Live Review: Saint Agnes at The Garage, London (25/01/24)

Metal, punk, rock, post-hardcore… it can only be one band, Saint Agnes, and they’re home (from East London) to cause some carnage at The Garage in Highbury & Islington. Yes, it’s The Bloodsuckers Tour, taking place across the breadth of the UK and throughout January and into February, before the group head off to Europe.

It’s a mammoth tour, but that’s to be expected as this band’s popularity has exploded in recent times. Partially because their live reputation is so strong, but mainly because 2023’s Bloodsuckers album was so well received.

We thought it was a phenomenal album, rating it 9/10 and describing it as:

Exciting, interesting, infectious, and brilliantly intense.

You can read our full review of the album here.

Saint Agnes are more of a gang than a band, and this gang has grown a hell of a lot. Yet, it’s the variety in members that really stand out at this show. It seems as though Saint Agnes appeal to just about everybody, but that makes a hell of a lot of sense when you consider the fact that you can dance, pit, head-bang, sing along, and scream with all your heart to their songs.

Songs that are varied and, in the case of several from Bloodsuckers, songs that sound bigger and meaner live. Saint Agnes seek to empower those who’ve been battered and bruised yet refuse to lie down, and that defiance is front and centre as they arrive on stage and bust out two absolute bangers in the form of Bloodsuckers (the title track from the album) and Animal. Vocalist and guitarist Kitty’s vocals are little muffled at first, but this does improve as the show goes on.

A show that sees a ton of tracks from the new album played, alongside a couple of fan favourites from earlier releases. I Mean Nothing to You, Vampire, At War With Myself, Middle Finger, Follow You… it’s track after track of vital sounding metal, and the band give it their all on stage.

At no point is this better exemplified by This is Not the End though. A very emotional song, which Kitty introduces by speaking of the passing of her mother and how she found a way to cope. Asking the audience to think of someone they have they have lost, before getting into the crowd to sing directly to people’s faces. It’s a powerful moment, and the proof comes from the lack of phones being pointed at her face. People seemed to want to be in the moment, and it made the song all the more emotional.

Other highlights of the show included a small wall of death that turns into chaos for those at the front, a sea of middle fingers being held in the air for the track, Middle Finger, and a guest vocalist (sorry, didn’t catch his name or the band he was from) that helps Sant Agnes sound the heaviest they have ever sounded.

The time flies by, which is always a good sign, and after an hour (including an encore), Saint Agnes leave the stage having proven why they are one of London’s finest modern metal bands. If you have the opportunity to catch them at any of the remaining dates of this tour, make sure you do.