Savage Beat

Reviews

Savage Beat Bright Lights, Tall Shadows LP

SAVAGE BEAT’s Bright Lights, Tall Shadows is the latest from this Amsterdam five-piece, now a decade into their run of TURBONEGRO- and DEAD BOYS-worship filtered through glam and pub rock. The ingredients are all here: gang vocals, rock’n’roll keys, big choruses, and a general air of leather jacket celebration. The band clearly knows how to work this lane, the playing is tight, the vocals fit the material, and you can hear the fun in it. Where it loses me is that the songs started running together after a few listens. If you’re already sold on this style, nothing here will offend you. The problem is that almost nothing here will surprise you, either. The record as a whole could use a few more sharp turns, but if you’re already deep into this style and want another slab of it, SAVAGE BEAT delivers exactly what’s on the label.

Savage Beat The Singles: 2018–2022 LP

Solid, self-proclaimed “street boogie” out of Amsterdam. This is the kind of music you can make your mind up on within the first twenty seconds; if you like the first track you hear, you’ll probably like the rest of them. That statement rings even more true here, as this is a collection of singles, so there’s no attempt, or need really, for much dynamism from track to track. This is twelve tracks of high energy, guitar-licks-a-plenty, SLAUGHTER AND THE DOGS-inspired rock. Sounds like there is a full-length on the way in 2025, and I’ll be sure to see how they go about creating a cohesive album, but as these individual singles are apparently tough to come by, this gathering is a great holdover until then. Shout out to the great cover of “Paper Dolls,” too.

Savage Beat Tomorrow (Might Never Come) / Used to Be a Tiger 7″

Ha, the vocals immediately remind me of Stiv Bators and the DEAD BOYS. That can’t be too bad. Snotty and growly, this is very much old school punk. The guitar work is sometimes a bit much for me, but it’s also done in that DEAD BOYS style, so that helps. From Amsterdam, if you keep track of those sorts of things.

Electric Frankenstein / Savage Beat split EP

Each band gives us one original and one cover on this split effort. SAVAGE BEAT covers the TUFF DARTS, while ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN covers the RUBINOOS. Those cover selections tell you a lot about the influences going on here, both in terms of musical style and also in terms of eras. Both bands are drawn to the late ’70s rock’n’roll version of punk. This isn’t good or bad, it just is. Both bands deliver music that is mid-tempo and catchy. In that way, they are very similar. I’d say the SAVAGE BEAT vocals remind me of the DICTATORS, while the ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN tracks tend to employ a little more lead guitar. Good stuff.

Savage Beat Trench Warfare EP reissue

The Deadly Dutchmen SAVAGE BEAT are back with a reissue (including two added tracks) of their debut 12″ of extremely fun bootboy rock’n’roll. Reminiscent in parts of ROSE TATTOO or turbo-charged SLADE, all with a glam stomp running through the middle of this record like a stick of Blackpool rock. Daft yobbo music for people who don’t take themselves too seriously.