Savages brought their potent brand of post-punk intensity back to Toronto last night. This was their second visit to Toronto and my second Savages show, following their brief but punishing set at Lee's Palace for Canadian Music Week earlier this year. Savages are based in London while lead singer Jehnny Beth is a singer and occasional actress from France. They play a heavy version of late 70s post punk that sounds like a combination of Joy Division and early Siouxsie and the Banshees. Their debut album Silence Yourself effectively conveyed the power of their live sets and highlighted their songwriting skills. I didn't take any photos due to the band's desire for the crowd to keep their cellphones away.
At over an hour, last night's show was much longer than their CMW showcase. This allowed them to highlight some of their slower tracks as well as playing tracks that haven't been released yet. The best of the new tracks was a lengthy jam based on a simple and hypnotic groove. All of the tracks played emphasized the groups excellent musicianship. The bass in particular achieved throbbing prominence throughout the set while the guitar offered occasionally overpowering squalls of noise and the drums pushed the punishing rhythms. Jehnny Beth is an amazing performer with dance moves that combine the twitchy enthusiasm of Ian Curtis with the aggression of a boxer. Her singing voice is remarkable, reminiscent of Patti Smith or Siouxsie Sioux but more technically proficient than either.
The best songs on the album were, not surprisingly, also the best songs of the concert. While I enjoyed their album, the songs are really meant to be heard live. "I am here" had a bass line reminiscent of U2s "New Years Day" with a building intensity that culminated with some intense screaming from Beth. "Hit Me" was fast, ugly and almost unreasonably heavy. "Husbands" is their fastest and catchiest track. After claiming that they never play encores, they came back on stage for an excellent rendition of melodic highlight "She Will". While their sound is derivative, their approach is so powerful and convincing that their show feels like an entirely unique experience.
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