Andrew Bate and Chloe Gorman are Saint Senara, apparently an obscure Cornish deity. The duo are based in Cheltenham. I stumbled across the band upon the release of their single, “The Devil and The Preacher,” which is encapsulated in this EP, an old-school four-track taster, just like those bygone vinyl days. The songs are a mix of blues and folk, full of beautiful vocal harmonies and finely written lyrics. Andrew plays guitar—acoustic, electric, and cigar box to suit. Percussion is added by Sam Bharucha where needed. I’ll begin with the titular devilry. Thumping drum rhythms and deep bass punch through, forming a powerful blues framework. Andrew hooks onto that frame, torturing his cigar box guitar, weaving a tight, dirty groove that supports an impressive vocal delivery from Chloe. A real head-banger that struts arrogantly, as if on stage at Wembley Arena. Caught in a tug of war, temptations of the devil vie with false promises of salvation from a snake-oil preacher, all to no avail. In the end, “people do awful things, never to get burnt.” It’s a blistering, dynamic rocker, flowing in the style of When Rivers Meet, yet managing to be more lyrical.
Just to prove there is more to this duo than bombastic blues-rock, the EP also carries a beautiful, bluesy opening song, “Backyard Queen.” Casting her spells and charms, love is more down to earth than that, more real. The tale unwraps over Andrew’s electric guitar, sometimes sweet and simple, readily switching to a dirtier road, while Chloe leads the vocals with harmonies jigsawing in—a lovely blues that hits the crossroads on its journey.
“Everywhere and Nowhere” is a pumped-up, rocking slice of Americana, stuffed full of finely balanced harmonies. Chloe’s voice comes through stronger, but Andrew compensates with excellent guitar leads throughout the piece. It may not be quite in the blues camp of the preceding songs, but it’s a thing of beauty.
The title track, “Under My Skin,” is an acoustically driven folk song, a duet, though it could be Chloe double-tracking. It’s quite short but very sweet.
Saint Senara use the EP to showcase their talents in a variety of styles. What stands out is the quality of the writing, both musically and lyrically, framed by superb, expressive musicianship. It’s a pleasure to listen to, no matter which way the genre leans. Vocally elegant and harmonic, but capable of real power when needed. I suspect there is much more yet to come from this duo—well worth a listen, and they are just as good live.
By: Graham Munn