A few years ago a friend who shall remain nameless callously declared that there’s no such thing as a good all girl rock band. Well on Friday night at the Horseshoe Tavern, playing their first ever show in Canada, the talented ladies of the band Savages proved him to be very, very wrong. As I attempted to scribble my notes on the show in the darkened, packed venue, a very sweet but very drunk man screamed in my ear “I hope you’re writing down how much these girls ROCK!” It was easy to tell from the energy in the room that drunk man and I were not the only people who knew that you don’t need a penis to put on a kick ass rock show.
Hailing from London, Savages are a post punk band whose psychedelic moody sound are reminiscent of Sixoisie and the Banshees and Joy Division. Indeed, hearing lead singer Jehnny Beth perform often made me feel during the night that I was watching the reincarnated version of Ian Curtis in the form of a short, feisty lady. Her intense wail on the single “Husbands” convinced me that night if this lady does not become a giant superstar there is something horribly wrong in this world.
I believe the whole band is destined for greatness; although their first record isn’t out until May, their performances have caused a great stir in the UK blogosphere. And if Friday’s show is anything to go by, these Savages are most definitely going to be getting lots more love soon from this side of the pond as well.
Photos by Chris Zacchia for more Canadian Music Week Photos check out ForgetTheBox on Facebook