Brighton’s Surf Doom rockers The Wytches were instore at Rough Trade for an intimate album release show. With the queue of mainly teenagers snaking long down the road, many eyes were fixed across the road as the band casually sat on the kerb smoking. There’s no room for diva behaviour here.

Opening with ‘Digsaw’ and ‘Gravedweller,’ the youngest in the crowd were already lost in a mosh pit down the front. A man of few words, frontman Kristian Bell prefers to let his onstage performance speak for itself – his shrieks and soft falsetto fighting with the shrill echos and heavy fuzz of his jazzmaster. The quiet verse, loud chorus formula of Grunge is distorted too new heights with Egyptians scales and surf drum beats in ‘wireframe mattress.’

Slower numbers like ‘Weights and tights’ getting their debut airing, were met with swaying body’s and glazed eyes by the teenagers itching to thrash around again. ‘Crying Clown’ is the definite highlight, a huge Doom riff interlaced with soft lyrics of lust and self loathing. The band have been on tour longer than they can remember. Coming straight from a radio session earlier that day and onto another show later in the evening, The Wytches were still as frantic and full of energy as ever.

With yet more gigs with Growlers and the Fat White Family looming, There’s no stopping the ghost train and the spooky gospel of their brilliant debut ‘Anabel Dream Reader’ spreading. Not that they would want it any other way.

Jack Trace