Sounds of Swami

Last updated

Sounds of Swami
Origin Keighley, England
Genres Post-hardcore, punk rock, progressive rock, rock, hardcore punk, alternative rock
Years active2005–2023
LabelsDrawing Board Records
TNSrecords
Bomber Music
MembersRobert Gilbert
Kurt Wood
Luke Yates
Joe Dimuantes
Website Official Facebook

Sounds of Swami are an English progressive rock/post-hardcore influenced punk rock band currently active in the UK. They formed in late 2005 in Keighley, England. The band is well known for their eclectic mix of punk, DC post-hardcore, and progressive rock as well as their aggressive stage presence. [1] To date, the band have released one album, one single, two EP's and have had their songs included on numerous international compilations. Their second album Furniture For Modern Living will be released in 2017.

Contents

Biography

Sounds of Swami formed in September 2005 and had their first band practice above their local music bar. Within five weeks, the band had eight original songs and played their first gig in December. The band spent the first two years writing and demoing material using their own portable recording equipment.

The band's debut EP Vent (2008) was very well received on the underground punk circuit, [2] [3] with many publications commending its alternative and progressive approach to punk. Reoccurring band comparisons include Fugazi, At The Drive-In, Hot Snakes and Propagandhi. The band's second EP Halcyon Days was released in conjunction with Manchester record label TNSrecords and generated even more positive reviews. Many commented highly on the EP's raw, retro production and songcraft. [4] [5] [6] [7] Their songs have been included on several international punk compilations. [8]

The band's songs deal with a variety of subjects, notably promotion of anti-racism, anti-commercialism, left-wing politics and D.I.Y sensibilities. Lyrics often detail first-hand experiences.

In October 2010, drummer and founding member Matthew Wade left the band to move to Brighton. He played his last show with the band at the 1in12 Club, Bradford. He was replaced by Joe Dimuantes formally of skacore outfit Random Hand.

The band travelled to Middle Farm Studios, Devon in April 2012 to record their debut album with James Bragg. The music for the album was recorded live with vocals overdubbed. The album was completed in eight days. On 18.09.12, 'Grump' from their self-titled album was played on the Radio 1 Punk Show by Mike Davies. Davies remarked "I'll be playing them again. I dig it" [9] The first single from the album 'Stitched Up at the Sewing Circle' was released digitally on 26 November as a pay what you want download. The band embarked on a 7 date tour to support the single on 30 November 2012.

On 25.11.12, the band confirmed that TNSrecords was set to release the album on CD in early 2013. [10] The album was released on CD on Monday 1 April through TNSrecords and digitally via the band themselves.

In 2016 the band released a video for a new single titled 'Twisting My Arm' which contains a rerecording of 'Look at Me' from their Halcyon Days 7-inch EP as the b-side. The band began posting video clips of new songs onto their [Facebook] account and confirmed they are writing a new album to be recorded in September of that year. Working with producer Andy Hawkins at The Nave Studios, the band recorded the music live straight to 2" analogue tape. 10 songs were completed in 8 days. The band's second album Furniture For Modern Living will be released on 8 July 2017.

Members

Former members

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Demos

Drawing Board Records

In 2008, the band launched their own record label Drawing Board Records to release their debut Vent EP (dbr001). They chose not to pursue a recording contract elsewhere in order to keep complete control over their early releases until they solidified their overall sound. Their second EP Halcyon Days was also released on the label (dbr002) in conjunction with Manchester record label TNSrecords. They later signed with TNSrecords to release their debut self-titled album.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adequate Seven</span>

Adequate Seven were a Welsh band who blended music styles such as hip hop, hardcore, punk, and funk. They formed in 2000 and split in December 2006.

The Honor System was an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999 by Dan Hanaway and Rob DePaola, after the breakup of their previous band The Broadways. The band briefly featured future Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath as a bassist. They broke up in 2004, leaving behind two studio albums and three EPs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grown at Home</span>

Grown at Home was a British ska punk band, tipped as "the new market leaders for their genre in this country, with a nationwide fanbase to back their unsurmountable popularity". The band formed in 2002 in Stafford.

<i>The Sandwich EP</i> 2004 EP by Grown at Home

The Sandwich EP is the debut EP recorded by the Stoke-based ska punk band Grown at Home. It was produced and mixed by Iain Wetherell. The EP received positive reviews, and the song "Don't Be a Menace to King Kong While Drinking Banana Juice in The Congo" was broadcast on BBC Radio 1's "The Lock Up" with Mike Davies.

Howards Alias were a band in the turn-of-the-millennium UK underground punk scene. They formed in 1999 in Southampton, England, and blended an eclectic mix of rock, progressive, punk and ska influences into their own musical output. They permanently disbanded in April 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fugazi discography</span>

The discography of Fugazi, an American post-hardcore band, consists of six studio albums, four EPs, a compilation album, a soundtrack album, a demo and a series of hundreds of live recordings. All of the band's releases have been published by Dischord Records, the independent record label co-owned and operated by Fugazi singer and guitarist Ian MacKaye.

Random Hand is a British ska band, formed in Keighley in 2002. Their sound fuses influences from many genres, including ska, reggae, punk rock, metal, hip hop and dub. The band is typically associated with the punk subculture, due to its ethics and lyrical content. Their lyrical themes are mostly of a sociopolitical nature, however recent albums Inhale/Exhale and Seething Is Believing, feature more personal lyrics and subject matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The King Blues</span>

The King Blues are a British punk rock band from London credited for fusing punk and hip hop together with influences from ska and spoken word. Tariq Ali described the band's sounds as "rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of this country. A new generation of musicians are challenging war-monger politicians and their courtiers". Influences include Public Enemy, The Clash and The Specials. Lead singer Jonny "Itch" Fox describes the band's sound as 'rebel street music.'

TNSrecords(also known as TNS and That's Not Skanking) is a DIY Record Label based in Manchester, United Kingdom, founded in 2008 by Revenge of the Psychotronic Man bassist/vocalist Andy Psychotronic, along with a personal friend of his, Tim Bevington. They specialise in Punk rock and Ska, though they also have included some Heavy metal acts. TNS produce a free Fanzine, arrange gigs in Manchester and run TNSradio, a podcast featuring music from their own and other, similar artists from around the world. They have organised showcase gigs in Leeds, Macclesfield, and Blackpool whilst being co-organisers of Manchester Punk Festival. They are sometimes referred to as TNS Records, but the correct name is TNSrecords.

Foxes Faux are an English band that play a mixture of folk, punk and rock music. They formed in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England and played their first gig at Victoria Hall in their home town in January 2009. Originally, they choose to busk or play acoustically over traditional gigs. They also have become well known for playing additional acoustic sets after their typical PA gigs have finished. Since adding a rock rhythm section, they have almost exclusively played pub and club gigs.

The Vent EP was the first official release by English punk–rock band Sounds of Swami. After several years of recording demos, the band finally entered the studio with Tim Gray in Manchester. Recorded in two sessions, "Identity Crisis" and "BANK!" were recorded in a single day in late 2007 after a period of unsuccessful recording at another studio. The unsuccessful recordings were intended to be the band's debut mini-album titled Real to Reel due to the studio's all-analogue setup. After recording the two tracks, the mini album was scrapped and three more tracks were recorded with TimG in early 2008 over two days. Two surviving recordings from the scrapped mini album were added as bonus demos on the end of the EP. The band decided not to pursue a recording contract and instead released the EP on their own record label Drawing Board Records. The EP gained a lot of positive reviews from the UK's underground punk – rock scene with Beep! Magazine awarding it 5/5, Punktastic.com awarding it 3/5 and various other reputable zines remarking on its alternative and experimental sound. "Identity Crisis" was released on an international punk compilation.

<i>Halcyon Days</i> (Sounds of Swami EP) 2009 EP by Sounds of Swami

The Halcyon Days EP is the second official release by the English punk rock band Sounds of Swami. After the success of their Vent EP, the band began work on their first album. After a positive EP review in an issue of TNS Zine, the Manchester zine started a record label TNSrecords and offered the band a one-off split record deal with two of their roster bands. The band reluctantly declined in favour of saving new songs for the planned album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hitechjet</span> English rock band

Hitechjet were an English rock band from Uxbridge, London, formed in 2001. Hitechjet released one mini album "If you take anything..." and one full-length album "600 miles from..." through In At The Deep End Records. Hitechjet has been on hiatus since 2006 except for two shows in July 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burning Love (band)</span> Canadian hardcore punk band

Burning Love was a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto formed in 2007 by vocalist Chris Colohan (also of the band Cursed and former members of the sludge band Our Father: David O'Connor, Andrus Meret, and Easton 'The Business' Lannaman.

Magic Wands is an American rock band, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and currently based in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turbowolf</span> English rock band

Turbowolf are an English rock band founded in Bristol, whose members include Chris Georgiadis, Andy Ghosh (guitar), Lianna Lee Davies and Blake Davies (drums). Their first album, Turbowolf, was released on 11 November 2011 on Hassle Records.

Cut Out Shapes are uniquely two different bands inspired by the Magazine song, "Cut Out Shapes".

Down I Go are an experimental hardcore band from London.

Question The Mark are a Welsh punkrock band from Cardiff, Wales. The band have released three EPs, Tearing Our Arms Off Through (2009), Smoke Signals (2012) and Nightmare On Misery Street (2018), one studio album, Idle Hands released in 2010, one official compilation album, 1096 Days Later released in 2012 and one 4 way compilation EP, Roaster released in 2013.

The One Hundred is an English crossover band from London, combining elements of metalcore, punk, grime, rap and electronics. The band released their debut EP Subculture in 2014 via Australian independent label UNFD and have toured extensively across the United Kingdom and Europe as well as performing at major festivals such as Sonisphere, Download Festival and Reading and Leeds. In September 2016 the band announced via their social media that they had signed to Spinefarm Records, a division of Universal Music Group.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.