L.A. Witch – Live In Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

It’s September and so far I’ve been abroad sunning myself, and this will be only my second live event of the month, but when I was invited back in May of this year to attend and cover something of this L.A. Witch tour, The Cluny in Newcastle was easily the best choice for its location to myself. After a short drive up North from home, parking in what is a very atmospheric area (hence thoughts of the band’s music were already invoked before even entering the venue).

As it turns out, I’d timed this almost to the wire, as The Buttertones support set had just started as I grabbed some refreshment and joined the crowd (for a Monday, this was a very good attendance). If I had one gripe about this venue, and this is only as a photographer, not a music lover, the lightning is severely challenging, so be prepared for some poor attempts at giving you an insight via photo’s, but this in no way affects the experience, the sound was amazing, the atmosphere great and all in all this band gave us everything. I personally had never listened to or even tried to check them out before this event, so this was a set full of surprise and intrigue.  How would their music and performance be described would be that this is a mix of genre’s, hints of Post-Punk/Garage Rock/Indie/Surf Rock all blended to create a sound that live at least, is pretty damned infectious and had the crowd dancing and shouting for more. If you get the chance to catch them on this tour or beyond, this is something I’d thoroughly recommend you do.

After the usual run off to the bar for some refreshment and all the other stuff that reviewers like to fill the write up with, the stage has been rearranged and multiple guitar/bass foot pedals installed, we are now ready for the main event. L.A. Witch make their way to the already smokey stage, the lighting (yes that bad for Togs lighting) is set at a level that actually compliments what this band are renowned for, a sultry psychedelic moody atmosphere descends into the venue, they kick everything off with Dark Horse from the 2020 album Play With Fire, and as we listen in awe of the ease at which the riffs and licks form an artistic painting of a sound, it becomes obvious this is going to be a special night. The next four songs Kiss Me Deep, Eyes Of Love, Doggod, and Lost At Sea come from their April 2025 album DOGGOD. It might have been easy before this gig, when you listen to the album, to wonder how much some of the reviews for this album might have been justified in thinking, does this album fall into the trap of being a little one level, but believe you me, when you’re right here in the stage lights, listening to all the magical intricate notes from the lead, the drum beats that fill every corner to the brim, the Bass guitar that’s played with some kind of ethereal touch, all this knitted together perfectly by a rhythm guitar and synth backing, oh and then the vocal that drizzles like honey over it all, that all dissipates into the fog that’s surrounding all of us in the audience.

After several more songs which disappeared in what seemed like the bank of an eye (you get fully immersed and minutes just lose all meaning), I would be fairly sure they must have played almost all of the latest album, everyone in the room was transfixed, and sadly it was almost time for it all to end.  But were we ever gonna let Ellie, Irita, Sade and Tara go without at least one more. If you’re ever given an opportunity to go see L.A Witch live, regardless of what you think of their recorded sound (some find it a little slow), please go. This gig at The Cluny in Newcastle was for myself felt almost like a free meditation session, a cleansing of the soul and all that, the room might have been foggier than pea soup, but the mind was sharpened to every note by the end.