Guitar noise whirred and stuttered from amplifier stacks. Swervedriver frontman Adam Franklin’s foot hopped from pedal to pedal, orchestrating noise while bandmate Jimmy Hartridge tuned for the next blast of riffs.
The English shoegazers have sculpted melodies from noise since their '90s heyday, and continued where they left off since reforming. Celebrating the release of their latest album ‘Future Ruins’, the band filled Brisbane’s The Zoo (21 September) with deafening squeals from both feedback and fans.
A mean groove stalked beneath distorted guitars during the opening set from Majestic Horses, the trio of Screamfeeder’s Kellie Lloyd, drummer Kate Wilson from Sydney’s The Laurels, and Adelaide bassist Andrew P Street.
Kellie has always been a talented songwriter, and this new batch perfectly displays her gift, while Kate and Andrew added power to the growls and wheezes of Kellie’s guitar. The trio announced their debut album is set for release soon and based on this set is highly-anticipated.
“Hello! It’s me again,” Kellie declared as she returned to the stage, this time with local rockers – and old Swervedriver tour mates - Screamfeeder. Kellie’s onstage drink of camomile tea suggested some responsibility, but there was no restraint in Tim Steward and Darek Mudge’s spiky licks and windmill strums.
Beneath the noise, Kellie’s sweet voice harmonised with Tim’s sneer, the latter mere inches from toppling his mic stand with his guitar swings.
Guitars groaned to life when Swervedriver opened their set with ‘Mary Winter’. The guitars transitioned into a shimmering riff that Adam’s drawl blew a cool breeze over. It’s an early display of the lush maturity the band have explored on their excellent reunion albums, but the rushing buzz of old wasn’t far behind.
Mick Quin’s opening bass notes for ‘Blowin’ Cool’ drew cheers from the crowd and fuzz from his bandmates. The buzzing of strings continued past the song, and Adam narrated over it his tribute to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing: “Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, and Buzz Aldrin was really pissed off.”
Jimmy appeared to have trouble with his guitar, but rather than cause any delay he swapped guitars and together the band seamlessly shifted into their new album’s title track; the hiccup downgraded through quick thinking.
Mikey Jones’ hands rushed through drum fills, making the hi-hat stand shift closer to the edge of his drum riser. As the riff to ‘Duel’ revved in, Mikey’s drums were accompanied by fans stomping, sending shockwaves through the floorboards.
Standing next to the sound desk, a fan pushed his fingers in to his ears to dull the volume. Rather than leave, he stayed in place and added to the stomping, enduring it all for Swervedriver’s sweet fuzz.
