Like many university students on the 30th of October, we found ourselves dressed up and heading to London. Unlike the masses heading there for its prominent clubbing scene, we walked down the dark cobbled streets of Hoxton to spend another Halloween with ‘the lucky lady’ herself, Etta Marcus. The event was scheduled to start at 6pm so we arrived early, landing us second in the queue. We were greeted by a quaint brick building that housed Hoxton Hall. It was built in 1863 and a perfect fit the spooky event. As it drew closer to 6pm more people joined the queue, dressed in costumes such as Kill Bill, pigs and angels. We were eventually ushered out of the cold and inside the venue and given wristbands, before being guided into the main hall for the event, greeted by séance themed decoration. The floor was lined with spiders, fairy lights, and candles, as the warm lighting formed a pentagon, creating a fitting ambiance for the event. We were encouraged to get comfortable on the pillows and blankets that covered and we were provided with pen and paper to record our thoughts.
After being instructed to get comfortable, Etta Marcus came out to surprise us. She was down to earth and endearingly awkward, which contrasted the slightly morbid and unhinged nature of her music. She briefly explained what to expect from an exclusive her album, before expressing her anticipation for it to finally be out into the world. Following her departure, we were greeted with the familiar first notes of Teenage Messiah. The song was release in September 2025 and it brought back pleasant memories from its debut at Ettaween 2024. The song opens the album with a simple guitar riff and Etta’s haunting vocals. The drums come in during the second verse allowing the song to gain momentum before hitting its peak in the second chorus. Our favourite part of the song has to be the bridge with its catchy hook of “run run run little piggy”. A line you can’t help but sing along to.
This was followed by Girls are Gods Machine another rock inspired track. The song opens with an upbeat guitar riff and the hard-hitting lyrics of “Come on come on its a pretty day to stay inside and baby make”. Which sets the scene for the lively indie-rock anthem. The relatable track expresses the vulnerability of womanhood with the lyrics such as “I cry when I kiss and I die for your sins” and ‘my mother taught me not to cry’. This was an early favourite for us, with the post-chorus and final verse standing out due to its high energy. This has also become one of our favourite tracks to hear live, as it’s even better when surrounded by other people.
The album starts to cool down as we transition to pointing at the moon, staring at your hand. This song featured Etta Marcus’s signature eerie vocals making it perfect to listen to for the first time on Halloween. The nostalgic instrumental is highlighted by a melodic guitar and synths, with the soft introduction and first verse suddenly erupting into the powerful chorus. This song makes you feel as though you’re being chased through a dark, misty forest and suddenly you realise the knife’s in your hand, and you’re the killer. It was a nice change from the upbeat introduction to the album but still manages to match its consistently frantic nature.
The next song was our favourite on the album. Lucky lady is a hauntingly sexy song, as Etta describing how scary, yet exciting love can be. This song is quite different from Etta’s previous releases, having more stripped-back and emotional lyrics. Like many of the attendees, we really liked this one as it had a darker, playful energy with lyrics like “He said it’s me who made him do things, Why can’t a girl just have some fun, I don’t know if I’m blushing or I’m bruising, I swear that he’s the one”. This song has soft backing vocals and an engaging bridge that draws you into the story she’s trying to tell. In the bridge, the song shifts to a more back and forth, conversational style of lyrics, adding a fun element to the song that makes it more enjoyable on every relisten.
The album closes with ‘Slaughterhouse,’ a track that pays tribute to some of Etta’s older songs while managing the album’s overall energy. This song connects to the title of the album ‘Devour’ as it talks about how falling in love can be disarming and all consuming. The lyrics convey Etta’s feeling of helpless when facing love with lyrics like “he swung and axe and I fell” and “he took my heart into his hands like a sacrificial lamb”. These lyrics are accompanied by powerful layered vocals, perfectly encapsulating the singer’s emotions, making this a song you want to try and sing along even if you don’t know the lyrics.
After the listening party, Etta stayed behind to talk to the attendees and hear their thoughts about the album. When we spoke to her, she complimented our lamb costumes and commented on how we would all be matching for the concert, as she would also be dressed as a lamb in reference to her new track slaughterhouse. She recalled seeing us at last year’s Ettaween, showing how down to earth and connected she is with her fans. After floating around the room and making sure to interact with all the attendees, she left to get ready for the concert.
We went on to mingle with some other fans, to hear their motivations for attending the concert and their stories behind getting into Etta’s music. I spoke to Gracie who told me she was attending her 8th show. She became a fan of Etta in 2023 after ’recognising Etta as Lana Del Rey’s opener when she came up as a recommended artist on Spotify’. Another attendee chimed in stating they had
her through her Hyde park performance. When we enquired about why Gracie had attended so many shows revealed that ‘he makes it better than it already is’
Gracie highlighted that the experience and atmosphere of Etta’s shows a key factor that kept her coming back. As the ‘people and the friends she had made while attending made the experience more’. This was evident through the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the concert, where everyone sat together and chatted while waiting for the show to start exchanging past concert experiences. mentioned that ”dancing and having fun at gigs” attracted her to the shows highlighting ‘girls that play’ and ‘theatre’ as some of their favourites to hear live.
When we got the chance to ask Etta about her thought process behind making the album, she said “With this EP, there’s a duality of devouring for pleasure and the horrifying flipside. I’m experiencing new relationships in my life and also touching on frustrations, especially those that are out of your control. There’s this strange balancing act, harnessing anger but making space for love”. These themes are clear throughout the whole album especially in songs like ‘pointing at the moon, staring at your hand’ and ‘Slaughterhouse’, which perfectly encapsulate the torturous nature of love. This is even more evident when the songs are performed live. Etta and her band (with members, Jonah, Jack, and Charlie) uniquely perform live renditions of their songs, incorporating crashing drum solos, guitar riffs, and a consistent bass line to which bring them to life during the concert.
The album consists of some of our favourite Etta songs yet, with songs like lucky lady and slaughterhouse, showing a new side to the singer. The album brilliantly expands her discography, with dark melodic sounds, mixing raw emotional vocals and lyricism that carry the album from classic sad girl music to female rage personified. For anybody interested in getting into Etta Marcus this album is a great place to start, as it both encapsulates her newer rock inspired sound and her older indie-folk tracks. However, some older recommendations we would suggest are her first release Salt Lake City ft. Matt Maltese, or her single Death Grips. The latter, describes the end of teenagerhood and the end of a relationship; While Salt Lake City is a more emotional song about moving somewhere new for someone you love with sad undertones encompassing what it’s like to lose yourself in love. Overall, if you like artists like Lana Del Rey, Mitski, or Pheobe Bridgers then we would recommend you give her a listen.