Swim Deep’s second album Mothers is a mind boggling 45 minute acid trip of spacey themes and riffs straight from science-fiction, a complete reinvention of the indie-pop sound of mellow Where the Heaven Are We, released back in 2013. A crowd of a lucky 150 fans crammed into the back of record store Rise‘s ground floor coffee shop Friska on Monday evening to watch the Brummies, who have sold out London’s Roundhouse on their upcoming tour, play a psychedelic ad hoc set.
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The band got off to a kaleidoscopic start, playing 3 top tracks from Mothers in quick succession. Austin Williams’ piping vocals combined with shrill meandering synths in ‘Forever Spaceman’ opened the night and was followed by the first single of the album, ‘Namaste’ with a hyper pace and a distinctly retro sound, reminiscent of a video game theme song. ‘Grand Affection’, like the two previous songs, was met with a somewhat tranquil sea of bobbing heads and gentle sways from the crowd, appropriate for the venue but not perhaps for the high energy set.
After a humble greeting and thanks from Williams, the hyper maraca and tambourine shaking was replaced with songs more astral than cosmic, as they played two of their old dream-pop favourites. ‘She Changes the Weather’ fit the intimate venue perfectly, filling it with nostalgic summer vibes and met with warm smiles and an under-the-breath sing-along from most. ‘King City’ had a similar reaction, and it was easy to see the fans’ sentimental love for Swim Deep’s original introspective and more serene sound.
However, the band ended the set with ‘To My Brother’, a whimsical song from the new album with more musical elements of the first album than many others on Mothers, which pleased fans of the old and new alike.
After the set the band members dispersed, almost indistinguishable from the crowd of indie students, happy to chat to those who approached them before being set up at a signing table. Catching up with bassist Cavan McCarthy he revealed the band’s appreciation for the crowd, apparently as “heart warming” for them as it was for the audience.
If you missed this intimate gig fear not! Swim Deep return to Bristol on October 20 at the Trinity Centre.