[kj] (OT) Savages

[Rob Moss]

I have the first album but not yet got adore life

She sings rather like Siouxsie don't you think?

> On 21 Apr 2016, at 00:32, T.B. <planetary at socal.rr.com> wrote:
> 
> This past Monday, I saw Savages play one of the best shows I've seen in at least the past decade if not longer, easily in my top 10 shows ever, dating back to 1977.
> 
> Leading up to the show, I'd been really looking forward to seeing them for the first time and going in, there was a palpable air of "will they live up to the hype?"  The El Rey Theater in LA is a nice, fairly small venue that's all GA standing with a small balcony area in the back, perfect for this type of show. I've only seen two shows here in the past, but both (Killing Joke in '03, Secret Machines in '06) were excellent.
> 
> Opening band was "Algiers." Led by a fairly charismatic black vocalist, the band's music could be described as a fusion of gospel, dub and punk, relying heavily on samples and loops with the band kind of playing along (never a good thing for me).  All of the songs in their half hour set seemed to focused on racism and oppression, but aside from a few moments here and there, they left me cold and their bass player who reminded me of Adam Sandler/Happy Gilmore was really trying way too hard to impress.
> 
> By the time Savages came on at 10pm, the El Rey was packed. They opened with "I Am Here" and played a 80 minute set that makes the convincing argument that it doesn't take a marathon show or elaborate stage production to pull off an incredible concert. Production values amounted to basically strobe lights and fog machines. As good as the band sound on record, the sonic assault live is even better. The band greatly benefits from a clear live mix where everyone sounds distinct and up front. The guitarist Gemma Thompson really channels the Sonic Youth/Danny Ash-Bauhaus vibe even more so live which is a huge draw for me to this band.
> 
> Numerous times throughout the show, singer Jehnny Beth would venture out into the audience either crowd surfing or being held up standing and singing over fans. Speaking of the audience, a band couldn't ask for a more respective crowd, during quiet interludes of certain songs, you could hear a pin drop. For me, they played every song off their two albums I was hoping to hear except "Strife." Otherwise, highlights included great versions of Husbands, City's Full, I Need Something New, T.I.W.Y.G. and Adore. They closed with "F*ckers."  The new songs off their 2nd album Adore integrate perfectly with the 1st album stuff and imo, come off better than the studio versions.
> 
> T.B.
> 
> 
> 
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