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Swervedriver are an English
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band formed in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in 1989 around core members
Adam Franklin Adam Franklin (born 7 October 1968) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is the front-man of the alternative rock band Swervedriver (1989–99, 2007–present) as well as the main creative force behind Toshack Highway (1999–200 ...
and Jimmy Hartridge. Between 1989 and 1998, the band released four studio
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
s and numerous EPs and
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
despite a considerable flux of members, managers, and record labels. By 1993 the band's lineup had settled with Franklin on vocals/guitar, Hartridge on guitar, Jez Hindmarsh on drums, and Steve George on bass. They had emerged with a heavier
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
sound than their
shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...
contemporaries, and over the next five years it evolved to include elements of
psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
, classic pop, and
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
. Record label issues and waning interest within the group led to their split at the end of 1998. A decade later, Swervedriver reunited and toured periodically over the next five years, releasing their first new material in fifteen years with the 2013 single "Deep Wound". They have since released two full-length albums, ''I Wasn't Born to Lose You'' in 2015 and ''Future Ruins'' in 2019, with touring stand-ins drummer Mikey Jones and bassist
Mick Quinn Mick Quinn (born 17 December 1969) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He is a permanent member of fellow Oxford band Swervedriver. Career 1984–1993 Mick Quinn s ...
permanently joining the band.


History


Early years (1984–1989)

Swervedriver have their roots in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
when schoolmates and aspiring guitarists Franklin and Hartridge along with Franklin's older brother and vocalist, Graham, and drummer Paddy Pulzer formed the band
Shake Appeal Shake Appeal is an English rock group from Oxford, England, existing between 1984 and 1989. The last line-up of the band evolved into Swervedriver. Origins The band took their name from a Stooges song off the album '' Raw Power''. Their primar ...
in 1984. In 1987, bass player Adrian "Adi" Vines, from
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, joined the band, and the following year they released their solitary single "Gimme Fever" through Notown Records. Shake Appeal were influenced by late '60s
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
bands like
The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...
and
MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...
, drawing similar influences from the sights and sounds of the
British Leyland British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
car factory Franklin and Hartridge walked past every day on the way to school. When influence turned to emulation, the members felt they needed to develop a sound of their own. They had meanwhile turned their attention to American
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
acts
Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...
,
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
, and
Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlo ...
, and subsequently were inspired "to push out the boundaries of electric guitar within a pop format." In 1989, after Shake Appeal disbanded, Adam Franklin composed the songs "Volcano Trash", "Afterglow", and " Son of Mustang Ford" (which would become Swerverdriver's first single). The former bandmates were impressed with his work and assembled at Union Street Studios in Oxford to record a
demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
, with Adam Franklin shifting to lead vocals and his brother singing backup. Soon thereafter, Graham Franklin and Pulzer left the band to pursue other musical interests. Growing tired of the local scene, the group had decided to head to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and there they met drummer and
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
-native Graham Bonnar, formerly of the
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
band The Shattered Family. Before leaving Oxford, they had handed their demo to
Mark Gardener Mark Stephen Gardener (born 6 December 1969, in Oxford, England) is an English rock musician, and a singer and guitarist with the shoegazing band Ride. Ride Gardener formed Ride with Andy Bell (guitar), whom he met at Cheney School in Oxfo ...
of local band
Ride Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a 1998 comedy by Millicen ...
, who in turn passed it on to
Alan McGee Alan John McGee (born 29 September 1960) is a Scottish businessman and music industry executive. He has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for ''The Guardian''. He co-founded the independent Creation Records label, r ...
of
Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...
. McGee signed them almost immediately after listening to the tape (while riding around downtown Los Angeles in the back of a limousine) and Swervedriver was born.


Debut EPs, ''Raise'', and departures (1990–1992)

Instead of debuting with a full-length album, Swervedriver released a series of four-track EPs over the span of a year, subscribing to the popular trend in the early '90s. "If you had 4 songs ready-ish, you would record them there and then and put them all out ASAP. No such thing as 'saving songs for the album' back then," explained Hartridge. The tracks were recorded at The Greenhouse & Falconer Studios in London and were all produced by the band. Swervedriver's debut offering, '' Son of Mustang Ford'', was released on 16 July 1990 and included the song "Kill the Superheroes", one of Franklin's first attempts at writing in an alternate tuning. Franklin stated in ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', "''Son of Mustang Ford'' was based on the ''
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream'' is a 1971 novel in the gonzo journalism style by Hunter S. Thompson. The book is a ''roman à clef'', rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follo ...
'' idea – driving around, out of your box, over America's landscapes." The EP was characterized as "a chromium-plated piece of automobile romanticism." The group launched the release with an appearance on the
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
show on 31 July 1990, performing a select
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
from each of their three debut EPs along with the song "Over" (which would not see an official release for 15 years). The release of '' Rave Down'', the second EP in the series, followed in November. Mary Anne Hobbs called its title track "a cyclone of wild, swollen riff machinery that sounds like it's been played with dislocated shoulder joints." Both EPs received favorable reviews and their title singles made their way into the UK
indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...
and metal charts. However, mainstream British music press soon shifted their focus to bands who fit easier into the shoegazer mould. The group began gaining popularity in the United States, and in early 1991 Swervedriver signed with American label
A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
and went on their first US tour, a brief run of shows in support of
Ned's Atomic Dustbin Ned's Atomic Dustbin are an English rock band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in November 1987. The band took their name from an episode of radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show''. The band is unusual for using two bass-players in their ...
that kicked off at the Marquee in New York City. On 22 July 1991, their third EP, ''
Sandblasted Sandblasting, sometimes known as abrasive blasting, is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove su ...
'', was released with the title single reaching number 67 on the UK chart and being described as "a head-on collision between guitars raging for chaos." Swervedriver released their debut album, ''
Raise Raise may refer to: Music *''Raise!'', the name of a 1981 album by Earth, Wind, and Fire * '' Raise'' (album), the name of a 1991 album by Swervedriver Place names * Raise, Cumbria, England * Raise (Lake District), the name of the 12th highe ...
'', on 30 September 1991. It was recorded at The Greenhouse & Falconer Studios and produced by the band, like their prior EPs, and included the title tracks from all three. Regarding the group's overriding fascination with everything automotive, Franklin had said, "the car thing came from twisting around rock 'n' roll imagery.
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
used to sing about cars. T. Rex used to sing about cars, and being in the car is just a good place to hear music." The album was praised as "incurably romantic,
etting Etting (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Ettinge'') is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France. The village belongs to the Pays de Bitche. See also * Communes of the Moselle department The ...
its rocks off" as one of the "truly great albums made this year" and charted 44th in the UK. Swervedriver toured the UK extensively in support of the album and was invited to a second BBC Radio 1 session on 23 November 1991. Producer
Alan Moulder Alan Moulder (born 11 June 1959) is an English record producer, mixing engineer, and audio engineer. Early life Moulder was born on 11 June 1959 in Boston, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Boston Grammar School. He had an interest in music fro ...
, who had worked with fellow Creation acts
The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...
and My Bloody Valentine, introduced himself to Franklin at a bar at the University of North London's
ULU An ulu ( iu, ᐅᓗ, plural: ''uluit'', 'woman's knife') is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik peoples, Yupik, and Aleut women. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a c ...
music venue with the interest of working together. Moulder met the band at Greenhouse studios and there they recorded '' Never Lose That Feeling'', Swervedriver's fourth EP, which featured the ''Raise'' outtake "The Watchmakers Hands" and the track "Scrawl and Scream", a slowed-down reworking of "Afterglow". Swervedriver then embarked on a proper headlining tour of North America with American
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
act
Poster Children Poster Children is an American indie rock band formed at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1987. Dan Davis from Run Westy Run filled in for the next five dates, and then tour manager Phil Ames called on Danny Ingram from Washington, D.C. band Strange Boutique to finish the tour. The group, with Ingram in tow, returned to the US in April 1992 to support A&M label mates
Monster Magnet Monster Magnet is an American rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (guitar) and Tim Cronin (vocals and drums); they have since gone through several lineup ...
and
Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...
and then performed a short stint in Japan. Before departing on their second leg, they had mixed ''Never Lose That Feeling'' which was released on 18 May 1992; the Moulder production would be Swervedriver's final release with the original lineup. Hartridge viewed the title track's riff as "a bit of a bridge between ''Raise'' and ''
Mezcal Head ''Mezcal Head'' is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 27 September 1993 by Creation Records in the United Kingdom and on 5 October 1993 by A&M Records in the United States. Background and rel ...
'' in some ways" and the song would reach number 62 on the UK charts. Using footage from their first leg of touring, A&M representatives Jeff Suhy and Scott Carter produced the video ''On the Road with Swervedriver: A Rockumentary'', which also featured interviews and the music videos for "Son of Mustang Ford" and "Sandblasted", and released it on 14 May 1992. Just as they started to experience a rise in success, Swervedriver would hit another roadblock—in addition to them losing their manager, following a performance at the
Hultsfred Festival The Hultsfred Festival ( sv, Hultsfredsfestivalen) was an annual music festival held in Hultsfred, Sweden. It took place at the lake Hulingen during three days in the June or July, from Thursday to Saturday. Since the first festival in 1986, it ...
in Sweden on 8 August 1992, Vines left to form heavy metal-oriented
Skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
. Having already suffered the loss of Bonnar, the loss of Vines, whom some considered the face of the band, led music press to believe it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the band to sustain their momentum.


''Mezcal Head'' and new lineup (1993–1994)

Ultimately all that remained of the band according to Franklin was, "myself, Jimmy Hartridge and some effects pedals", though Moulder still anticipated producing a full-length Swervedriver album. Franklin and Hartridge laid the groundwork for a new album at EMI's demoing studio near
Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...
in London, and while recording newly written "Duress" with producer Marc Waterman, he introduced them to Jeremy "Jez" Hindmarsh, ex-drummer of the London band 5:30. (Waterman had produced their first album.) Later that night, Hindmarsh approached the duo at The Murray Arms bar in
Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...
and pitched them his services, including use of his 16-track studio equipment. They accepted and Swervedriver had their new drummer. The group got to work on recording their new album first at Playground rehearsal studios in Camden and then Trident 2 studios in Strutton Ground in
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
, with Franklin and Hartridge splitting bass duties. Swervedriver would still need a bassist when the show hit the road, and Franklin would encounter him at another bar in Camden. About meeting
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
-native Steve George, Franklin recalled, "He actually came up to me and said, 'You're the guy from Swervedriver. You need a bass player. I'm your man.'" On 12 August 1993, the band released their second album, ''
Mezcal Head ''Mezcal Head'' is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 27 September 1993 by Creation Records in the United Kingdom and on 5 October 1993 by A&M Records in the United States. Background and rel ...
'', produced by Alan Moulder and Swervedriver. Franklin and Hartridge credited Moulder for making the album sound "big and clear" and doing "way more for us than we had hoped for." The album debuted at number 55 in the UK and was critically acclaimed—''NME'' asserted, "you are defied not to sit back, ride its massive cadences, revel in its classical form and sleek lines, and... fall helplessly in love." Later reviews praised it "combined the best elements of shoegazing with grunge and even American indie rock" and "really is the lost classic of the shoegaze movement." Its first single, "Duel", garnered both ''NME's'' and '' Melody Maker's'' "Single of the Week" and hit number 60 on the UK chart (their highest charting single to date). The band shot two videos for the single: a self-produced snowboarding excursion at
Mount Hood Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portlan ...
and a big-budget
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
effort set in downtown Los Angeles, which included new bassist George. Swervedriver set off touring for the album in the UK and then moved to North America in late 1993 to join
Shudder to Think Shudder to Think was an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records, and two on Epic Records. Their early work was largely influenced by post-hardcore although ...
and
the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...
, solidifying a strong American following in the process. In early 1994 the album's second single, "Last Train to Satansville", was released. Critics and fans alike were drawn to Hindmarsh's deeper, harder-hitting drumming and Franklin's stream-of-consciousness narrative, describing it as "the height of alt-rock badassery ... with a monster guitar riff and chunky rhythm" and a "menacing spaghetti western bite." The single, along with "Duel", would be featured with songs from other A&M artists in the video game ''
Road Rash Road rash is a colloquial term for skin injury caused by abrasion with road surfaces, often as a consequence of cycling and motorcycling accidents. It may also result from running, inline skating, roller skating, skateboarding, and longboardi ...
'' for the 3DO system. Meanwhile, the group continued touring with fellow Creation act
Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
in Europe, Australia, and Japan. Later that year Swervedriver would put out their first single with George on bass, the "limited edition export series, deleted on day of release" 8-track recording, "My Zephyr", on boutique label The Flower Shop.


''Ejector Seat Reservation'' and label troubles (1995)

Swervedriver's third album, ''
Ejector Seat Reservation ''Ejector Seat Reservation'' is the third studio album by the British alternative rock band Swervedriver, released in 1995. The album includes three untitled hidden tracks which were only available in the United Kingdom. Critical reception ''Tro ...
'', was recorded primarily at Church Studios and Konk Studios in
Crouch End Crouch End is an area of North London, approximately from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described by the BBC as one of "a new breed of urban villag ...
, North London and again produced by the band and Alan Moulder. Aside from themes of fatalism and flight working their way into its composition, "for some reason we were wanting to reverse the notion of being the band with the American references in our songs and so some very British reference points appeared in the lyrics," explained Franklin. The band had a dispute with McGee over picking the album's launching single—they thought "The Other Jesus" was the obvious choice but McGee overrode them, selecting "Last Day on Earth" in an attempt to capitalize on the current trend perpetuated by
Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...
bands like
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
of featuring strings and acoustic guitars. Initial promo pressings of the record including the additional track "It's All Happening Now" had to be withdrawn after permission to use lyrics lifted from Bob Dylan's "
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his ''Bringing It All Back Home'' album, released on March 22, 1965, by Columbia Records. The song was recorded on January 15, 1965, with Dylan's acoustic ...
" was denied. (They would later be given away to fan club members.) These incidents would prove to be just a precursor to the group's album woes, however. Realizing a vanishing return on their investment, American label A&M cut the band's funding, telling them the album would not fit into their release schedule for another year and a half. In response, the group requested to be released from their contract. With its loss of the band's licensing to A&M (approximately US$350,000 per album), an already financially troubled Creation released ''Ejector Seat Reservation'' domestically on 15 July 1995 but dropped the band a week later. Subsequently, it received no promotional support (aside from a few small ads) and would remain unreleased in North America. ''Ejector Seat Reservation'' did get some press in mainland Europe (specifically France and Germany) and received significant support from licensee
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
in Australia, including an invitation for the group to tour the country at the end of the year, but that did not prevent it from becoming Swervedriver's poorest selling album. Despite its lack of commercial success, critics have considered ''Ejector Seat Reservation'' to be the band's highest achievement. Andy Kellman of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
crowned it their "most cohesive and concise record, best experienced in whole," which "Swervedriver effortlessly committed ... as if they had it in them all along." ''
Magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
'' magazine's Gil Gershman complimented it as the "work of artists enjoying a towering creative high" that "should have topped every chart and won legions over to the Swervedriver cause." With the addition of George's deep grooves to the mix, melodic efforts like "The Birds", "How Does It Feel to Look Like Candy?", and "Last Day on Earth" saw Swervedriver branching out from their metallic roots and demonstrating their expanding influences in the likes of
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
,
Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...
, and T. Rex.


''99th Dream'' and breakup (1996–1998)

Swervedriver appeared to rebound when they signed a three-album deal with
DGC Records DGC Records (an initialism for the David Geffen Company) was an American record label that operated as a division of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, which is owned by the Universal Music Group. History DGC Records was launched in 1990 as a subsi ...
(a subsidiary of
Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
) in early 1996. Originally, the first album in the deal was to be an American release of ''Ejector Seat Reservation''; the band had attempted to talk A&M into relinquishing them the rights, but after news of their talks with Geffen was publicized on the Internet, A&M had come back with an exorbitant price for its sale (to avoid the same missed opportunity after previously dropped
Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train (Soul Asylum song), Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rule ...
hit it big with 1992's ''
Grave Dancers Union ''Grave Dancers Union'' is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Soul Asylum and was released in 1992. The album spent 76 weeks on the US ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' music charts and was certified triple-platinum certi ...
''). With their advance, they finished building their own recording studio, Bad Earth in Farringdon, and instead began work on a new record for the label. Over the next year, the group would record '' 99th Dream'' with Moulder at the helm, this time taking a more simple, laid-back approach than with previous productions. They scaled back from 48-track to 24-track recording, condensing the layering of guitar in the process, and employed more full-ensemble straight live track, partly with the mindset of making it easier to play the guitar lines live. During that time, the band also put out a pair of self-produced boutique label seven-inch singles, including the double
split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...
"Why Say Yeah" with indie collaboration act Sophia. DGC distributed promotional copies of the album and scheduled a release date of 7 May 1997. Meanwhile, in December 1996 Swervedriver went back into the studio and re-recorded the album track "These Times," citing their growing dislike for the original's faster-paced, Oasis-like sound and a bad experience with one of the label's reps during mixing. Three and a half weeks before ''99th Dream'' was due to be released, DGC dismissed the band's A&R representative, Jody Kurilla, in a corporate downsizing and three hours later terminated their contract (though they would not impede the record's future release). Considering the recent break with their third label in two years, Hindmarsh stated, "Someone from A&M once told us that it takes four or five listens to a Swervedriver album to see whether you like it or not, and in this marketplace, unless you can hit immediately it's not going to register with people." Still determined to get the album out, Swervedriver forwent signing with one of two other interested major labels and instead opted for independent label
Zero Hour Records Zero Hour Records was an indie rock record label based in New York City. It was established in 1990 by Ray McKenzie, a former phone clerk for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The label's first release was McKenzie's own 12" single "The Ozone Ho ...
out of New York. They officially released ''99th Dream'', their fourth album, on 24 February 1998. The band also formed their own label, Sonic Wave Discs (SWD), and on 10 August 1998 issued the album in the UK. About the album's progression to a more
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
style, Franklin told ''
The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'', "It wasn't a conscious decision.
t was T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...
just the way it was going – concise little pop songs, bossa nova beats and such." He continued, "I've always liked the idea that you don't always know where it's coming from... he lyrics areall about time. It's all over the place. I didn't put too much thought into it, which may be good. You're fueling more from the subconscious that way." In an interview for ''Mean Street'' magazine, Hindmarsh mentioned, "There's a track called 'She Weaves a Tender Trap.' That's like a one-take, all-four-of-us thing, and it has a lot more air in it, a lot more space. Whereas in the past, we used to try and fill every single hole. That song sort of defines a change in the way we're thinking. I think we're headed that way, to leave space to let the music breathe a little bit." Reviews of the album were mixed, mainly around the band's shift from the heavier, multi-layered composition of previous releases to a more acoustic, song-based sound that at times seemed disjointed. "Though the weakest of Swervedriver's four long-players of the '90s, ''99th Dream'' still shimmers and sizzles like the work of shamefully few bands of the time," asserted Andy Kellman of AllMusic. Tom Sinclair of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' concurred: "The sheer heaviness of the old Swervies is much missed, but even on cruise control the band has a singular intensity, not to mention a sharp sense of songcraft." Proponents of the release maintained it "mixes the tempos up with equal parts 'Brit' to 'rock,' blending into a nice mix" and "never makes grandiose rock and roll promises, only to let the listener down later." Yet, not all reviews were favorable; ''NME'' lambasted the effort as an attempt "to bung some lazy-eyed melody swoons, Mexican twangs and comatose rock-outs over the trademark billowing whale flatulence," and ''Drop-D Magazine'' opined, "The slow, druggy pace and fascination with their own weird noises work against them." Swervedriver would spend the rest of the year touring extensively for the album. The band performed a promo gig opening for
Hum Hum may refer to: Science * Hum (sound), a sound produced with closed lips, or by insects, or other periodic motion * Mains hum, an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon * The Hum, an acoustic phenomenon * Venous hum, a physiological sensation ...
on 26 February 1998 at
Irving Plaza Irving Plaza (known through sponsorship as Irving Plaza, powered by Klipsch and formerly known as the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza) is a ballroom-style music venue located within the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. ...
in New York and kicked off a North American stint in late May with acts such as Sianspheric,
The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford ...
, and
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...
. The tour swung to the UK at the end of July, and discussions started within the band about a break: "it cropped up – 'Is this fun? Are we having fun doing this?' I guess we kind of weren't," spoke Franklin in a 2011 interview. They ultimately decided to keep going until the end of the year, honoring their touring commitments, and then according to Franklin, "take a bit of a time out... although it did seem like the end, to me." The group returned to the US to headline a nine-show club tour in the Northeast; they immediately followed with a wide-ranging Australian tour opening for
Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drummer ...
, with their last show taking place at Bootleg Brewery in
Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range. ...
near Perth on 13 December 1998. That year also saw the release of two more works through Swervedriver's personal label. The EP '' Space Travel, Rock 'n' Roll'', released on 10 February 1998 as an Australian single, showcased Hindmarsh's first experimentation with looping. The 6 July 1998 single "Wrong Treats" ("These Times" in Australia) would be the band's last offering before their ultimate hiatus and featured the instrumental "Homeless Homecoming", a recording begun during a soundcheck at the Metro Club in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, and a cover of T. Rex's "Château in Virginia Waters".


Hiatus and non-Swervedriver activity (1999–2007)

In addition to being burned out from the rest of their tour, the band members were growing tired of the encompassing drug scene at their studio space and had entertained selling Bad Earth Studio to
Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
before the building lease ran out on them. As they closed down the studio and moved their gear out, the reality of an indefinite hiatus sunk in. Franklin embarked on a solo career that would come to rival his previous band's creative output, first as the experimental
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
pop/
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...
group
Toshack Highway Toshack Highway is the musical group formed by the lead singer and guitarist from Swervedriver, Adam Franklin. The band name derives from merging the surnames of two Liverpool F.C. football players from the 1970s, John Toshack and Steve Heighway. ...
, whose releases ranged from six-piece ensemble works to four-track bedroom recordings, and then as a more traditionally guitar-driven solo artist, continuing to this day as Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody. Hartridge went on to establish a
distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...
company. Hindmarsh turned to
managing Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
bands full-time under Badearth management, which he founded in March 1998, eventually contracting with Scottish rock band
Terra Diablo Terra Diablo is a Scottish rock band signed to Nocturnal Records. The band was formed when singers and guitarists Ian Fairclough and Davey McAuley met while working at the same record store. They have been managed by Jez Hindmarsh, drummer for ...
. In the beginning of 2005, the group convened in a collaboration with
Castle Music Castle Communications, also known as Castle Music, was a British independent record label and home video distributor founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane, and Jon Beecher. Its video imprint was called Castle Vision. The label's productio ...
to decide on songs for a retrospective. '' Juggernaut Rides '89–'98'' compiled 33 tracks remastered from the original
DATs Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), also known as Allitridin, is an organosulfur compound with the formula S(SCH2CH=CH2)2. It is one of several produced by the hydrolysis of allicin, including diallyl disulfide and diallyl tetrasulfide, DATS is one of the ...
(almost half of which being non-album tracks) and was released on 14 March 2005. The two-CD anthology featured four previously unreleased songs, including Shake Appeal's "Son of Mustang Ford" demo from 1989 and the remainder of Swervedriver's 1998 recordings, "Just Sometimes" and the orchestral string accompanied "Neon Lights Glow". Regarding the production effort for ''Juggernaut Rides'', Franklin told ''
Tape Op A tape operator or tape op, also known as a second engineer, is a person who performs menial operations in a recording studio in a similar manner to a tea boy or gopher. They may act as an apprentice or an assistant to a recording engineer and dut ...
'' magazine, "Me and Jimmy sat there uring the remasteringand said, 'Wow this is pretty great.' You do forget things about the various tracks," and said to Australia's ''The Vine'', "I quite like the fact that it's not chronologically laid out, so you just jump straight into the middle." Reviews touted it as "Swervedriver's beautiful corpse" and asserted that it "proves they were so much more than just another underachieving T-shirt band." The following year on 24 November 2006, Hindmarsh published the autobiographical book ''Rider'' (
Lulu.com Lulu Press, Inc., doing business under trade name Lulu, is an online print-on-demand, self-publishing, and distribution platform. By 2014, it had issued approximately two million titles. The company's founder is Red Hat co-founder Bob Young. Lu ...
self-publishing Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...
), which chronicles his experiences and observations on the road touring from 1992 to 1998 with Swervedriver. Meanwhile, Franklin had begun an
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
collaboration with
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
drummer
Sam Fogarino Samuel Joseph Fogarino (born August 9, 1968) is the drummer of the band Interpol. He has played in bands such as the Holy Terrors, Gus, the Wahoos, Napoleon Solo, the Ton-ups and the Last Night. Biography Fogarino began to play the drums at the ...
under what would become the moniker
Magnetic Morning Magnetic Morning (formerly known as The Setting Suns) is an indie rock duo made up of Swervedriver singer/guitarist and solo artist Adam Franklin and Interpol (band), Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino. The two met in early 2006 in New York City when t ...
. At the time, Franklin held little optimism for a Swervedriver reunion as they were all deep in individual pursuits but by mid 2007 had changed his outlook, referring positively to the successful 2004 reunion of the
Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...
during an interview promoting his first release as a solo artist, '' Bolts of Melody''. The former bandmates would get together with serious intentions shortly thereafter, when the idea resurfaced in a phone conversation between Franklin and Hartridge in early October 2007; on 19 October 2007, they officially announced that Swervedriver would reunite for a 2008 international tour. Hindmarsh confirmed the news on the band's discussion forum the following day: "Yep – it's true. Your enthusiasm & passion for the band over these past years has been truly awe-inspiring. Humbling in fact." Franklin released the following statement on 6 November 2007 about the band getting back together:


Reunion tour and activity (2008–2013)

Swervedriver kicked off their reunion tour on 27 April 2008 at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
in
Indio Indio may refer to: Places * Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England * Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States People with the name * Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson * Índio ...
, California and continued through North America for the next two months. The band then performed a pair of shows in Great Britain at the Scala London and
King Tut's Wah Wah Hut King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, is a live music venue and bar on St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned and managed by Glasgow-based gig promoters DF Concerts. The Glasgow live music venue takes its name from a ...
in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
on 16 and 18 September 2008, respectively. On the heels of the tour's success, remastered and extended editions of ''Raise'', ''Mezcal Head'', and ''Ejector Seat Reservation'' were reissued in the UK by
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
on 13 October 2008. The special edition
Digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...
s contained four rare album-era bonus tracks and a 16-page booklet with expanded artwork and liner notes written by Franklin and Hartridge. Label collaboration
Second Motion Records Second Motion Records is part of Second Motion Entertainment based in Carrboro, North Carolina. The Label was founded in Chapel Hill, NC by Stephen Judge, who is the former manager of the rock band Athenaeum (who released two albums on Atlantic R ...
/Hi-Speed Soul licensed the ''Raise'' and ''Mezcal Head'' reissues and released them to American audiences on 20 January 2009. Swervedriver would go on to conduct a series of mini-tours over a year-and-a-half span (working around Franklin's busy solo career) beginning in late 2009 with another short stint in the UK. This first mini-tour culminated at the three-day
All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...
music festival at
Butlin's Butlin's is a chain of large Seaside resort, seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one ...
holiday camp A holiday camp is a type of holiday accommodation that encourages holidaymakers to stay within the site boundary, and provides entertainment and facilities for them throughout the day. Since the 1970s, the term has fallen out of favour with term ...
in
Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National P ...
from 4–6 December 2009, in which they shared a lineup with the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth,
Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...
, and
Bob Mould Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s. Early years Born in Malone, ...
. They regrouped a year later, this time reuniting with original drummer Bonnar, for two Scandinavian gigs in early November 2010 followed by a four-show trip to Australia in February 2011, attending the Perth International Arts Festival on 20 February 2011. In mid-June 2011, the band hit the three major US cities and Toronto with Mikey Jones of Bolts of Melody and Brooklyn
dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
act Heaven filling in for Bonnar, who was unavailable. In preparation for an early 2012 American tour, Swervedriver appeared on ''
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon. About pag ...
'' on 26 March 2012, performing their debut single "Son of Mustang Ford" and premiering the song "Deep Wound", their first new material in 14 years, which was mixed and engineered by Albert Di Fiore. The tour went on for the next two weeks (with Jones again on drums), during which the band conducted a four-song studio session for
KEXP KEXP-FM (90.3 MHz) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Seattle, Washington, United States, specializing in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys for the Seattle metropolitan area. The station is owned by the no ...
90.3 FM in Seattle on 4 April 2012, again playing "Deep Wound". In June 2013, the band announced a five-date tour in Australia for late September–early October 2013 during which they would be performing ''Raise'' in its entirety along with "old and new highlights". The following month they recorded "Deep Wound" and on 20 August 2013 announced the single's release through Tym Records, scheduling a release date of 26 September 2013 to coincide with the start of the mini-tour. A limited number of purple seven-inch singles were made available for presale and limited edition red and yellow singles were sold during the tour.


''I Wasn't Born to Lose You'' and ''Future Ruins'' (2014–present)

At the conclusion of their "''Raise''" mini-tour, Swervedriver began recording material for a new album at Birdland Studios in Melbourne and then continued work at Konk Studios over the first half of 2014. The band took a break from recording to reprise a one-off "''Raise''" show at The Garage in Highbury, London on 4 April 2014. On 7 January 2015, the band announced that their new album, titled ''
I Wasn't Born to Lose You ''I Wasn't Born to Lose You'' is the fifth studio album by British alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 3 March 2015 through the Cobraside record label. It is the band's first album in 17 years, since 1998's '' 99th Dream''. Th ...
'', would be released on 3 March 2015 through the Cobraside record label. The first single off the album, "Setting Sun", was released on 13 January 2015. When Steve George was unable to perform at some of the band's March 2015 US shows,
Mick Quinn Mick Quinn (born 17 December 1969) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He is a permanent member of fellow Oxford band Swervedriver. Career 1984–1993 Mick Quinn s ...
formerly of
Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
acted as a fill-in bassist. As of 2018, Quinn is listed as a permanent member on Swervedriver's website and 2019 album, ''Future Ruins''.


Musical style

The band's sound has been labelled as
shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...
,
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
,
dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
, and
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
.


Band members

;Current members *
Adam Franklin Adam Franklin (born 7 October 1968) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is the front-man of the alternative rock band Swervedriver (1989–99, 2007–present) as well as the main creative force behind Toshack Highway (1999–200 ...
– vocals, rhythm and lead guitar (1989–1998, 2008–present) * Jimmy Hartridge – lead guitar (1989–1998, 2008–present) * Mikey Jones – drums, percussion (2011–present) *
Mick Quinn Mick Quinn (born 17 December 1969) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He is a permanent member of fellow Oxford band Swervedriver. Career 1984–1993 Mick Quinn s ...
– bass (2015 ouring 2016–present) ;Former members * Steve George – bass (1993–1998, 2008–2015) * Adi Vines – bass (1989–1992) * Graham Bonnar – drums (1989–1992, 2010–2011) * Dan Davis – drums (1992) * Danny Ingram – drums (1992) * Jez Hindmarsh – drums (1993–1998, 2008–2010)


Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1989 till:01/03/2019 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1989 ScaleMinor = increment:2 start:1990 Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_album id:gray value:gray(0.7) legend:Studio_EP id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars LineData = at:16/07/1990 color:gray layer:back at:15/11/1990 color:gray layer:back at:22/07/1991 color:gray layer:back at:30/09/1991 color:black layer:back at:01/12/1991 color:gray layer:back at:18/05/1992 color:gray layer:back at:12/08/1993 color:black layer:back at:01/12/1993 color:gray layer:back at:15/07/1995 color:black layer:back at:10/02/1998 color:gray layer:back at:24/02/1998 color:black layer:back at:03/03/2015 color:black layer:back at:25/01/2019 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Adam text:"Adam Franklin" bar:Jim text:"Jimmy Hartridge" bar:Adi text:"Adi Vines" bar:Steve text:"Steve George" bar:Mick text:"Mick Quinn" bar:Graham text:"Graham Bonnar" bar:Danny text:"Danny Ingram" bar:Jez text:"Jez Hindmarsh" bar:Mikey text:"Mikey Jones" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Adam from:01/01/1989 till:13/12/1998 color:vocals bar:Adam from:01/01/1989 till:13/12/1998 color:guitar width:3 bar:Adam from:27/04/2008 till:end color:vocals bar:Adam from:27/04/2008 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:Jim from:01/01/1989 till:13/12/1998 color:guitar bar:Jim from:27/04/2008 till:end color:guitar bar:Adi from:01/01/1989 till:08/08/1992 color:bass bar:Steve from:01/07/1993 till:13/12/1998 color:bass bar:Steve from:27/04/2008 till:01/07/2016 color:bass bar:Mick from:01/07/2016 till:end color:bass bar:Graham from:01/01/1989 till:06/02/1992 color:drums bar:Graham from:01/11/2010 till:14/06/2011 color:drums bar:Danny from: 15/02/1992 till: 08/08/1992 color:drums bar:Jez from:01/01/1993 till:13/12/1998 color:drums bar:Jez from:27/04/2008 till:01/11/2010 color:drums bar:Mikey from:15/06/2011 till:end color:drums


Discography

* ''
Raise Raise may refer to: Music *''Raise!'', the name of a 1981 album by Earth, Wind, and Fire * '' Raise'' (album), the name of a 1991 album by Swervedriver Place names * Raise, Cumbria, England * Raise (Lake District), the name of the 12th highe ...
'' (1991) * ''
Mezcal Head ''Mezcal Head'' is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 27 September 1993 by Creation Records in the United Kingdom and on 5 October 1993 by A&M Records in the United States. Background and rel ...
'' (1993) * ''
Ejector Seat Reservation ''Ejector Seat Reservation'' is the third studio album by the British alternative rock band Swervedriver, released in 1995. The album includes three untitled hidden tracks which were only available in the United Kingdom. Critical reception ''Tro ...
'' (1995) * '' 99th Dream'' (1998) * ''
I Wasn't Born to Lose You ''I Wasn't Born to Lose You'' is the fifth studio album by British alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 3 March 2015 through the Cobraside record label. It is the band's first album in 17 years, since 1998's '' 99th Dream''. Th ...
'' (2015) * ''
Future Ruins ''Future Ruins'' is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 25 January 2019 through Dangerbird Records Dangerbird Records is an independent record label in Los Angeles, California. The label is h ...
'' (2019)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swervedriver Musical groups established in 1989 Creation Records artists Music in Oxford Shoegazing musical groups English alternative rock groups Dream pop musical groups Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups reestablished in 2008 Zero Hour Records artists Musical groups from Oxford Rock Action Records artists Musical quartets Dangerbird Records artists Dine Alone Records artists Second Motion Records artists