DEVILS DOG, BIRMINGHAM
Such is the unwavering defiance of rising East London quartet Saint Agnes that even an initially sparse crowd can’t extinguish their alt punk fire. They barely pause for breath from one blistering wall of sound to the next, with rage-propelled cuts Bloodsuckers and Animal landing like grenades, the former a cranium-rattling, festival-ready anthem. Awide-eyed Kitty A. Austen stomps over every available inch of space, her maniacal bark of ‘I GOT NO MORE FUCKS TO GIVE!’ inciting bodies to smash relentlessly together during IMean Nothing To You. Given Kitty’s recent loss of her mother, it’s intense but nonetheless riveting to witness the frontwoman in the throes of a cathartic release on stripped-back ballad This Is Not The End as she joins the punters below, with every soaring cry soaked up and those ambient echoes enveloping all in attendance. There’s a smattering of Vampire-era tracks for fans to sink their teeth into, but tonight’s sonic inferno concludes in riotous fashion courtesy of Follow You’s squealing guitars and fuzzdrenched beats. It’s an accomplished and affecting experience that’s sure to see this fanbase flourish further.
SOPHIE MAUGHAN