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Review: 'Battle Lines / The Witch Hunt'
'Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, 17th December 2014'   


-  Genre: 'Indie'

Our Rating:
What does a music reviewer do on a night off? This one hops on a train from York and hikes across Leeds to watch some live music. Not without good reason: having spent, over the last few years, more hours than I care to count at the Brudenell, it seemed like the ideal way to (more or less) wrap up my gigging year. The vibe at the Brudenell is always ace, and when you have a brace of homegrown acts of this quality playing together (it’s pretty much a double header) – and for free – then you’ve got it made.

Soloist Elizabeth Cutts, working under the moniker Lissie’s Heart Murmur, gave a magnificently poised and understated performance. The hushed crowd gave her the respect and appreciation she was due, and turning in a short set, she didn’t outstay her welcome and left us all warmed up nicely for The Witch Hunt.

After a couple of cracking releases (the ‘Little Book of Hate’ EP is a blinder) and building a keen following thanks to some impressive live shows (this year’s Live at Leeds was a real standout), The Witch Hunt announced a few ays before the show that this would be their last. But far from drowning us in tidal waves of tears and thanks for our support, they concentrated on giving us a set that illustrated precisely why we got into them in the first place. They’re one of those bands who, if they didn’t exist, you’d have to invent them: they’ve got absolutely everything going for them, and are unquestionably as photogenic a band as you’ll find. But they’ve got substance as well as style. The stark lighting diffused by dense smoke, the trio create a dramatic, goth-infused atmosphere. Chris Mulligan’s guitar spins taut, sinewy motifs and bursts of noise over a barrage of heavy duty percussion, while Louisa’s commanding vocals are faultless. With a string suite of tunes, too, it’s a shame they’re calling it a day just as they seem to be hitting their stride.

Another band hitting their stride is Battle Lines. 2014 saw them play SXSW and a VICE issue launch: they’re hitting mainland Europe in January and have been hard at work on their debut album in recent months. Sounding more confident – and more like a female-fronted ‘Closer’ era Joy Division than ever, their set consists almost entirely of unreleased material, save for closer ‘Colonies’, released as a single earlier in the year. Their music and performance style may be stark, dark and brooding, but watching a band execute their material this well can’t fail to be uplifting.

It’s hard not to feel a bit festive after a night as good as this.
  author: Christopher Nosnibor

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Battle Lines / The Witch Hunt - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, 17th December 2014
Battle Lines
Battle Lines / The Witch Hunt - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, 17th December 2014
The Witch Hunt