L.A. Witch + Francis Pig – The Hope & Ruin, BRIGHTON 25.09.25
L.A. Witch
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. Their alternative rock sound blended garage rock, psych folk and lo-fi blues, channelling the grittiness of Los Angeles with a dark, dreamy twist.
Following the faster garage rock of the opening few songs, there was a distinct change in mood for the softer ‘Lost At Sea’. Singer and guitarist Sade Sanchez sang with just her guitar and Irita’s soft bass. 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 switched to a dance up-tempo number, ‘Icicle’, which got more of the audience dancing. 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.
L.A. Witch are:
- Sade Sanchez – guitar/vocals
- Irita Pai – bass
- Ellie English – drums
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Francis Pig
Supporting were Brighton-based Francis Pig. Their songs explore themes of eroticism and existentialism with a daring intensity. Francis Pig packed 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 Doyle appeared to be doing stretching and warm-up exercises. As the thumping drums started on ‘Like It Like You’ and the late 1960s New York underground sound came to the fore, Alana was soon at 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’. 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. Their fast final number, ‘Who’s The Junkie?’, closed rather abruptly, which came as a bit of a surprise. Well, if it hadn’t been slightly uncomfortable and unpredictable, it wouldn’t have been Francis Pig.
Francis Pig are:
- Alana Doyle – vocals
- Henry Wickett-Padgham – guitar, vocals
- Jacob Newman – guitar
- Phoebe Feren – bass
- Chris Hallen – drums
WORDS: PETER GREENFIELD PHOTOS: CRIS WATKINS
