I don’t have much of a gauge for whether our readership listens to bands like Swans, but if you’re into heavy music and haven’t yet checked out either of the new incarnation’s releases from the last few years, To Be Kind and The Seer, you’re missing out.
You’re particularly missing out if you haven’t seen Michael Gira & company’s newest live incarnation. There are only a few shows I’ve been to in my life where I’ve felt the power of what it must have been like to see a band like Led Zeppelin or Zappa’s Mothers live in their heyday – the Melvins, Dillinger Escape Plan, and others have come close – and Swans maybe take the cake. For starters, they play for three fucking hours. And they play loud, louder than any band you’ll ever see, for three fucking hours. It’s crazy.
The below rough cut video, for “A Little God in My Hands” off last year’s To Be Kind, gives you some idea of the power of this band. It’s excerpted from Swans’ upcoming live dvd, which will accompany a fundraising campaign for their next album. Young bands, take note – go out and see this band, and experience what it is like to truly put on an ass-kicking rock show.
