Savages, The Roundhouse, London, review: Urgent, impatient performance takes the breath away
The band's thunderous, bass-heavy music brings material from 2016’s Adore Life to… well, life
Savages may be dressed in uniform black but they’re not taking orders from anyone.
Urgent and impatient, their thunderous, bass-heavy music brings material from 2016’s Adore Life to… well, life.
Gemma Thompson draws out Sonic Youth-esque scratches and squeals (without the screwdrivers) on her guitar, while Jehnny Beth channels Patti Smith’s commanding presence.
As a frontwoman Beth is theatrical, but not as flamboyant as, say, Muse’s Matt Bellamy; she prowls across the stage, staring out audience members and giving unapologetic introductions to songs about lust, love, dreams and pornography: "Sad Person" declares "Love is a disease/The strongest addiction I know/What happens in the brain/ Is the same as the rush of cocaine".
For their fierce image, they’re surprisingly gentle with fans; Beth reaches her hand out to the clamouring crowds at the front and clambers out over their shoulders, assuring them that it’s OK to mosh on a Thursday night, because why not?
Closing on "Fuckers", their phenomenal support act Bo Ningen leap onstage to join them for a relentless, exhilarating jam that ends so abruptly it actually seems unfair, and the audience is left trying to catch its collective breath.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
About The Independent commenting
Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.
Delete Comment
Report Comment
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.