Savages

I wast quite sure what to expect from this all female London post punk 4 piece (apart from that of course) when I arrived at the the HMV Forum Kentish Town on that rainy (but mild! ) wednesday night.

I was aware that they had been mercury nominees the previous month and that they were currently in the midst of a european tour on the back of the May release of their debut album " Silence yourself "....and of course that they were called "Savages"; and savage is the perfect description of what was about to in-sew.
With clear influences from Joy Division and Siouxie and the Banshees apparent, it was the term " knife rock " which sprang to mind as opening tracks " I am here " and " shut up " began to ferociously mutilate my senses with jagged guitar riffs, bludgeoning drum beats and stabbing bass lines that all brutally weave through the piercing, shamanic vocals of front woman Jehnny Beth.

The rest of the band consist of Gemma Thompson ( guitar ), Ayse Hassan ( bass), and Faye Milton ( drums). It is their lethal concoction of sonic belligerence, all mercilessly executed that provides the perfect platform for Beth's striking presence and radiant vocal delivery to captivate proceedings and guide the audience through the rhythmical carnage.

She prowls the stage, ( imagine the love-child of say, Ian Curtis and a preying mantis- just to give you an idea ) stalking into each verse before delivering lethal blow after blow while managing to skirt the border of angelic and demonic with razor blade precision.

Am happy to reveal that off stage her identity is firmly rooted in the former as i discovered during a brief conversation after the gig.

It wasn't all guns blazing for the whole set. We were treated to a brief armistice half way through in the sombre. broody form of the track "Marshall Dear" and later with "Waiting for a sign". It was the former that really ensnared the audience and saw Beth take to the piano which displayed an alternative dimension to the bands repertoire and in turn provided evidence of great versatility. Its haunting melancholy and forlorn lament provided the perfect contrast to the rest of the evenings hostilities. The chaos was at times unfettered but the craft could always be found lurking within. The shear intensity being delivered throughout insured that you were held firmly in place with no doubt of where your attention was - and with a big smile across the face.

Negatives ? there was a cover around the half way point which didn't do much for me - (maybe they could of played " shut up " again instead ? never happen? - suppose not, shame) and some of the actual lyrics were slightly inaudible partly due to the vocal style but mainly due to the venue acoustics it seemed.
Also - it did seem like the material at the ending of the set wasn't as strong as the beginning in terms of its musical depth but really I'm knit picking now.

All in all a fantastic experience. I have since got my hands on the album which is great but you must see these 4 ladies live to get fully carved up and sliced wide open by the sounds savages make.