The Savage Nomads @ Original Penguin, Stratford

PHOTOS BY
BEKI COWEY

A commercial instore. It’s hardly the most forgiving of venues. So thankfully Artrocker’s New Blood winners The Savage Nomads turned up to inject some livelihood on a brisk October afternoon.

They tightly present an eclectic range of influences strewn out throughout the short set, effortlessly engaging and beguiling the intimate audience.

Bursting with nervous energy, they blast through tracks off their debut album Coloured Clutter, songs like 'What The Angel Said' and 'A Burnt-Out Case' recalls the post-punk angular tendencies of Wire or The Replacements and others take on a similar abrasive feel, with the confrontational rhythms and riffs akin to The Fall, but slipping seamlessly into melodic breaks of breathless intensity. And it’s the contrast that really makes an impact.



Beneath an array of artistically manipulated guitar sounds and well crafted effects The Savage Nomads punch and kick through their jaunty hooks, which if you squint your eyes, isn’t too distant from that of Foals and the like.

Frontman Cole Salewicz, appreciating the nature of the gig, is self aware enough to not take himself so seriously between songs, but when the tunes kick in he yelps and barks in fiery angst before dipping into melodious cries and emotive tags. A short but captivating set, which in less-than-ideal circumstances allows The Savage Nomads to prove why they were Artrocker’s New Blood winners and what the future will have in store for them.