Saint Agnes: Embracing limitations

SAINT AGNES, a rock ‘n’ roll band from London, are that rarest of gem – a band who straddle the brutality and aggression of a true underground punk sensibility with the killer visual elements needed to appeal to the more mainstream rock audiences. We caught up with frontwoman Kitty A. Austen and guitarist Jon James Tufnel in the weeks leading up to the release of their mini-album, Vampire, to find out more

“I always find this really hard to describe, but I tend to have a visual in my head which goes along with the song we’re writing,” says Kitty. “I can’t separate those two things. And all of our music is sung from the point of view of a character.”

“Our song writing sessions tend to be quite concentrated,” adds Jon. “Even if we talk about the band and about music all the time, there’ll be this sudden burst of energy which generally comes once Kitty has a clear visual in her head that she can then describe to me in a way I’ll understand. And then from that moment on, we’ll live in this world of a kind of un-made film. And it means we’ll be on the same wavelength when making decisions because we’ll just be able to ask ourselves what the characters would do in that situation.”

“Everything’s darker now,” says Kitty, when asked about how the visual and musical elements of the band have changed since the days of debut album, Welcome to Silvertown. “It’s seedier. It’s all darker, more violent and vengeful.”

It seems remiss in this day and age not to check in on how bands are coping with the lack of live shows. Especially up-and-coming bands like SAINT AGNES, who rely on support slots to build their fanbase. The legends heard of this band’s live show lead us to believe this band might be missing it more than most.

“I didn’t realise how important performing was for my mental health,” says Kitty, whose stage presence is often described as a cross between IGGY POP and Karen O. “I’ve been in bands since I was 11 and this is by far the longest period of my life without shows since then. I think I took it for granted massively. And it’s not even just the performing aspect, it’s the whole thing – planning, rehearsing, preparing the set list, the intro music – turns out creating the show was really important when it comes to keeping my brain happy.”

“Having something to work towards and being creative are both so important,” adds Jon. “One of the problems with lockdown is that there’s nothing concrete in the calendar to work towards or look forward to.”

One of the ways this band has been combating the lockdown fatigue is to create the Quarantine Diaries – a series of cover songs with accompanying videos on their YouTube channel. “It gave us a chance to feel like musicians again. Creating covers means the songs are already there – we can create our own stuff without all the bits which slow it down. We can just focus on making it sound like SAINT AGNES.”

SAINT AGNES freely admits that their musicianship may not be the most virtuosic when we ask them about their choices of cover songs. “It helps if I can play it!” Says Jon. “We’ve always enjoyed embracing our limitations and getting past them by pure commitment alone. It reminds me of getting the ball in rugby at school. You’re really scared but you just have to charge ahead and then suddenly you realise you’ve made it to the other end of the pitch. That’s what playing live shows is like for us. We don’t get through them with finesse, we get through them with sheer will power and just by charging ahead.”

Specifically, the band’s upcoming mini-album, Vampire, includes a cover of NICK CAVE’s No Pussy Blues. “I thought it was going to be a big challenge because NICK CAVE is so character driven,” says Kitty. “It’s the most male, misogynistic song,” Jon adds, “but Kitty’s onstage persona has the same kind of overblow, insane character. We put it all together and recorded it and filmed the video all in one day.”

Listen to SAINT AGNES and you can hear a certain riot grrrl influence – not necessarily in the music itself, but in the attitude which Kitty brings as the formidable frontwoman of the band. “The punk ferocity is something that I’m really trying to channel with the vocals. Karen O from the YEAH YEAH YEAHS, PJ HARVEY – what appeals to me is people who show unashamedly who they are. That’s what’s at the heart of punk music.”

Jon adds, “we set up the microphone to record and I’m not sure what is going to come out. I don’t think Kitty is either! I mean, that’s what riot grrrl is, just setting a microphone up and seeing what happens.”

“And making noise!” says Kitty. “Embracing your limitations again – the point was never to be an amazing shredder or singer, you just get up on stage and do what you do and that’s enough. If people do something authentic and with heart, then I’m into it.”

Jon replies, “whether it’s technical or just brute force, we’re always going to do things with authenticity.” Kitty grins back. “And that’s just punk, isn’t it?”

Vampire is out now via Death or Glory Gang Records.

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