Savages (band)

History

Savages are a rock band from London and lead singer and lyricist Jehnny Beth (real name: Camille Berthomier) is from France. The band's guitarist Gemma Thompson had come up with the name for the band and had been discussing the idea with singer Jehnny Beth for almost a year. Thompson says the band's name was derived from books, such as Lord of the Flies, that she read when she was younger. The band was eventually formed in October 2011 and they had their first gig in January 2012 supporting rock band British Sea Power. Their manager John Best also manages Sigur Ros. The Observer has said of Savages: "it's not exactly sexy, it's not funny and they're not going to be rolling around in mud like the Slits. But it's the closest thing to art that "post-punk"... has offered in a while". The New Musical Express described their performances as "frottage-inducingly intense affairs".

The group's first released tracks, a double A-side in June 2012, were "Flying to Berlin" and "Husbands" on the Pop Noire label. The Guardian wrote: "Husbands makes us dream of what it must have been like to have been around to hear, in real time, the debut releases by Public Image Ltd, Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division, to feel, as those incredible records hit the shops, that unearthly power and sense of a transmission from a satellite reality." In October, their concert at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York received good reviews. The Chicago Reader noted that their set was "influenced by Siouxsie & the Banshees, but with an anthemic quality that makes me think of PJ Harvey and heavy doses of the rhythmic jaggedness and angularity of British postpunk." The group expressed their liking for these bands, and added : "We listened to a lot of different music [...] Our influences are male and female in equal measure."

On 9 December 2012, the BBC announced that the band had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll.

The band's first album, Silence Yourself, was released on 6 May 2013 via Beth's own label Pop Noire and Matador Records.

Savages played in the second of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2013 and were well received by reviewers. In 2014 the band, together with the Japanese art-rock four-piece Bo Ningen performed Words To The Blind a sonic poem where both bands play simultaneously.

"Husbands" was featured during the end credits of the 2015 science fiction film Ex Machina.

In July 2015, Savages, A Dead Forest Index and choreographer/dance artist Fernanda Muñoz-Newsome created two nights of performance as part of Station to Station: A 30-day Happening at the Barbican Centre in London. The performances took place in the Barbican Gallery and incorporated music, poetry, dance and the interplay of light and darkness. The performances were recorded and released on vinyl at Station to Station.

In November 2016, the band curated their own program during the tenth Anniversary Edition of Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The program included performances by Beak, Tim Hecker, Jessy Lanza, Bo Ningen and Hannah Peel.

The band's second album Adore Life, was released on 22 January 2016 via Matador Records.

Members

Collaborative albums

Extended plays

Singles