Down in the bunker of the Green Door Store, the crowd began to gather in anticipation for Esben And The Witch’s first Brighton gig in a long year of touring.

First up though, the eclectic sound-bath of Hirvikolari made good use of the venue’s powerful rig with their live sample looping; successfully sweeping up from white noise to a sub-ambient house beat. Spine-chilling, not soothing, yet delicious all the same. In the end it was a climactic car crash but it is always a joy to see bands like this that sweep away the traditional boundaries between acoustic and electric music production with live performance. With a bit more practice coming back down the hills they climb they could become a really interesting band to watch out for in the future.

The masterclass was provided by EATW. Precision is what sets them apart from the slew of nu-school psych-rock bands doing the rounds, and the sheer forcefulness of their note-playing puts them right on the edge of metal. At times the bass drum kick was almost throat slitting. Once the band and crowd settled, the gold-dust of Davies’ liquid vocals balanced against the death-march beats and crescendos of the non-human instruments, making a sound you could just curl up inside forever. When it came though, the subsequent inevitable explosion of noise was a welcome annihilation.

EATW are ready to stand among the giants of girl-fronted grunge bands. Some gigs are a privilege to attend. Admittedly the start felt shaky but by the third track EATW carried the crowd with them. There was enough variety in their formula, enough subtlety from the musicians – especially Copeman’s drum levels – to maintain the high right through the set. They delivered what we wanted most – a big, melancholy, strong-armed musical hug.

Green Door Store, Friday 11th March 2016
Words by Louise Bloom
Photos by Gili Dailes