Salem
Witch house's originators — screwed vocals over cavernous drones, still faintly sinister, a genre's whole aesthetic in one band.
Salem came together in Michigan in the mid-2000s around John Holland, Jack Donoghue and Heather Marlatt. The group's music drew on chopped-and-screwed hip-hop, shoegaze and drone, layering pitched-down vocals over heavy bass and thick washes of noise, and their debut album King Night appeared in 2010.
The results were murky, slow-moving and often uncomfortable, and the sound they arrived at was widely credited with defining witch house — a loose genre tag that spread quickly online, complete with its own visual conventions. Salem remain the group most closely associated with it.
Festivals Salem is playing
Salem at a glance
What festivals is Salem playing in 2026?
Salem is booked at 1 festival: All Points East 2026.
Is Salem playing All Points East 2026?
Yes — Salem is on the All Points East 2026 lineup, August 21–30, 2026 at Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, London, UK. They play Sunday, August 23.
Where is Salem from?
Salem is from Traverse City, MI.
What kind of music does Salem play?
Salem is tagged witch-house and drone.
Also on these bills
Jorja SmithTemsNia ArchivesKWNAyra StarrOdealElmieneDestin ConradWestside GunnUncle WafflesDJ EZWesley Joseph
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