Swans Tickets

The Seer. I haven’t weighed in this record yet. Two CDs (or three LPs) worth of impenetrable self-indulgence! Michael Gira lost the plot. No, not at all. I can understand the criticisms. I’m not drinking press release kool aid, it really does encapsulate about everything he’s done with this band over the course of thirty years. As for me, I have as much love for the disgusting industrial onslaught of “Filth” as the gothic folk gems on the mid period releases and everything after including Angels of Light, whose own body of work should NOT be overlooked. I love how with each release, going back through thirty years of storied albums there’s one unified aesthetic; how the players might change and Gira’s approach to songwriting has developed in every direction yet to my ears it all undeniably –sounds- like Swans. The trance I fall into from listening to Swans’ music is unlike any other band that attempt bludgeoning repetition to similar affect. That being said, with no attachment to any period of the band’s history I couldn’t have been more thrilled to finally see them live last night. Crowd at the Fonda was all ages and brought about a very unlikely mix of old goths, young hipster types and some kids who looked like they had nothing better to do on a Tuesday night than enjoy two hours of Pitchfork approved noise. Opener Xiu Xiu wasn’t for me. It was nothing but the singer pared down to a very interesting arsenal of instruments (a theremin, synth, autoharp and believe it, a slingshot) and it’s hard to remember in recent memory a performance making an audience so uncomfortable. Success? Swans right on time at 10:00. They begin with an unrecorded song that sounded like it’d fit fine on the Seer, followed up by the recognizable “Avatar”: a standout from the record with its triumphant build of galloping drums and orchestral bells. Gira’s intonations of “your life, is in my hands” was one of the best moments of the night. While on the drum topic, percussionists Phil Puleo and Thor Harris were downright incredible, Harris being a real showman and bringing a large part of the band’s sound with him. During the performance he jumped from drums to violin to some around-the-waist dulcimer thing to clarinet to those haunting bells I mentioned before. “Coward” was the lone relic of old Swans’ music. It sounded as stark as the ’85 recording and obviously great with four guitarists and two drummers attacking it with that much force. Huge body of the set was the title song from The Seer and “The Apostate”, my personal favorite from the album. As pretentious as it sounds, I think there’s something very cerebral in the miniscule changes that happen over the course of these fifteen to thirty minute compositions. His talent at crafting a huge monolithic song is in how natural the movements all sound together, whereas celebrated post-rock bands like Mono often take the same amount of time and evoke really saccharine feelings like you’re watching some Hallmark channel movie. Swans shed anything calculated about the genre (of which they don’t really fit, but have been a powerful influence) with these two pieces and use relentless martial drumming and monotonous chords to their full capacity. During one of them, Christoph Hahn, the lap steel guitarist shredded two of his picks into dust and wrung his hands out like he just punched a hole in the wall. During the last few minutes of “The Seer” Gira turned into a dancing shaman, which brought some light into how punishingly dark the rest of the piece is. In summary, everything I could ever hope a Swans live experience could be considering the age and experience of the players and how their music has evolved over the years.

I really liked all four of the songs they played during the several hours they were on stage. The rest of the time, that chord that they played was pretty cool. It's hard to tell if they even wanted the audience to like what they did. It looked like they hadn't played together since the last time they came out with an album and they decided to just make some noise and see if they could get that old feeling back, which they tried to talk themselves into believing they had, but had to admit in the end that they couldn't. It was an honest performance, but it was not entertaining. I'm not sure what I mean by that. They do seem like they could still put on a good show, they just didn't this time. I have a feeling it was below average for them. But christ, just play some songs. I don't want to stand in one spot for 2 hours and watch everyone play the same note over and over again as if each time it becomes more intense.

Swans is always one of the best experiences that touches upon a psychedelic experience

Michael Gira may be getting older, but he's proving - again - that he's no oldies act. With 'My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky' (released last year) and a live album with newer material coming up, Swans are not reliving the past. After disbanding in the 1990s as Gira worked on other projects, the group is back blazing new turf. Some older stuff is mixed in for these shows, but even that's re-invented. Yes, they can still be as aggressive and brutal as ever. The songs are expanded and stretched beyond their original boundaries, Earplugs are still advised for those who cannot handle loud music. In that respect, Swans haven't changed. Even if you don't like what they play, they still demand your attention.

This show was incredible: intimate, insane, and incredibly loud. My only complaint is directed at the Variety Playhouse...why was it so ungodly hot? Those of us near the stage nearly fainted!

Was on my wishlist for a long time and they did not disappoint.

Michael Gira's latest iteration of the Swans is very much a "wall of sound" endeavor. Situated close to the stage you as much felt the sound as you heard it. As a caveat, this band is far closer to the early eighties "no wave" Filth / Holy Money noise rock band than the melodic goth Burning World line up from the late eighties/early nineties. And it is loud. Bring ear plugs. That said, this was a fantastic show. Gira has said that his idea was to beat the audience down physically, and lift them spiritually, and he accomplished that. The show played like avant garde symphony, with the amps turned to 11. Be forewarned, I have heard rumors that Gira has the air conditioning turned off to create a "sweat lodge" atmosphere, and that seemed to be the case at the El Rey.

we missed wooden wand, but they are dope you should check them out. pretty much everyone on young god is awesome. devendra played like 2 and a half songs, and my friend was pissed cause she paid 70 bucks to see him hahah. but he is still awesome, check him out too. swans. blew. my. mind. I had been waiting ten years to see them live, and they totally delivered. it was 2 days ago now, and my neck is STILL sore from banging my head to their heavvvyyy sound coming out of the Orange amps. oh wow.

I drove 40 minutes and waited one hour to see Devendra on play for 20 minutes. While I knew the show had the Swans as headliners, I was hoping that Devendra would play as long, if not longer than the opening band, Wooden Wand. Devendra put on a good show, but it was cut way too short.

I love the Swans, and their sound did not disappoint, however their set was light on actual songs. It was full of droning and wankery, more than I would normally sit through, but I put up with it because they pulled it off with conviction. They played for a solid 2 hours, then came out for a short encore set. The song they played last, off their upcoming album, with lyrics something like "I am free from this choking hold that began in Eden -- prison" was very strong.

So I will say upfront that I am more of an Angels of Light fan than the Swans, but I was just not thrilled with the show. Actually we left about 40 minutes in; Too loud (even with earplugs, my ribs were vibrating ) and too monotonous. Maybe it is because I saw Godspeed You Black Emperor and Prince also this week, I may just be concerted out. So, if you are a huge Michael Gira fan and LOVE the Swans, go...otherwise go see Godspeed....