* En anglais uniquement
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