The Evolution of Sasami Ashworth
Sasami Ashworth is a very complex character. The Californian was classically trained in playing of all things the French Horn. Although that instrument was left aside for most of her solo career, it has become a focal point or a logo even for her since.
Moth Club London September 2019, Her debut album had just been released and she toured Europe on the back of it with a 3 piece all female band. It was a nervous night for some of us as stories of her requesting the people of colour and females should be down the front while white males need to move to the back were rife. No such request on this night but I should say I stood a few rows back just in case.
It was an amazing night, her personality made it a memorable night and a hard as fuck indie rock show.
We all wondered what she would do next....... Sadly, Covid was around the corner so the answer was not much.
The next we heard from Sasami was a short burst of hardcore metal in 2022 called Skin a Rat. Wasn't expecting that I tweeted her at the time.... I got a like from her. This was the start of Sasami Evo 2.
A “metal” themed album followed that in effect wasn't metal at all, but a few tracks were and the rest a mixed bag. Her touring band this time were a couple of long haired metalhead guys but we never got to see the show here, unless you were at a Mitski show where she supported, as there were no headline dates here, although one was arranged at the Boston Arms, it got cancelled for a reason I cannot recall. For that reason, I never got to see the Evo 2 Sasami in action.
FF to 2024 then and new music leak on the socials. Despite the metal type font introducing Honeycrash, this was clearly a new, reinvented Sasami, Evo 3 then.
So, I gathered amongst the sold out crowd of young, mixed race predominantly female (guessing 60/40) at Londons rather soulless Lower Third venue in none other than Denmark St.
It is great to see such an enthusiastic and different to my usual crowd collected here but I wonder if I was the only one who had been at the Moth club in 2019? What has happened?
The stage set up was the first clue, only one backline amp and a drum kit. Evo 3 Sasami travels light, although she makes space for the French horn which made an appearance placed on its own little French Horn stand as Sasami walked on stage.
First number was a new one, then another new one. Live drummer and Sasami's guitar but also a programmed backing track of keys, bass and backing vocals. It's clear touring with Mitski and Yeule (she was part of Yeule’s live touring band) has educated Sasami and she clearly wants a bit of it.
The between-song banter though was slightly let down by an annoying noise that I am sure was only her onstage fan blowing across her mic and surely could have been easily sorted- it wasn't but not a problem once each song started.
“last time you saw me was with a metal band” she proclaimed “but this time we are here to dance”
The young enthusiastic crowd go wild, while I shrink back slightly as she starts Honeycrush by stomping, now guitar less, from one side of the wide stage to the other. She has clearly also learned how to play to the audience with several close interactions. Honeycrush is then played again.
There were high points and it was great to hear Not The Time, the only nod we get from the first album. Her shouted “who wants to Mosh?” only got a muted reception from the crowd and introduced Sorry Entertainer, one of the metal songs from the Squeeze album. “Whenever I ask that, I get 3 of you shout Yeah I want to mosh, while the 50 people around them shrink away in horror” She added before starting the song- one of two from the Squeeze album. There wasn’t really much moshing that I noticed.
At last though the French Horn was picked up and, jesus, what a sound that thing makes. The musical equivalent to the Tardis- a sound much bigger than its size suggests its capable of.
A good few more songs, that a lot of the audience seemed to know the words of despite the new album not being released until March next year, and that was it, she was gone- no encore, the end.
Guessing Evo 3 Sasami will be in for a big year in 2025 but I dont think I will be part of it. I think it's great when artist take a new direction and tries something new but this seems just a bit too far away from what we know and love about her. She looks happy though, as do her newer, younger fan base but on the way home I had her first album on my headphones and thought back to the Moth Club. Somehow it's unlikely I will be thinking of this show in the same way in 5 years time.
Interested in what Evo 4 Sasami might be though, for sure she never stands still and that has to be a good thing.
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