Research and Development of Song

"Hunting for Witches" is a song by Bloc Party, and it is the third single of their second studio album A Weekend in the City. It was first performed live 2 May 2006 at the Brighton Concorde 2. The song was voted at number 24 on Australian radio station Triple j's Hottest 100 tracks in 2007.

Content

The lyrics in "Hunting for Witches" are influenced by the terrorist attacks on London's transportation system in July 2005. It also contains references to the September 11 attacks in the United States as well as the British newspaper The Daily Mail. Frontman Kele Okereke stated in an interview:

The 30 bus in Hackney, which is just around the corner from where I live, was blown up. [That song was] written when I was just observing the reactions of the mainstream press in [the UK] and I was just amazed at how easy it'd been to whip them up into a fury. ... I guess the point about the song for me is post-September 11th, the media has really traded on fear and the use of fear in controlling people.

The opening of the song features sound portions from news programs on TV and radio.

Video

The music video for the song is the most minimalist off the album so far. It simply features the band performing the song in a dark room, using some unique overhead shots in some parts of the video. The video is credited as being directed by Alan Smithee.