Savages

Now then. I’ve attended probably 300-400 gigs in my time. But Savages at the LCR was perhaps the most perfect live performance I’ve ever seen. I don’t say this lightly. Read on to find out why I left the gig shaking and having almost lost my mind.

I was surprised and disappointed to see a rather sparsely occupied auditorium. The Damned were playing a sold out show at the Waterfront at the same time which may have accounted for it, or maybe people just weren’t aware of Savages’ legendary live shows. In any case, it just meant more room for those of us who were wise enough to be there, and an intimate feel to the night that belied the large space we were in.

Micachu and the Shapes, featuring Mica Levi (who wrote the soundtrack to Under The Skin) have recently renamed themselves Good Sad Happy Bad. They comprise of samples, keys and vocals from Mica as well as an electric guitar player, Racer, and Mark, one of the most dramatic and yet least dramatic drummers I've ever seen. This is weird, slightly off kilter, sludgy, and lazy stuff, like Elastica or Sonic Youth B sides. When the guitar got proper stuck in it was great alongside Mica’s almost stream of consciousness lyrics -  somehow it hung together beautifully. They made a huge amount of sound for a three piece - this is artfully challenging music but also tuneful. Their penultimate track really encouraged them to come into their own with an intergalactic riff fest and mad fast drumming.

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                                                                Video with thanks to Robert Patchett

I got myself properly down the front, centre forward, for Savages’ intro, and it didn’t disappoint. A reading of the lyrics of Leonard Cohen’s A Thousand Kisses Deep laid over quiet classical music was a beautiful and moving start, especially as the stage and the auditorium were in total darkness. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a pitch black LCR until four totally composed women took to the stage, white beams flashed and Savages launched into Shut Up. It’s an absolute powerhouse of a track, demonstrating bass player Ayse’s astounding ability early on in the set (also see the incredibly fast introduction to Sad Person). It’s massively loud all night without being in any way painful, even one row from the barrier, sharp, crisp and biting when it needs to be, and heavy and thick when required. Gemma is pretty much the best guitarist I’ve ever seen, and I’d rate her alongside Johnny Greenwood. Serious, intense and absolutely focused throughout, her playing is completely individual, and her background in being a ‘noise-maker’ still shows – she plays with sound, rather than playing the guitar, creating keening long stretched out wails, screeching feedback and dramatic riffs. Fay Milton on drums was also one of the best musicians I’ve ever seen – loose and wild but her power utterly controlled at the same time. The band was tight, and they kept in touch the whole way through via eye contact, so it felt like one big noisy beast working together.

But despite the fact that the whole band was absolutely extraordinary, and I struggled to choose who to watch the whole time, the star of the show was lead singer Jehnny Beth. Elegant, poised, dramatic and classy at all times, even during her many energetic crowd surfing/stage diving epsiodes of the evening, it was impossible to take your eyes off her. Her presence was modest, warm and inclusive – she came down to shake the front row’s hand several times, thanked us all for coming, and encouraged us all to get involved. It felt like we were all in it together; even though this was a proper stage performance it also felt like a group celebration. Her voice was strong as fuck, her movements artistic without being being in any way pretentious and her energy endless.