LIVE: Saint Agnes @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

Single or album release events are always one’s to remember. Sometimes they are one big disaster, sometimes they turn into the show that redefines everything. There is one thing for certain, they are not to be missed.  The party, held at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, was looking quite promising with new up-and-coming bands like CuT and Dolls and a real cherry on the top, Saint Agnes.

CuT is probably one of the youngest bands I’ve ever seen at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen. Their youthful energy mixes well with melodic space punk.  The band took over the stage and turned it into a small arena where emotions and sounds were served equally to the small clutch of people who decided to come early and watch the show.

As folk were slowly moving from bar to the concert venue, onto the stage came the second opening band Dolls. From the first it was quite obvious where their name comes from. Porcelain, fragile looking girls occur almost too small to play instruments. The impression I got couldn’t be more wrong. The band of two played with passion, delivering the show that could easily be a headlining slot. They got my attention with the first beat of drums and made me fall in love with the sound of electric guitar and rawness of Jade’s voice. The duo is truly an infectious mixture. It’s hard to take eyes out of them and it’s almost impossible to forget their sound.

Despite the sweet post punk-grunge explosion that overwhelmed the audience, the best was yet to come. The evening definitely belongs to Saint Agnes. The four-piece London-based band bring psychedelic rock & blues combination. That night Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen hosted their Sister Electric single release party.

Sister Electric is long overdue and fans have waited patiently for the follow-up to their previous single A Beautiful Day For Murder. The magnetic number makes a great opener for the show and brings the crowd closer to the stage.  The magic behind the performance lies in the strange almost physical chemistry between Jon Tufnell (guitar, backing vocal, harmonica) and Kitty Arabella Austen (vocal, guitar, keys). The pair sets up the tone of the whole evening.

Their performance is dark, raw and charismatic. I couldn’t get rid of the impression that here I am watching possibly a new star being born. The feeling that, now, on stage something as different as Nirvana back in 90s and as iconic as Florence Welsh, in the “noughties” is taking shape.

While the tension between Jon and Kitty dominates the evening, the rest of the band is not to be missed. Ben Chernett (bass) plays his soul out and his performance belongs to the eye-catching ones and along with Andy Head (drums), together they build and maintain a solid foundation.

Saint Agnes are one of those bands you have to see live. Their energetic, rock, soaked in blues show is nothing less but phenomenal. They set the bar really high with the stunning cover of The Doors Roadhouse Blues. It was one of my personal highlights of the evening. Left me speechless, breathless and with goosebumps. The passion they play with and ease they mix different music genres makes them a band worth to keep an eye on.

Listen to their new single Sister Electric, released on 17th June 2016

https://soundcloud.com/saintagnes/sister-electric

 

Saint Agnes live at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, new single release show, 17th June 2016.

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Review and concert photography by Edyta K.