Sabrina Kennedy has unleashed her latest single, Witch Of The West, a fierce rock statement that’s already turning heads across the UK music scene. Out now on all streaming platforms, the track arrives with a striking video and a limited 7” vinyl edition — complete with an exclusive acoustic B-side of her debut single Hold Tight.
Critics have been quick to respond. Juno Daily hailed the track as “a dynamite rollercoaster, heavy as Hole but with a chorus that sticks like gum,” while God Is In The TV described it as “a defiant assault on the senses… propelled by a Chrissie Hynde-style sneer.”
The song draws on Kennedy’s Boston roots and her time living on London’s Portobello Road, where her tarot readings at Chiltern Firehouse parties earned her a reputation as a modern-day witch. “It’s a satirical and mystical fantasy around people’s perceptions of me,” she explains. “I got called the ‘witch of the West’ after a footballer joked I’d hexed him, and a singer warned her boyfriend to stay away from me. Really, it’s about being misunderstood and staying true to yourself.”
Witch Of The West was co-written and produced by Grammy-winning producer Youth — best known as Killing Joke’s bassist. The collaboration blossomed after Youth championed Kennedy’s 2023 single Magic & Mayhem on radio show Jukebox Judgement, discovering a shared fascination with the mystical and supernatural.
The 7” edition of Witch Of The West has already been a highlight of Kennedy’s recent UK tour, available at intimate headline shows and record store instores in London, Manchester, and Newcastle. Shops such as Rough Trade West, Vinyl Resting Place, and RPM Music hosted the release, which is now available online. The vinyl’s B-side revisits Hold Tight in a stripped-back acoustic form, amplifying the raw emotion of her father’s passing. The record is available to purchase on 7” vinyl here.
Boston-born and now based in Newcastle, Kennedy’s upbringing was steeped in alternative belief systems, shaped by visits to Salem and a fascination with paganism and tarot. After stints in Nashville and London, she carved out her own lane in the UK’s alt-pop and rock scenes. Her debut EP Wheel Of The Year (2023) mapped her life through the Wiccan calendar, blending dark R&B textures with punk energy.
Her music has featured on Love Island and Made In Chelsea, and she’s performed at venues including Notting Hill Arts Club, Laylow, Paper Dress Vintage, and Blondies. Beyond music, her life as a “modern-day witch” was captured in the award-winning short film Sabrina Kennedy Witch, Reborn, directed by Maria Shevtsova.
Following her autumn move from London to Newcastle, Kennedy has built a local following with shows at The Cluny, Newcastle University, and Salt Market. With Witch Of The West, she continues to fuse personal mythology with uncompromising rock energy — a spellbinding mix that cements her as one of the UK’s most intriguing voices.
