Swervedriver at Music Hall of Williamsburg on August 29th

Brooklyn Vegan Presents: Swervedriver, Raise at 35!!! The shoegaze greats bring the celebration for the 35-year anniversary of their debut album, Raise, to the East Coast this August, landing in NYC on August 29th at Music Hall of Williamsburg with support from Slow Fiction and The Still Out.

Swervedriver was formed in Oxford in 1989 by members of the band Shake Appeal: vocalist and guitarist Adam Franklin, guitarist Jimmy Hartridge, and bassist Adrian “Adi” Vines. After Shake Appeal disbanded in 1989, the members recorded a demo of future Swervedriver songs, “Volcano Trash,” “Afterglow,” and “Son of Mustang Ford.” Before moving to London (where drummer Graham Bonnar joined the band), they gave their demo to Mark Gardener, singer and guitarist of legendary shoegaze band Ride, who then passed it on to Creation Records’ Alan McGee, who immediately signed Swervedriver to the label. The band released three EP’s in 1990 and 1991 before signing with American label, A&M Records, through which they released their debut album, Raise, in 1991, charting at No. 44 in the UK. The album, which was released in the same three month period as shoegaze classics, Slowdive’s Just for a Day and My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, didn’t fully fit into the early shoegaze scene, featuring hard-edged rhythms and sharp guitars more in the vein of American noise-rock bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth. With songs like “Sci-Flyer,” “Son of Mustang Ford,” and “Rave Down,” Swervedriver began to combine the grittiness of punk and metal with the ethereality of shoegaze and art-rock, allowing them carve out their own place in the crowd of pioneering early ‘90s bands. 

After the release of Raise, Bonnar and Vines left the band and were replaced by Jez Hindmarsh and Steve George, who joined the band for their second album, 1993’s Mezcal Head. The album continued with the aggressive shoegazey sound of their first album with songs like “For Seeking Heat,” “Last Train to Satanville,” and “Never Lose That Feeling,” on which Franklin sings about muscle cars, cowboys, and Satan among howling guitars and wistful melodies. After releasing two more albums, 1995’s pop-leaning Ejector Seat Reservations and 1998’s lighter 99th Dream, Swervedriver disbanded at the end of 1998. Reforming in 2008 with a reunion tour starting with a show at Coachella, the band went on a series of mini tours before releasing their first album in 17 years, 2015’s I Wasn’t Born to Lose You. They then released 2019’s Future Ruins and 2024’s Doremi Faso Latido, eventually adding Mikey Jones on drums and Supergrass’ Mick Quinn on bass. For the past 35 years, Swervedriver has been making amazing music on the cutting-edge of shoegaze and played a massive role throughout the early ‘90s alternative rock explosion and beyond with their influence being able to be heard in the music of bands from Foo Fighters to Narrow Head.  This year they return to the album that started it all as they celebrate the 35th anniversary of their groundbreaking 1991 debut album, Raise.

Don’t miss Swervedriver at Music Hall of Williamsburg on August 29th! 

How to Get Swervedriver Music Hall of Williamsburg Tickets

Tickets are available at Axs.com.  

Location: Music Hall of Williamsburg

Address: 66 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11249

Show Time: 8 p.m.

Doors Open: 7 p.m. 

Ticket Price: $48-$93

Ages: 18+