We’re wading our way through the crowds, and winding our way down the staircases towards the main floor here at Leeds University Stylus. It’s filling up quickly, as SAVAGES start setting up. Singer Jehnny Beth is characteristically stalking the stage in her blue denim jacket, making sure that everything’s in place.
Whoops spread across the venue. It’s Saturday night, and word is out that LIVE AT LEEDS is hosting one of the UK’s buzz bands. Smoke comes billowing out. The atmosphere is already more electric than their set in Liverpool the day before, without even one note yet ringing out on stage. With no massive photo pit dividing the band from the crowds as in Liverpool, we expect the band to enjoy being up close and personal with the people again, which is where they’re at their best. On the lofty stage, Jehn looks happy to tower over the photographers and masses.
As we leap into the set, bassist Ayse Hassan is in her element. Closer to the edge of the stage than she normally performs, we can witness at close proximity her every bass stroke – pure perfection – as she performs eyes shut and bending her head back in apparent tranquillity despite the searing sounds emanating from the rest of the band. She clearly loves her music and her bass.
As we get to the terrifyingly intense “I am Here,” it’s evident that the mic is broken in a big way. The crowds, ever helpful and vocal in Leeds, let Jehn know that we can’t hear her beyond the first few rows. Thus ensues several minutes of switching mics and Jehnny Beth getting increasingly rattled and impatient. To her credit, she does incredibly well to keep her cool, faced with a massive crowd who are determined to have a good time and are truly eager to see their favourite band perform live. While her sound engineer works on the problem, at one point, she cracks a little grin of satisfaction as she scans the crowd: “It’s a long time since I had such a good-looking crowd!” We lap up the compliment, whooping, to which she falls back suddenly into her steely stage personal with, “Ok… down, now…”
It’s an unfortunate state of affairs. As the three instrumentalists successfully play through the lengthy gap, Jehn can’t contain her frustration with: “This is what happens when you do festivals…” Many can hear her, despite lack of mic, which she seems to quickly realise, and there are a few grumbles from the crowd. With skirmishes with festivals picked up on by the press at this year’s SXSW in Austin, Texas (“fucking horrible festival”) and a recent and rather bizarre Guardian article in which the band were painted as a less than cohesive unit, this is another sorry slip of the tongue.
A few mics later, we hear Jehn in full volume. “Can you hear me??” is followed by a huge roar of appreciation from the crowd. And we’re locked in again. Ploughing energetically through the next track or two, some sections of the crowd are still having trouble hearing, but that doesn’t disturb the flow of the performance which is now shattering the venue.
Jehn lets us know that angst-ridden track “Fuckers” was inspired by a friend’s note left on a fridge advising her not to let the fuckers get her down. We know where this band stands, and they love rallying their audience in a fight against the establishment.
This band is a four-piece dynamo – once it gets starting, it’s a non-stop visceral collision course through instrumental arrangements and vocals which raise the hairs on the back of your neck. It’s very difficult to get bored with this band, gig after gig. They’re a treat to watch live, and many leave their shows high on adrenalin.
Let’s hope they don’t or haven’t already let the fuckers get them down, and that more albums and music development are to come from this band who are still finding themselves and each other in this murky and dramatic industry. They certainly have a loyal fanbase who will undoubtedly do their best to overlook any slips of tongues, and who want nothing more than to see these talented musicians go from strength to strength, smashing more stages, shaking up more establishments.