Savages roar through immaculate set at The Roxy

After monitoring all the FYF coverage this last weekend, I grew more and more excited to see UK post-punk band, Savages. Everything I read mentioned how the four-piece was one of the major highlights of the festival and it excited me even more to be able to see them in such a small venue like The Roxy last night.

With only a special guest DJ (never figured out who it was), as the opener, the focus of the evening was the four women that make up Savages. After what seemed an eternity, Savages took to the stage, shrouded in fog. They immediately jumped into a new song, “The Answer,” an urgent sounding song emphasized by drummer, Fay Milton’s frantic backbeat and guitarist Gemma Thompson’s driving guitar lines.

Singer, Jehnny Beth, oozes confidence with a thousand-yard stare, and intensity that draws you in with her dark and passionate vocals. After “The Answer,” Savages went into more familiar territory with “City’s Full,” “Sad Person,” and super crowd favorites, “I Am Here” and “Shut Up.” With a little breathing break, Jehnny asked if anybody wanted to hear some new songs, going into the dark and slow, “Adore.”

After playing a few new songs from their forthcoming album, the ladies finished their lean and mean set off with five more recognizable songs, ending with “Fuckers.”

The crowd was definitely an older crowd, but that isn’t surprising as Savages take a lot from 70s and 80s bands like Siouxsie & The Banshees, Joy Division, and Gang of Four—playing the type of music that a lot of us grew up listening to. All for all, Savages played a phenomenal set, proving why they were a huge FYF highlight.

Words & Photography: Ceethreedom