Birmingham’s ‘Sunshine-Popsters’ Swim Deep took to the Brudenell stage amidst a recent NME-spearheaded flurry of hype and managed to just about justify the acclaim surrounding them.
After a shaky start (in which poetic justice shined through, when the SWIM DEEP background artwork fell from behind the stage following frontman Austin Williams’s singing off-key), the surf rockers found their groove. It took a meticulously timed Zachary Robinson drum solo to spark some life into the 20-minutes-young set, and from there on it was plain sailing. Famous for wearing their mum’s clothes, they set to turning the heat up, and reveled in the intensity of the Brudenell audience. Recent single ‘The Sea’, arguably the band’s finest work, served to put a smile on most of the crowd’s hungry faces with its jangly riffs, smooth melodies and dynamic rhythmic shifts.
By the time the four-piece was reaching the end of their fast-paced set, the front of the venue was a swirling liquid of young heads and legs. They finished with their most known track, ‘King City’, one of 2012’s hipster scene smashes, and something just short of a riot ensued when singer Austin dragged a fan off the stage for trying to grab his guitar.
Tipped as ones to watch this year, they bask in an air that says “Of course we are”, while their songs suggest a well-crafted nod towards an emerging ‘80s surf-rock revival.
With stage diving, clothes swapping, brawling, catchy songs and a frontman born for these sweaty nights, it would be foolish to miss them on their upcoming tour.
8/10