Oh, the things you can get away with when you’ve got the voice of an ice princess and the percussion of a demon. Esben and the Witch’s chilly Goth-rock pivots expertly between serene and squalling, but don’t try to make too much of the lyrics. On “When That Head Splits,” one of the standouts from Wash the Sins Not Only the Face (Matador), Rachel Davies sings a verse that could’ve been plucked from Robyn Hitchcock’s wastebin: “Alone she sits, a silent voyeur / Kneeling naked at the altar / While ants clamber over the / Petrified hand of her neighbor.” Somehow, Davies makes it sounds more spooky-sensual than creepy-crawly.
Thu., March 21, 8 p.m., $10-$12, with Heliotropes and Mohican, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.
