A band of names, Austin (vocals), Cavan (bass), Higgy (guitar) and Zachary (drums) sit down opposite me in the oddly furnished backroom of York’s Duchess venue. Their tour manager Max – a character in his own right – wanders off, drawing the curtain around us- something which would have been a secluding gesture had it not been for the ongoing soundcheck frequently interrupting conversation. However, the band seemed unfazed by such a trivial upset.
Swim Deep are a refreshing band. They are not just a group of guys doing grunge for the sake of making noise, but a group of friends writing feel-good songs about things that matter to them. Frontman Austin describes their genre: “it’s emotional, inspirational… all the ‘als’ except abysmal.”
Their brand of sun-kissed pop is youthful, but there are hints of more mature elements to their work. This is seen in their latest release, ‘The Sea’. It swells with joy, while Austin’s challenging refrain “Who’s got something, got something to say?” reflects the ideology of the band: people can change the way they think and feel for the better.
The idea for the song came about while at Great Escape festival. He told me: “We had a good time at Great Escape, it was the first time we gigged well and it was one of Cavan’s first shows. The song is all about going to the sea, down to the beach, that kind of escapism.”
The B-side to ‘The Sea’, a hazy cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Down by the Seaside’, shows the band’s capacity to make more subdued, poignant tracks. “We wanted to do something that pushed us musically,” says Austin. “Our songs are fairly simple compared to Led Zeppelin’s”. Higgy agrees, “It’s a great song. I’m proud of it; I think we did it justice. It was real fun taking that song and making it our own.”
The band’s name also reflects this apparently coincidental nautical theme. “Me (Austin) and Higgy used to go swimming a lot when we worked at Morrisons, I don’t really know how that’s relevant though. We wrote this song called ‘Swim Deep’ and after so many shit names we chose that. There’s really good imagery behind it; water’s a great thing you know, you need it to live.”
Swim Deep is one of many bands arising from so-called ‘B-Town’, the up-and-coming Birmingham music scene. The likes of Peace and JAWS are also making waves (no pun intended), and people are finally noticing the appeal. With Peace securing the coveted opening spot on NME’s Awards Tour and Swim Deep/JAWS both signing record deals, B-Town is on the up.
“We haven’t been home in a while, but it’s nice to know that other people are putting together bands because they know we’re having a good time,” explains Austin. “I hope that they’re gonna write good songs and do it justice kind of thing. It’s a real good feeling, because it’s our mates. We’re all just a bunch of mates doing well, doing what we want to do. It’s real fun.”
Austin’s hopes for B-Town highlight its charm; everyone seems to be friends and genuinely having a good time. Interestingly, the scene’s name was coined when Cavan and Peace frontman Harry Koisser tweeted it to Zane Lowe for a joke. However, the name is no longer appropriate. With bands sprawling the Birmingham area, Higgy reveals its replacement: “we renamed it the other day to West-Madlands, it didn’t seem right seeing as a lot of us aren’t even in Birmingham,” a fitting description for the scene; especially since most of the bands involved are, in the best possible way, quite mad.
I ask the band about their influences. Zachary’s response is predictable: “it’s more what influences us,” to write such happy songs. It’s hardly surprising that the band don’t look to imitate other artists but seek out their own styles- it’s a genuine feeling you get from their songs, not one of recycled vocals and false-emotion.
“I rarely listen to a band and think I wanna make it sound like that,” says Austin. “It’s more like what you feel. We always write good songs in the winter.”
After I question the contrast between winter songwriting and such sunny sounding songs, he admits: “It’s really strange, I know. I guess it’s just because we’re feeling a bit more cosy.” Higgy adds: “when it’s summer you listen to more music, you just wanna enjoy yourself.”
This is the second time the band has played at The Duchess, following their tour with Spector last autumn. I ask the band how it feels to return but at the top of the bill. “We loved touring with Spector, it’s strange being back without them, but good.”
Talking to the band about the fans waiting at the doors upstairs, they are excited by the thought of people being so keen. “As long as they like the music and get what it’s about, it’s real nice,” explains Austin. “It’s great to have fans and real cool that people are mad for music; I dig that, the superfan. I’ve never been a superfan of anything, that’s why I like it.”
“They’re weird, they’re always going through our litter!” adds a suddenly excitable (and suitably drunk) Cav.
The conversation moves to the band’s favourite artists. I ask who they’d most like to play with. Cav jumps in again: “Red Hot Chilli Peppers!” with Zach agreeing. Guitarist Higgy settles for Led Zeppelin, while Austin leans towards Pink Floyd, before exclaiming: “You two’d be in the same band then wouldn’t you!” An initial look of disappointment between Cav and Zach is followed by smiles all-round…“OK we’ll have to play with Red Hot Chilli Peppers too then.”
Very much their own band, Swim Deep do not try to be something they are not. Rightly enjoying early success, they have yet to reach the depths of their talent. And with chemistry as strong as theirs, the band is bound to last.
As the gig opening gets nearer, our conversation draws to a close. I have time to ask the guys about their post-gig exploits last time in York.
“Willow? The Chinese disco!” Austin just about remembers. The rest of the band’s memories returning, “It’s fucking sick there,” says Cav sobering up on coffee, “I like that place, last time we went we were all a mess.”
“I just remember prawn crackers… but I hear bad things about them,” Higgy looks away. Although understandably tired, this is the first time everyone is talking. Having fun may be what this band does best. “We got really high and were all standing in a line on the stairs laughing and falling over,” Zach eventually remembers.
His final words remind me of their hallmark refrain from ‘Honey’: “Don’t just dream in your sleep, it’s just lazy”. I can’t think of a more appropriate way to describe the band than that. ‘West-Madlands’ could have easily become a clique of NME poster boys, but with genuine interests at heart it is a promising pool of talent… and Swim Deep is currently making the biggest splash.