Manchester band Witch Fever have released their debut album Congregation ahead of a hometown headline gig at YES.
The 13-track album culminates in what the band like to call “full rage mode”. The Manchester quartet have a reputation for riff-heavy, lyrically furious music, which crosses genres.
The album finds Witch Fever defying expectations as individuals and as a band. Congregation incorporates a range of sounds and inspirations, which drawing lyrically on vocalist Amy Walpole’s experience of growing up in a Charismatic Church – a form of Christianity that emphasises the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and modern-day miracles. She left the church when she was 16, and her parents followed suit two years later. Guitarist Alisha Yarwood also grew up in a church, though not to the same extent as Walpole, and all members agree that the themes of the album – control, abuse of power and patriarchal violence – resonate beyond a religious framework.
In addition to the album Witch Fever have shared the track At The Core, which features on the album alongside previous singles Beauty and Grace, Blessed Be Thy, Congregation and I Saw You Dancing.
In support of the album, Witch Fever are playing a string over shows over the next week including a Manchester gig at YES.
When do Witch Fever headline at YES Manchester?
Witch Fever headline at YES Manchester on 25 October 2022. The Manchester gig is one of four UK dates they are playing in support of Congregation:
21 October – Brighton, Resident
22 October – London, Rough Trade East
24 October – Leeds, Key Club
25 October – Manchester, YES
