Swervedriver

Formed in Oxford, England in the late 1980s around Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, Swervedriver established themselves early on with a shoegaze approach that was more physical and rock-oriented than that of many contemporaries, blending thick guitars, melodic tension, dream pop, alternative rock and touches of grunge. After an initial run of notable EPs, including Son of Mustang Ford in 1990, the band released Raise in 1991 and Mezcal Head in 1993, an album that further broadened their palette with nervous propulsion, understated psychedelia and more open songwriting. The lineup stabilised around Franklin, Hartridge, Jez Hindmarsh and Steve George, and Swervedriver toured extensively across the UK, the US, Europe, Australia and Japan, sharing bills with acts like Soundgarden and The Smashing Pumpkins. Ejector Seat Reservation appeared in 1995, followed by 99th Dream in 1998, during a period complicated by label and management changes. Swervedriver went on hiatus at the end of 1998 before reforming in 2008. The band gradually returned to the road, released the single Deep Wound in 2013, and came back to the album format with I Wasn’t Born to Lose You in 2015 and Future Ruins in 2019. Today, Swervedriver continues to embody a taut, melodic and mobile version of British alternative rock.