Last Friday saw the witchy and mystical pop phenomenon that is Bambie Thug kick off their Crown The Witch tour in Brighton. Anticipation was high as Bambie’s fans flocked to Chalk for initiation into the Coven.
Bambie Thug
Chalk, Brighton – 30 August 2024
Words: Lacey Wait
Photography: Robert Sutton
Upon arrival, the crowd’s diversity did not go unnoticed. People of all ages, genders, and expressions were present. It felt safe and totally non-judgemental, in line with Bambie Thug’s famous norm-defying mantra.
After support from queer-pop duo The Darklings, the lights dropped, and machines pumped out plumes of fog as Bambie Thug’s spoken word intro began. They invited us to breathe with them, in and out, expelling any anxieties ahead of the show.
However, the calming atmosphere was short-lived as, once Bambie Thug hit the stage, all hell broke loose.
The show was dissected into three acts: Welcome To The Coven, Witch’s Ballad, and Initiation.
Welcome To The Coven exploded with infectious energy. The singer entered the stage, which was furnished with a grand throne centrepiece and luminescent crosses, alongside two devilishly masked dancers. Their piercing vocals tore through seven tracks, including hex so heavy, Bye Boy, and Last Summer (I Know What You Did).
Despite the lack of live instruments, their immense sound filled every nook and cranny. The bass was paralysing and created a sidechain effect that distorted Bambie Thug’s incantations. We were inescapably immersed in their world of Ouija-pop.
The use of backing tracks was also made up for by striking visuals and comical theatrics that pushed Bambie Thug’s songs into the fourth dimension. 
The Witch’s Ballad saw a less obnoxious moment in their set as Bambie Thug stood solitary on stage bearing the Palestinian flag. They performed Children Should Be Laughing with a sensitivity and poise that reminded us of what they stand for as an artist. 
After that reflective interlude, it was swiftly back to the usual antics for the final act: Initiation. This began with a solo masked dancer twisting and contorting in inhuman ways to an otherworldly soundscape. Bambie Thug and their backing dancers then re-entered the stage with hi-vis jackets and litter pickers for a sickening performance of Trash.
They followed with some of their better-known tracks, such as Egrecore and Tsunami (11:11), which came with its own tsunami as the crowd were drenched with water guns. Mimicking a religious baptism, we were officially initiated into The Coven. 
To round things off in the only way that felt right, Bambie Thug returned to the stage for their final track Doomsday Blue.
The song brought patriotic pride to Ireland after Bambie Thug placed 6th in the Eurovision Song Contest. For one last time, the crowd went wild.
