.savages

I have stared at this picture I don't know how many times. It is my phone's wallpaper and my Twitter wallpaper. If it was a snake it would've bitten me by now. My heart has ferocious love for these four. My favorite Savage is Fay Milton. When she bangs on those drums during "Fuckers" she is just having the best time of her life. Someone commented seeing them live is like seeing Siouxsie Sioux in the 70s and I couldn't agree more. Savages I first discovered in early January and loved the song "Surrender." When I saw they had no Philly dates lined up I wanted to cry. I was willing to go all the way to Irving Plaza, take the late train home, arrive home at 2am, and sleep in until 6am for work the next morning. Thankfully they added a Philadelphia date to Union Transfer. Perfection.

Heading to the venue an hour and a half before doors, I was fourth in line! The two ahead of me saw them at Irving the night before, both of them New Yorkers. When he said his friend P was coming I was so elated! I met her at the Le Butcherettes show. Our friend L was there too but stood on the second floor so she got to catch all of the action from below. My mind kept thinking about Savages and counting down until they came out during the opener. I kind of zoned out. When all four of them hit the stage it was like I was transported to London at some punk underground club. It was totally unreal! P and I were laughing because Jehnny kept missing my hand when she was touching hands in the audience. Finally she grabbed my arm and stretched it high, low and behold it happened! Carrie Brownstein, Emily Haines, Marissa Paternoster, now Jehnny Beth. My hand feels golden. I didn't want the show to end. Jehnny Beth is such a dynamic performer she has the audience in the palm of her hand. Her movements, eye contact, strong voice is unwavering. As the four took their bow to unrelenting applause, they promised to come back. Here's the stellar set list of songs...

I AM HERE
SAD PERSON
CITY'S FULL
SLOWING DOWN THE WORLD
SHUT UP
SHE WILL
HUSBANDS
SURRENDER
EVIL
WHEN IN LOVE
I NEED SOMETHING NEW
THE ANSWER
HIT ME
NO FACE
T.I.W.Y.G.
MECHANICS
ADORE
FUCKERS 

I follow some of the Savages on Instagram and discovered Jehnny Beth has a Tumblr. I started reading some of her entries and found her to be a very prolific writer. She puts it all out there from her lowest of lows to her battles with alcohol. The entry that really resonated with me is about her desire to be a performer. It reminded me so much of what Carrie Brownstein and Amanda Palmer wrote in their books. They GET IT. So does Jehnny Beth. Just read this. She puts it all EXACTLY into words...

"The expression of love when you are onstage is one of the most amazing and intense feelings one can experience in life. People are kinder in venues than they are in the streets, they are open and generous, they are ready to feel alive. Somehow one finds in the passion of the crowds what every human is looking to experience;  the assurance to be alive and the freedom to love and be loved. To me personally, I can definitely say that audiences around the world cured me from most of my terrors."

This is why I love Savages so much.