Following the release of their third album ‘DOGGOD’, American garage-rock trio L.A. Witch brought their UK and European tour to Brighton’s Hope & Ruin on Thursday. They were formed in Los Angeles, California in 2011, and consist of Sade Sanchez (guitar/vocals), Irita Pai (bass) and Ellie English (drums). For their live show they were joined on stage by an additional guitarist who also played keyboards.
L.A. Witch’s spellbinding alternative rock sound blended garage rock, psych folk and lo-fi blues channeling the grittiness of Los Angeles with a dark, dreamy twist. Comparisons with The Gun Club and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club wouldn’t be too wide of the mark.
Following the faster garage rock of the opening few songs, there was a distinct change in mood for the softer ‘Lost At Sea’. Sade sang with just her guitar and Irita’s soft bass. The other two swapped to egg shakers, with Ellie just using a soft bass drum. It was as if Mazzy Star did garage rock. Across the set Sade’s vocals floated between seduction and haunting, drawing comparisons to Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.
There was a lot of chopping and changing from slow to faster numbers, as Sade was almost teasing the audience with her guitar jamming before the next rock track ‘I Wanna Lose’.
There was a cinematic feel to ‘I Hunt You Prey’ with the haunting quality of Sade’s voice to the fore. It would work perfectly in a horror scene driving through the deserted US plains at night. The sound swapped to a dance up-tempo number ‘Icicle’, which got more people at The Hope and Ruin dancing. It reminded me a little of another LA band Automatic, particularly the drums. After ‘777’, ‘The Lines’ had a steady increase in tempo, similar in a way to the latter part of ‘The Chain’ by Fleetwood Mac, but with L.A. Witch’s dark moody feel.
Near the end, ‘Baby In Blue Jeans’ was their mellowest song of the night. A beautiful yet sharp number, showcasing the softer side of Sade’s vocals once again. L.A. Witch returned to faster catchier songs to close their very good set.
Other than a few thank yous, there was no chat from the band between songs, as they were completely focused on their music rather than audience engagement. Individually the songs and music were top quality. Maybe structuring the setlist, so there was less chopping and changing between slow and up-tempo numbers might have helped with the flow. Saying that those were minor points, in what was a very impressive performance by L.A. Witch, which I enjoyed, and judging by the cheers at the end, many in a packed Hope and Ruin did as well,
L.A. Witch:
Sade Sanchez – guitar/vocals
Irita Pai – bass
Ellie English – drums
L.A.Witch setlist:
‘Dark Horse’ (from 2020 ‘Play With Fire’ album)
‘Kiss Me Deep’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘Eyes Of Love’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘DOGGOD’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘Lost At Sea’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘I Wanna Lose’ (from 2020 ‘Play With Fire’ album)
‘Sexorexia’ (from 2020 ‘Play With Fire’ album)
‘I Hunt You Prey’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘Icicle’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘777’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘The Lines’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘True Believers’ (from 2020 ‘Play With Fire’ album)
‘Baby In Blue Jeans’ (from 2017 ‘L,A, Witch’ album)
‘Get Lost’ (from 2017 ‘L,A, Witch’ album)
‘SOS’ (from 2025 ‘DOGGOD’ album)
‘Starred’ (from 2020 ‘Play With Fire’ album)
The support band were Brighton-based five-piece Francis Pig, who are Alana (vocals), Henry and Jacob (guitars), Phoebe (bass) and Chris (drums). Their songs are a potent blend of raw power and poetic depth, exploring themes of eroticism and existentialism with a daring intensity. Francis Pig delivered a punch with their blend of heavy baselines, distorted guitars and commanding vocals. Their sound had echoes of The Velvet Underground, The Stooges and The Cramps.
There were tell-tale signs of the energy levels to follow in the instrumental intro as singer Alana appeared to be doing stretching and warm up exercises. As the thumping drums started on ‘Like It Like You’ and the late 1960’s New York underground sound came to the fore, Alana was soon to the edge of the stage in the faces of those at the front of the crowd.
Next up was their most recent single ‘Sex Talk’ released only two weeks before the show. This had a heavier sound, with a very suggestive tone to Alana’s voice reflective of the song’s subject matter. This was matched by her moves, especially when cavorting on the stage floor moaning and screaming. On ‘Obscene Dream’, she angrily spat out the lyrics “dirty little secrets” as she held her intense stare.
It was only a matter of time before Alana left the stage to sing in the crowd, which she did during ‘Daddy Said’ before closing the song on her back on the stage floor. With all her roaming on and off stage, the mic lead had to be unravelled before the closing number. Some good distortion from the guitarist kept the continuity before the fast closing number ‘Who’s The Junkie?’. That song closed rather abruptly, which came as a bit of a surprise. Well, if it hadn’t had been slightly uncomfortable, it wouldn’t have been Francis Pig.
I’ve enjoyed seeing Francis Pig a few times before, but this for me was their best performance I’ve seen. Adding a drummer rather than using a drum machine, I think played a large part in this. The band were sharper and more coherent without compromising any of their rawness, energy and intensity. Some friends of mine were seeing Francis Pig for the first time. In the break, the first thing they asked was “When are they playing next?” Their next show is supporting GLOIN back at The Hope & Ruin on Sunday 19th October, (Tickets HERE).
Francis Pig:
Alana Doyle – vocals
Henry Wickett-Padgham – guitar, vocals
Jacob Newman – guitar
Phoebe Feren – bass
Chris Hallen – drums
