Music World: The Savage Eye

At a time when British guitar music is in crisis, Savages are one of the few bright hopes of UK alternative rock. Though only released in January, their second album, Adore Life – another masterful collection of squalling art-rock and atmospheric indie – is comfortably one of the year’s best albums.

“I’ve not heard all of the albums this year, so it’s hard to comment on that,” laughs Savages’ bassist Ayse Hassan, who’s a good deal warmer and friendlier than one might expect from the band’s austere music. “It’s wonderful to hear people say that and we’ve had some great feedback on the record, which is great, because we worked very hard on it. So it is nice when it’s well-received, because you never think of that when you’re writing.”
Interestingly, during the making of the album, Savages played several gigs in New York to finesse the material – and indeed Ayse is returning to the city the day after our interview for a series of meetings. She credits the gigs the band performed there in the middle of recording Adore Life as being key in the album’s development.
“It was wonderful,” enthuses Ayse. “The whole idea of going to New York was to give us a chance to play the songs onstage before we put them out. Removing ourselves from where we live was a great way to stay focused, because there are no distractions. And our fans in New York are brilliant – they have this great appreciation of music and they’re very giving in terms of energy and excitement. We felt that’s what we needed, because writing in a sterile studio can be very different from playing live.
“Our view was that the material needed that extra vitality you get from doing gigs. Also, it informed the writing – because we would make edits and change endings and so on from gig to gig – and it was great for our audience to observe is in that creative process.”
Savages’ singer, Jehnny Beth, was among those who participated in the enormously popular exhibition David Bowie Is…, although Ayse chuckles when she realises she doesn’t know the precise nature of Beth’s contribution. Nonetheless, she acknowledges that the late icon was a big influence on her musical development.
“My parents had all his records,” Ayse reflects. “Growing up, I always listened to his music. I’m very happy I was alive while he was alive, because he was an incredible person and musician.”
Just before Xmas, Beth actually popped over to Dublin to make an appearance at the National Concert Hall, where she was among the performers in an evening dedicated to the soundtracks of cult director David Lynch. Savages also performed a show at Silencio, the Paris club designed by Lynch and based on the bar from his renowned film Mulholland Drive.
“It was bizarre,” laughs Ayse. “I am a massive fan of David Lynch, so it was an honour to play at his club. It was just a really strange moment, very Twin Peaks. We’ve been meaning to go back there, because it’s a really nice place. I would recommend going there – depending on what you’re into of course!”
Savages’ all-female line-up affords them the opportunity to play with rock archetypes, something they’ve gleefully done – naming a track ‘Husbands’ being but one example. Would Ayse agree there is something inherently subversive about the group?
“It’s not something necessarily intentional,” she muses. “I suppose it can come across that way. There wasn’t anything contrived about the band – the four of us got together and we had a good chemistry, and that was it. People have picked up some of those most obvious things you can comment on. I suppose when a band have attention, there are those who want to categorise them or compare them to what’s gone before.
“In many ways, we’ve tried to respect some of the similarities people have attached to us. In particular, we’ve got comparisons to some acts from the ’80s. Personally, I don’t see it, but I can understand where it’s coming from. I think we’ve gone past the moment in time when you can do something completely original, if you know what I mean.”
At this point, Ayse cracks up laughing: “I’ve not really explained that very well, have I?!”
We assure her she’s done just fine and move on to her recently launched side project, Kite Base,
an experimental outfit she’s formed with
Kendra Frost.
“We both play bass in the project,” explains Ayse. “Also, we used an analogue drum machine and Kendra sings. I do backing vocals which is quite interesting! I’ve always been of the belief that you have to try new stuff. This project satisfies my need to learn new instruments and software, and it also forces me to play the bass a bit differently. Kite Base is really about combining our love of early industrial music with our love of pop. It’s been a fun experience and we’re going to continue it later this year.”