Possession? Obsession? Compulsion? I\u2019m not sure exactly what it is when sometimes a band gets a grip on the imagination and forces its way into your life but something made me absolutely certain that I would be seeing a lot more of Saint Agnes after seeing them last year in Portsmouth. As soon as The Witching Hour UK tour dates were announced there was that familiar feverish urge to attend as many as possible. Real life managed to get in the way however and the band has 14 dates under their belts already by the time EY! catch up with them on a cold Monday evening in the grimy and slightly smelly setting of The Cellar in Oxford.<\/p>\n
Those that did attend are unlikely to forget it. The band hammer into the 2016 single \u2018Merry Mother Of God Go Round\u2019 with a ferocious intensity that never lets up. It\u2019s fucking loud; the sort of loud that hits you in the guts and is bordering on painful, just about on the limit of endurance. The smoke alarm adds to the effect by going off before the first track has finished; not the last time this would happen during the week! The rest of the set is new to me other than perhaps hearing some of them back at that one gig last year, but there are songs here that I immediately know will be with me forever.<\/p>\n
Kitty is a beguiling performer, lost in the songs, part of the music; jerky, possessed, hexed-up and venomous one minute but then a softer side shows, crooning huskily, and we occasionally get that dark baleful stare, thoughts focussed inwards seeing I\u2019m not quite sure what\u2026<\/p>\n
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This isn\u2019t just a one-person band however, there is a chemistry there between them all that gives off sparks and they are all excellent individually as well. Lead guitarist Jon, outlaw rocker mannerisms and epic solos, also adds a lot of vocals and harmonica on some tracks that add to the unique sound, Andy is a furiously powerful drummer and Ben plays the bass in a way that is different to just about anyone else; these two aren\u2019t any mere rhythm section, they are urgent and powerful throughout. The growling bass is expressive and prominent during \u2018Moves Like A Ghost\u2019, as Kitty begins to stalk her stage territory. \u2018The Death Or Glory Gang\u2019 is raunchy and crunching and full of attitude, seductive vocals and full-on rock \u2018n\u2019 roll guitar overload. \u2018I Feel Dangerous Around You\u2019 starts off slow and bluesy, builds up the tension with some beautiful guitar and keyboards then launches into a dirty swamp blues maelstrom, unashamedly showing off heavy rock influences. \u2018Silvertown\u2019 continues the classic timeless feel, hard and heavy and aggressive.<\/p>\n
The next number starts with a low tribal pulsing beat, cranks up the pressure and then hits its stride fully; this then is \u2018The Witching Hour\u2019, a dirty sleazy beast of a track, defiant and mesmerising and full of delicious guitar sounds and changes of pace. It straight away becomes my favourite song for a long time. The drums drive it along with a manic ferocity but there are so many elements to it there is always something else there to grab your attention. Forget labels and sub-genres and comparisons; this is just a classic rock song and I can\u2019t wait to hear a recorded version. There is no let-up; \u2018Why Do You Refuse To Die\u2019 is another growling low and menacing raw blues-like track and then we get \u2018Black Horse\u2019, featuring lots of vocal interplay between Kitty and Jon; pure inspiration, punchy and rocking and desperate. They finish with \u2018Diablo Take Me Home\u2019 which is another stomping riff- heavy rocker; something dark and satanic and threatening lurking away in the full-on aural attack at the end. I\u2019m left with ears ringing, heart pounding and a real hunger to get to the next one and hear it all again. Beautiful and brutal rock \u2018n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n
The Purple Turtle in Reading is straight away a different prospect as there is a lot more expectation (and people) in the room. I\u2019ve only been around the band a short while but it is apparent that there is a great attention to detail; the sound obviously has to be right but the look is part of it, both of band members and the stage itself, with a planned out light show with smoke (when permitted, they\u2019re not tonight!) and intro music. Yes, I know, it\u2019s all about the songs! – without that forget it – but for me, and more importantly here, for Saint Agnes, it is also clearly about the show as well. This is music as ritual, as shared experience as it must have been initially; creating the right mood and focus to channel the energies into magick powerful enough to change the state of mind of the listener. We\u2019re in The Witching Hour after all\u2026<\/p>\n
Intro music \u2018John The Revelator\u2019 sets the scene perfectly; mournful, impassioned gospel blues, full of apocalyptic feeling. They play the same set tonight but in a slightly different order; \u2018The Witching Hour\u2019 and \u2018Black Horse\u2019 back to back is a transcendental experience as we\u2019re delivered one high after another, and whatever words I am trying to write to describe it come out as stream of consciousness insanity! The blues influence is there throughout the set, partly the sound \u2013 the guitar and harmonica, partly the overall feel \u2013 there\u2019s a desperate and yearning edge that comes through. This is combined with a real gothic feel, and we\u2019re not talking Batcave plastic goth here but the depraved, on edge Southern Gothic of Nick Cave\u2019s \u2018And The Ass Saw The Angel\u2019 novel. There is something feral and primal going on.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s another great set, different in feel to last night, saturated in a strange dark glamour. That for me is the beauty in seeing a band you love multiple times; there is often a different vibe depending on various things: the sound, the venue, audience feedback, personal moods, alignment of the stars, whatever it is that affects the overall performance.<\/p>\n
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The Moon in Cardiff is a unique venue in that the tiny stage appears to be part cupboard, part staircase, with about half of the venue space behind it. The tour schedule is taking its toll and the set is changed slightly tonight in an attempt to preserve Kitty\u2019s voice. The performance doesn\u2019t suffer though and colds and bad throats are ignored as they tear into \u2018Merry Mother Of God\u2026\u2019, as always a great opener full of barely suppressed musical anger and controlled aggression. There seems to be a bit of an edge to the set tonight, there\u2019s a bit of the devil in them this evening with songs belted out with even more fury than normal and Jon seems more wired than normal, possibly taking on more of the vocals than usual? \u2018The Witching Hour\u2019 just gets better \u2013 almost cinematic – every time I hear it; a beautiful guitar solo, slinky keyboards, the whole thing propulsive and driving. \u2018Black Horse\u2019 makes the hairs on my neck stand up and my spine tingle; it\u2019s one of those intoxicating moments when you feel untouchable and alive; it\u2019s the drug that keeps us on the road, keeps us coming back for another gig, in another town. They add \u2018Roadhouse Blues\u2019 to the set tonight, restrained and bewitching, and by the end of it you could be forgiven for thinking they\u2019d wrote it themselves. They finish again with \u2018Diablo Take Me Home\u2019 which sends the small but appreciative audience home happy. The set has clearly been difficult for Kitty who jumps off the stage and walks straight out of the building, hopefully to continue with the rest of the week\u2026<\/p>\n
I have to miss the next date but two of us from the Enjoy Yourself! team rejoins the band in\u2026 St Agnes for what turns out to be an epic day all round, for a whole range of reasons! The gig is at an old Cornish village pub by the sea, beer festival in full flow and the place is rammed. There is an expectation in the room although possibly slightly misguided as at least some of the locals we talked to had absolutely no idea what they were in for! The packed sweaty room, low ceilings, smoke, and lights create the perfect build up and as the intro plays I can feel the electricity in my veins. The crowd is won over from the beginning \u2013 the sheer visceral power of being up that close to a band firing on all cylinders is overpowering and the band clearly feel it too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are Saint Agnes, you are St Agnes\u201d says Jon over the mic and the pact is sealed; the audience is there for the taking now and the band does exactly that, Kitty is emanating dark animal magnetism and the whole band is in abandoned, commanding form. Reasoning and analysis isn\u2019t my strong point tonight but \u2018Silvertown\u2019 is back in the set, \u2018Black Horse\u2019 isn\u2019t, \u2018Roadhouse Blues is a celebratory affair and they end with an early track \u2018Old Bone Rattle\u2019, a perfect blissful end to a magickal performance from the band and the watchers. They should make it an annual event\u2026a new part of Cornish folklore…<\/p>\n
The elements that make up the Saint Agnes sound may be vintage garage rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, blues, punk, and rock but the demonic intensity with which they are combined makes for something new, the raw essence of all that has gone before condensed and cooked up into a new style, a new addition to rock \u2018n\u2019 roll mythology. It\u2019s got me hooked, entranced and desperate for the next fix! The coven is growing and it was great to be part of it for a week. You need to join it too. They mentioned somewhere about wanting your kidneys \u2026I escaped with mine intact \u2013 but what they are really after is your soul\u2026.go and lose yours at..<\/p>\n
Southampton<\/em> Heartbreakers: April 5th<\/p>\n