It's probably a safe bet that nobody expected new Bat For Lashes music to sound like this. Following the successful but overthought 'The Haunted Man', Natasha Khan, (the aforementioned Bat For Lashes) has chosen to team up with psychedelic rockers Toy to reinterpret songs from across the world – from America to Iran. And of course they've chosen to name themselves Sexwitch. Not exactly playing it safe.
There's a stifling heat about XOYO, a small club basement which the group have chosen to play their newly released EP in a seemingly one off show, adding an air of tension to a crowd already in the dark about what they're about to see - there's very few people here with any idea what to expect; it's clear that quite a number of the crowd are here in the hope of hearing some Bat For Lashes songs. No such luck.
As Toy shuffle awkwardly onto the tiny stage, Natasha joins them with a Cheshire cat grin - there's an immediate sense of rejuvenation about her. Launching straight into 'Ghoroobaa Ghashangan', an atmospheric Iranian song translated by Khan, there's a vibrancy about the band, with Toy sounding more physical and visceral than they ever have on their own, whilst Khan's vocal delivery is something else, soaring to extraordinary heights.
The energetic shuffle of 'Helelyos' gets the biggest reaction, given that it's so familiar having been released as a single a few weeks back. Similarly, the infectious groove of 'Ha Howa Ha Howa' has the appreciative crowd moving in harmony, whilst Khan's shamanic chants enthral. It's a thrilling spectacle and feels as though we're being cast under a spell. Calling themselves Sexwitch makes a lot of sense all of a sudden.
Their time on stage is all too brief, choosing only to showcase material from this collaboration rather than from their own respective back catalogues. The initial disappointment that sweeps the crowd when 'Kassidat El Hakka' is announced as the finale quickly disintegrates into the ether as the irresistible, propulsive beat led by Toy swells and swells into something quite extraordinary, with their tribal rhythm leading Khan into a trance-like state. It's an utterly compelling spectacle, as Khan totally consumed and seemingly possessed by the music, chants the spellbinding refrain of "when I die I'll go back to what I was" initially in a sensual tone, building to a frighteningly frenetic climax.
With both Bat For Lashes and Toy readying new material of their own, it's unclear what the future holds for Sexwitch, or whether there is one at all. With any luck, this music and the experience it's led to will inform any music we hear in the near future. Made for a live setting, it's most noticeably invigorated and inspired Khan, pushing her performance into new realms that hadn't before been possible under her Bat For Lashes moniker. In challenging both herself and the audience, it now feels as though anything is possible. In the mean time, however, if they do choose to continue with this collaboration, make sure you're there to fall under their spell.