Savages – Photo by Francesca Nottola
– ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER –
The chances of being bored at a Savages gig are small, but when we arrive at the Albert Hall and situate ourselves in the upper echelons we’d be forgiven for thinking we’re at a Daniel O’Donnell concert.
Shining out through the gloom are lots of little lights with people staring transfixed at their portals of communication, not because Savages have lost all their charisma but because support act Bo Ningen has just finished and there is little else to look at. But there is, as the Albert Hall is a perfect place to just sit and soak up the atmosphere, as it’s a perfect setting for an act like Savages to play: dark and atmospheric. At the very least people could buy a pint, chat to their mates or…..shock horror, chat to a stranger!
Opting for the upper echelons means that my friend and I can have a nice sit down, those below have no such intention, in fact the mosh pit is primed and ready for Savages arrival and when they arrive on stage, fashionably late and dressed in black the pit wastes no time in showing their appreciation.
During their hit ‘Husband’ one hapless fan is pulled from the pit, seemingly unconscious, by a steward. It’s at this point the super cool frontwoman Jehnny Beth stops singing, and slowly the rest of the band follow suit. She does this out of concern for the fan and after a long pause, announces “One Down, all down, look after each other, love each other, care for each other and have a fucking great time.”
In one moment she seems to sum up the ethos which drives Savages sound, brutal in places but supremely heartfelt and sincere. Not your typical Rock n Roll attitude but this is not a typical Rock n Roll band. The all-female collective are in full control of their creativity and craft, drummer Fay Milton is highly entertaining and never misses a beat, guitarist Gemma Thompson is melodic yet employs reverb to the full effect and bassist Ayse Hassan permanently anchors the band with intricate basslines.
But with the intensity turned up to 11 it’s frontwoman Jenny Beth who steals the show, managing to negotiate some impressive crowd surfing by standing and balancing upon the hands of fans. Statuesque and poised she looked every bit the Rock star giving a lesson on how to own a performance. No encore is needed, their point is proven and the class is dismissed.
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When people ask me what music I am in to, I find it very hard to give a definitive answer because, throughout my life I have been in to all kinds of music from House to Heavy Metal. So I can safely say I am open to most things however, I would say that overall my allegiances lie with Electronic music because it covers so many genres and is constantly developing and changing. Having grown up in Manchester my musical tastes have been influenced by nights such as Electric Chair and Mr Scruff which encompasses the sounds of House, Detroit Techno, Disco, Soul, Funk and Hip Hop. As far as bands are concerned, I particularly like bands that are melodic and have a hook and a heart such as Wild Beasts. While living in London in the early noughties, I was also listening to music that didn’t really have a heart, more of a pacemaker. I was listening to Electroclash at nights such as Erol Alkan’s, Trash. I love writing about music and believe you can be honest about why you don’t like something without being disrespectful, a skill I am still learning in real life! But ultimately I understand that music needs to be experienced first, rather than intellectualised but why do one, when you can do both?
