Written by Thomas Muckain.

Deep into spooky season, Saint Agnes return to London with force. The blues rock four piece blew the metaphorical roof off Dingwalls in front of a sold out crowd.

The east London based four piece opened their set with a rather unusual intro featuring a part man-part rabbit staring out into the crowd. Any other band and this would set a weird tone but strangely it rather suited the atmosphere. The band’s first song of the set was ‘Silvertown’ which for those new to Saint Agnes is a great gateway song into what they have to offer. Strong powerful riffs channelling jimmy Page, Jack White and the kings and queens of the delta blues, Saint Agnes embrace the roots of rock and roll that perhaps can easily be forgotten.

One element of Saint Agnes that really stood out to me was the performance of Front woman Kitty Arabella Austen. Her stage presence was reminiscent of a young Iggy Pop, she truly seemed free on stage; not afraid of anything, a characteristic that really makes you as a crowd member feel like one of the band. 

My personal favourite moment of the whole set has to be the blisteringly fierce song ‘Lucifer’. Dingwalls already being known (to anyone who has attended a gig there before) as being rather bass heavy was in many ways the perfect venue to demonstrate the brutality of this song. Being one of the fattest riffs in the set -which speaks volumes- if you had any doubts in regards to Saint Agnes’ attitude I’m sure they were silenced.

After previously seeing the band, prior to the release of their debut album, it’s clear to see they have put time, energy and dedication into perfecting their stage show. Often it is obvious when bands and performers take their gigs for granted, but not Saint Agnes. The performance felt well-rehearsed and tight,yet so natural; the passion shown on stage is next to none, woven through every element of the show.

If anyone reading this hasn’t seen Saint Agnes yet, do yourself a favour. Go online, find out when they next play near you, book a ticket and go. You will not regret it.