Savages

The all-female post-punk four-piece Savages recall the tenacity and more artistic movements of London’s punk heyday with their blistering sound and noisy guitars. Hailing from the English capital, they formed at the end of 2011 after guitarist Gemma Thompson and singer Camille Berthomier — known as Jehnny Beth — had procrastinated over a name and starting a band until they eventually settled on Savages and set to work writing songs. Soon after, Ayse Hassan joined on bass and Fay Milton completed the lineup on drums. Soon after their formation, Savages performed their first show in January 2012, supporting rock outfit British Sea Power. They were then picked up by Sigur Rós manager John Best and released a double-A-side single, Flying to Berlin/Husbands, through indie label Pop Noir. The single attracted attention from various music publications, where they were favorably compared to luminaries Public Image Ltd., Siouxsie and the Banshees, and PJ Harvey. Further raucous live performances ignited the band’s rise, with a successful appearance at the New York-based CMJ Music Marathon and on Later…With Jools Holland in the U.K. A whirlwind year was capped off with the quartet’s nomination for the BBC Sound of 2013 award. Another single, I Am Here, was also released in 2012, and Savages partnered with Matador Records to release their debut album, Silence Yourself, in May 2013. The band followed it up with their 2016 release Adore Life, which drew comparison to Swans, Soundgarden, and once again, PJ Harvey. Alongside recording this second record, the tail-end of 2015 and start of 2016 proved to be a busy time for the group as frontwoman Jehnny Beth recorded with Julian Casablancas of the Strokes and the band covered Eagles of Death Metal in the wake of the November 2015 Paris terror attacks. ~ Scott Kerr