" Hunting for Witches " lyrics were influenced by the terrorist attacks on London 's transportation system in July 2005 , the September 11 , 2001 attacks in the United States , and the media 's reaction to the attacks . It also touches upon the amount of control the media has over modern society . 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 music video for the song was the most minimalist one from the album . 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
terrorist attacks
7 July 2005 London bombings
Hunting for Witches