Interview: Swim Deep

Kings of the Birmingham scene, Swim Deep, lay sprawled across each other at Digbeth's Oobleck about to trial their new sound.

Swim Deep

The five piece (consisting of Austin, Tom, Zachary, Cavan and newly taken on James) are edging towards the release of their second album, following critically acclaimed debut Where the Heaven Are We. The micro-tour of four dates across UK and Ireland follows the release of the first single from the band’s new era; ‘To My Brother’.

Their debut caused crowds to fall in love with band while touring with Bastille and Two Door Cinema Club.

“We went out last night. We weren’t meant to drink and party until the Glasgow date. But, second night in and we’re wrecked. Last night’s show in Islington was such a good show and everyone was in high spirits and kept buying us drinks”, they half laugh, half groan in a hungover state.

“Harry and Dom [from Peace] came to see us last night and we hang out with them a lot”.

Swim Deep and Peace lead the reinvigorated music scene “B-Town” based in Birmingham along with JAWS and Superfood.

“B-Town has built fanbases together and has really worked for all of us. It’s really good. it’s really nice for people to have. People just love when bands know each other.”

“”When I was younger and saw two of my fave bands together it was like “oh my god”.”

“We’re so excited for tonight though”, Austin continues.

“Birmingham crowds are the most passionate in England by a long mile,” the band tells me as I acknowledge their humble beginnings.

“Every band that comes through here gets the same reception. They go mad for bands like Wolf Alice and they told me they went mental. They love support bands.”

“When we played at the Town Hall a while back with Wolf Alice and Circa Waves supporting us, they went mental for both of them. The Birmingham crowds are almost old school and they just go for the atmosphere.”

Prior to my interview with Swim Deep and having tweeted about it, one of the band’s fans from Ecuador tweeted me back requesting I ask some questions. Our chat takes a turn to the band’s worldwide fan base.

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“It’s great,” they begin. “The internet is a brilliant thing in that respect and we’ve never been quite as far as South America, so the fact that they can get the sense of us as a band without having to see us is great to start with.”

“It’s important we go to these places though. I grew up in Worcester and it was such a sheltered town and I never really grew up in music.”

From touring to producing music and, following the release of ‘To My Brothers’, I question the band’s new direction in music. The new sound makes you want to grow your hair and buy a trench coat.

“We wanted to make something with a strong beat. I was playing with organs a lot and that’s how that song came about. There’s a lot of reverbing shoegaze vibes on our first album and we wanted to make something more energetic that’s fun for the crowds while we’re on stage."

“We’re into lots of different music. There’s a bit of that acid house in there because we’ve been working with lots of those people in the club scene in the late eighties and they showed us some crazy things. We branched out from that.”

“To me it’s a black hole in a way. You know you have those nightmares that there’s something so huge and you’re just holding a pinprick. It’s just like that. It’s huge but also quite sensitive and personal as well.”

Hearing Swim Deep talk so much about their new sound makes you yearn for it that little bit more. I’m expecting an aural masterpiece.

“There’s a lot of depth to it I think. I just listen to it and there’s so much going on. It’s really difficult to define.”

The boys have been trialling four new songs from the album on each of the dates from their micro-tour, so obviously the crowd’s reaction is important,

“We just read a Guardian review today that says it sounds like two space stations colliding. It’s cool. We got some good feedback from our friends last night and it felt really good playing it. It just worked so well.”

Look out for these guys, expect a lot.

Interview: Swim Deep

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