Swim Deep have come a very long way since the 2013 release of debut album Where The Heaven Are We. It’s the opening night of their UK tour in support of sophomore effort Mothers, and what should be expected from tonight is the unexpected. Outside, a long queue of primarily female fans snakes all the way down the side of sweaty Sheffield venue The Leadmill, excitement fizzing around the atmosphere. Like many others, it took me a while to warm to the band’s new sound, but after witnessing their assured, confident live show, I’m fully convinced that Mothers is the album that should have been their debut.
Support comes from Brighton four-piece The Magic Gang, and tonight could not have started in a better way. Closing their set is debut single ‘No Fun’, and despite only being the support act, it seems that this band have a fair few fans under their belt already – words are shouted back and exuberant head bobbing ensues, and even a few arms are flailing about in the air. The Magic Gang’s sound holds a heady mix of excitement and assurance, and although they haven’t yet been signed, it’s hard to not envision a successful future for them.
After waiting what feels like forever, Swim Deep eventually emerge onstage, the Jurassic Park theme playing loudly in the background. At this point, it feels like the crowd are close to bursting – bodies are packed tightly towards the stage, arms grabbing out eagerly towards Austin Williams’ microphone. Bassist Cavan McCarthy is sporting brown, flared trousers and a large, oversized white shirt; this outfit perhaps embodies the direction of the bands new sound – more carefree, more experimental and taking influence from 80’s music, acid house and synth pop in equal measure. Guitarist Tom Higgins, better know as ‘Higgy’ to his select plethora of fans, doesn’t even look like the same person that’s associated with 2012’s ‘King City’ release. There’s not a baggy Nirvana shirt in sight, and his once mid-length blonde hair has been replaced with a short brown crop. Quite simply, Swim Deep could not be further away from the band they once were.
Rather inevitably though, ‘Honey’ and ‘King City’ are the songs that receive the warmest reception from the crowd. “Fuck your romance, I wanna pretend that Jenny Lee Lindberg is my girlfriend“, is shouted right back at Williams, leading straight onto “with the sun on my back it’s a nice day” at an impressive volume. Although it’s clear that the band are wanting to embrace their new sound and are rather reluctantly playing their old material, they manage to perform old songs with convincing pleasure and respect, which is something really unexpected. Even newest member James Balmont, who has become a glimmering asset to the band since joining in 2014, embraces the old material with cunning exuberance.
The band rip through set opener ‘Namaste’ with euphoric energy. Album track ‘Imagination’, which has never been performed live until tonight, is a wonderfully experimental and enticing song. ‘Fueiho Boogie’ is an eight-minute long groove that was inspired by the band’s trip to Japan during which they discovered the law of ‘Fueiho‘ that stated dancing was illegal in clubs, is easily one of the best tracks of the night. It embodies what Swim Deep’s new direction is all about and is performed with bucketloads of passion and charisma. The song demonstrates a richer, fuller sound that the band are more confident and comfortable performing as opposed to the milky pop sounds of Where The Heaven Are We. Despite all this though, ‘She Changes The Weather’ is the highlight of the night, and even the band themselves occasionally cracked a nostalgic smile upon seeing the reaction of the crowd in front of them.
Tonight has paid homage to a band that have demonstrated the ability to reach further beyond the light indie melodies of their debut album. What we have here now is a more universal, more assured, and more confident band that have finally found the sound of the music they want to be making. Credit where credit’s due. Swim Deep took a heavy risk with their new sound, but it’s more than paid off.
Words by Emmie Morris
@_emmiem