Band Profile: Savages

“We live in an age of many stimulations. If you are focused, you are harder to reach. If you are distracted, you are available.”

This is Savages.

They are a post-punk band from London, England.

‘Post-Punk’ is the label journalists give to loud, garage rock inspired bands, that do something a little more clever with the raw sound.

Typically anti-mainstream… occasionally, bands that hone the pop end of the spectrum break-through (think… White Stripes, The Strokes, The Hives), but mostly this exists in sweaty indie rock clubs.

The all girl unit was formed by guitarist Gemma Thompson and Jehnny Beth, a french singer whose real name is Camille Berthomier… which is the better name by far, but Jehnny Beth has her reasons…

In the bands more indie moments, you can catch the shadows of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division playing against the London underground. Reflected in songs like, “Shut Up”.

That was the opening cut on their 2013 debut, “Silence Yourself” (Matador Records). A wave of critical reviews propelled the band stateside where they made an appearance at Coachella Music and Arts Festival the same year. The album produced multiple moody explorations broken with the occasional racket of angst. Singer Jehnny’s high pitch wailing can drive an ice pick down your spine in her more frenzied moments, but this is the kind of art that is supposed to come with bruises, if only to highlight the beauty that much more. Evidenced in track no. 2, “I am Here”…

Another noteworthy number would be the harder edged, “Husbands” that is more in line with what earns the band the ‘punk’ labels. A snotty bass, guitars drenched in reverb, wrestling with brassy female vocals in a hurried protest. This song was on the closing credits of the sci-fi hit, “Ex Machina”.

Savages have just released their followup album in January of 2016, entitled, “Adore Life”.

“The whole cast of Game of Thrones came to our studio when we were recording. They were doing a musical adaptation of the ‘Red Wedding’ with Coldplay next door to us. So we would have this vibrating, enormous, distorted bass sound coming from our studio, and then Jon Snow would walk by down the corridor.” She laughs. “It was very surreal.”

The opening track is a raucous thrasher, “The Answer”. Aggressive and insistent, high-tension alternative rock.

The bands various members have cited a wide range of influences ranging from not so obvious Soundgarden, Faith No More, Pearl Jam, Swan,  and Nine Inch Nails to the more easy to spot PJ Harvey.

The band has an extensive tour planned covering much of Europe and America, so a live experience is recommended.

And perhaps even more insightful than what is in their lyrics… what is in their bag?