pre-party – Esben and the Witch

17 Dec pre-party – Esben and the Witch

Esben and the Witch (UK), Hunter Complex (NL), Zeevonk // [Abram] (NL)
As a taster for 2015’s events, DoubleAA will curate a special show at the Qbus club on Friday 14 November; Esben and the Witch (UK) and Hunter Complex (NL).

– Esben and the Witch (UK)
Esben and the Witch is a name that should be familiar to many; they are a brilliant live act who deal in dark, romantic soundscapes; and one that once moved the Guardian’s Paul Lester to splurge out a whole heap of purple prose on their behalf. “Sound-wise, Esben hover enigmatically between goth, electronica, trip-hop and post-rock. There are echoes […] of Siouxsie’s unholy caterwaul […] of Killing Joke’s tribal thunder […] of Aphex’s glitchy gall, of Portishead’s serene menace and of the abstract invention of Radiohead circa Kid A.” Just how many references does a band need, we ask? Paul; sit down, have a biscuit, lad. Outside of a show in Tilburg, this is the only gig Esben will be playing in the Netherlands.

– Hunter Complex (NL)
Hunter Complex is the retro-future/ audio-visual project run by Lars Meijer from the brilliant Dutch label, Narrominded records. According to Mojo magazine’s Ian Harrison, Hunter Complex’s synth-based sound contains of; “a pristine pseudo-futurity, like visiting a moonbase where they still use magnetic tape and a typewriter.” Yowsa!

– Zeevonk (NL)
A new act from the Bollenstreeek makes up our list of headliners. Port of Call’s Pieter (van Dam is better known in the Netherlands for his soulful indie folk. However his new venture (with help from his buddy Bram) looks to lay down site-specific, and found sounds in a larger electronic package. Surprising and uncompromising music. More than that, it’s the first ever live show in Leiden for Zeevonk; reason enough to miss.

To recap: Qbus, 14 November. 20:00 hours. It’s 7 euros at the door.