Safire is a band I have seen a couple of times in a live situation now, and while it was clear that the band was still finding its way, I was left in no doubt that it was a band that had a lot to offer the local Rock scene, which has been starved of a top class female fronted band since the demise or (I hope) hiatus, of Ajenda. Lead singer, Saffron, has the lot – the voice, the looks and the storylines to hold the attention. The band itself has the creativity and talent to give Saffron a great platform to show off both her voice in terms of vocal and her own inner voice in terms of lyrics. Metal needs a female perspective. It may be seen as a male-dominated genre, but the rock venues I attend aren’t completely male dominated, so it is actually slightly perverse that there are so few female fronted bands.
A reviewer can get caught up in who the front person is, but Safire is a band and it is clear that guitarist, Tim Torrens, is the driving force regarding the musical direction the band takes and on this EP, he shows he can write a mean Heavy Rock riff, and create a fine canvas for Saffron to do her thing. It seems like a great double-act to these ears. Torrens’ riffs are interesting, a throwback to early 80’s riffage before hairspray became more important than fretwork. He’s actually a bit of a 6-string wizard with interesting riffs as well as solos.
I want Ajenda back. I don’t deny that. But thank goodness we now have Safire, who are a great addition to the local scene, irrespective of gender. Check out this excellent debut EP. A fine debut.