I've known Swans since 1989 and have seen them the first time live in 1995. I wondered why there was nobody standing on the front rowes and everybody was 5 meters from the stage, until they started playing ... I had a tweeting sound in my ears for a week.
I’ve heard their earlier shows were so loud and intense that shit would be falling from the ceiling and people in the crowd would actually get sick but idk how true that is
As a Swans fan and having been to several of their shows over the years, all I can say about this video is that if you are the soundman at a venue where Swans play, you'd better have some humility and be open to taking direction, because Michael Gira is both demanding and knows exactly what he wants. He's not a bad person but he is very particular about the kind of sound the band produces at live shows.
The only band I've heard louder live (I've seen Swans 4 times) was MBV and that was only the ending of You Made Me Realize. Also, the ending of You Made Me Realize Made me feel dizzy and off balance so that may be too much. Edit: I just also thought it was worth mentioning I have tickets to see Swans again in a couple of months so that would make it 5.
@@theculling497I agree I was also about to say mbv is probably the loudest band of all time but that being said swans has to be tied right next to them because they’re just as loud but in a much more heavy abrasive way. After the show sitting in my room. It was like I witnessed a nuclear explosion and I was just sitting in the aftermath. No bad has ever left me with such an impression as swans did.
Saw them at Arctangent this year whilst still incredibly stoned from some previous set I'd watched. I can say I've never felt so much dread eating mac and cheese as when I was watching this band. Nuts.
both. this is live on tour, when they wrote the album. in this specific example, its soundcheck and Michael is making sure the dulcimer is loud enough in the PA.
Got the chance to see them live at the Metro. This video does not prepare you for how loud their live shows are. It's like being wrapped in a blanket made of sound.
First of all, I have liked their music for many years and I have no aversion towards them. The fact is that their many albums mainly approx. after the year 2000, they sound very comprimed and sonically somewhat lifeless. However, years ago I was at their concert with my older daughter. We were very much looking forward to them because they were in our country for the first time. We suspected that the concert would be loud. Shortly, three days and nights after the concert, our ears were still ringing and the only thing that came to my mind after the concert was, I'm sorry...idiots. And that's probably wrong. Considering some of the responses here with similar experiences, it's just weird.
I don't wanna sound rude, but they're not the idiots in this situation, you are. If you didn't bother to wear earplugs, you've got no one to blame but yourself. Also massively disagree that their work is lifeless after 2000, the trilogy is arguably their best work, but fair enough if that's your opinion
Lifeless? Their sound is as complex as ever. As much as I like early angry Gira those compositions aren't anything to speak about. Filth is literally just banging and screaming around, Merzbow is more complex while doing purely noise.
