Savages steal the show at Reading 2016

Up against The Vaccines on the main stage, Savages find themselves playing to very sparse crowd this afternoon at Reading. If this confronted most bands out there, it’d be an environment ripe for breeding a total washout. Savages are not most bands. It takes Jehnny Beth approximately 5 seconds to eyeball the tent, before she sizes up her strategy, trading in her usual strides into the centre of rammed venues to something far more intense still. Focusing every last drop of her attention on the front 5 rows instead, and nonchalantly ignoring the rest of the tent, Jehnny Beth plays the daring game, and wins.

“We’re happy to be playing in the very sausage festival,” she cackles, casting a disregarding arm towards the tent edges, and snapping her focus inwards once again. ‘Adore Life’ bursts out in overblown, soaring shadows, and ‘Husbands’ amps energy levels up further still. On top form, joking away from a perch on people’s shoulders, singing directly to individual audience members, and pitting the two sides of a small but devoted crowd against one another, Savages prove it for the millionth time; they’re the most formidable live band around.