Swervedriver is a perfect example of what happens to a brilliant band that doesn’t fit nicely into any one category. More than a decade later critics and fans continue to adore and celebrate the band’s seminal “breakthrough” album Mezcal Head, but the band somehow never quite broke as big as they likely should have. Who’s really to blame in this case? Radio? Press? Retail?
Well, none of them really matter too much anymore since the world of social media and streaming has taken over. With that said, it’s always a welcome treat when a band of this magnitude reunites, delivers a masterpiece of a record, and tours the US sounding better than ever.
Swerverdriver’s Mezcal Head was a real game changer when it came out in 1993. I remember seeing these guys open up for Rage Against the Machine back in 1992. That was a time when metal kids were really open-minded and the dudes in Rage were cool enough to take a chance on having someone truly unique opening their shows.
Shoegaze as a musical style was something that I had never heard of before as I completely missed My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive because I was listening to Slayer. Many other metal heads were probably equally as clueless. But I dug Swervedriver, and so did the majority of my metal friends. The problem then became—SHOULD they have taken that tour with Rage or should they have gone out on the road solo (as they had a huge buzz about them already) or gone out with a more “shoegazy” type band. Who can say?
Fast forward 17 years and Swervedriver return with a new album called I Wasn’t Born to Lose You and a US tour. The new record is absolutely stunning; a throwback to shoegaze with a pop mentality—think Lemonheads crossed with Catherine Wheel before they went all rock ‘n’ roll on Wishville. (Speaking of, when’s the Catherine Wheel comeback happening?)
The San Francisco stop on the tour came to the Great American Music Hall last week. Opening the show was an outstanding new band called Gateway Drugs that reminded me of early BRMC crossed with early Dandy Warhols and a bit of Jesus and the Mary Chain. They were fucking spectacular.
Then Swervedriver hit the stage and immediately reminded everyone in the room just how truly incredible their live show is. The night kicked off with a few numbers from the new record and then the guys dove into their classics. There was even a Bob Mould sighting at the show which is yet another solid validation to the importance of this band and the impact they have had.
Bottom line: Swervedriver’s new record is absolutely brilliant and it’s thrilling to see them still dazzling audiences both old and new. Don’t miss this one folks as who knows when and if there will be another chance to see them live.
GATEWAY DRUGS
