their set.

After such a great start there was only one way things could get better and that was with the mighty Witchcraft. The Swedes took the stage nonchalantly and went straight into "Walk Between the Lines", from new album "The Alchemist".

The vintage sound was spot-on and the assembled throng cheered enthusiastically for such greats as "Wooden Cross", "Queen of Bees", "No Angel or Demon" and the band’s title track, introduced with Pelander’s now obligatory line "Witchcraft, Take One".

After an hour the Wednesday-night curfew began to draw in and so the gig was rounded off with the epic "Her Sisters, They Were Weak". This haunting track sounded all the more moving in a live setting and was a fitting end to a great night of music.

After the gig I picked up "The Alchemist" on white vinyl and chatted with bassist Ola Henriksson who was manning the merch stand. We hung around to finish off our beers and I got the rest of the band to sign my new vinyl – another one for the collection!

Apparently the band are trying to line up some festival appearances in the Summer and there’s also talk of touring Australia in early 2008 so if it happens, make sure you lot back home get along to see them or you’ll be missing out big time! To whet your appetite, check out the rest of the photos here.

Entry Filed under: Gigs