Swirlies announce west coast tour dates in August

STREAM: “Vigilant Always“

This August, 90s shoegaze veterans Swirlies will play their first west coast dates in 14 years, on the heels of the vinyl reissue of their Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP (1993), which recently reached #11 on Pitchfork’s list of the 50 best shoegaze albums of all time (see full list of dates below).

Swirlies’ last US appearances were in the eastern US and Canada in 2015. The lineup will include founding members Damon Tutunjian (guitar/vocals) and Andy Bernick (bass/keyboards), Adam Pierce (Mice Parade) on drums, Deb Warfield (Gold Muse) on guitar/keyboards/vocals, and Elliott Malvas (You’re Jovian) on guitar and keyboards.

In January 2016, Swirlies were included on Cherry Red’s definitive box-set of the early shoegaze movement: Still in a Dream.

In July 2016, Swirlies released a new song (“Fantastic Trumpets Forever”) exclusive to the Joyful Noise Recordings’ 2016 Flexi Disc Series. A remixed version will be released digitally in summer 2017.

In October 2016, the Swirlies’ 1993 classic Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP was finally repressed on vinyl. It is currently available for purchase online and in local record stores. Copies will also be available for direct purchase from the band during the tour.

Swirlies formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the summer of 1990, and quickly established themselves as central players in the nascent US shoegaze scene (Lilys, Velocity Girl, etc.). Between 1990 and 1992, Swirlies released singles on Slumberland, Pop Narcotic, Simple Machines, and Nervous Records. In 1992, the band signed to Taang!, where they issued number of EPs and LPs, including the early singles compilation What To Do About Them EP (1992), the shoegaze classic Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP (1993), the epic They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days In The Glittering World Of The Salons LP (1996), and the remix LP Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music (1998). In the early 2000s, the band released The Yes Girls LP (2000) on its own Sneaky Flute Empire label and Cats of the Wild: Volume Two (2003) on Bubble Core. Since 2003, the band has continued to release cassettes, CDs, 7”s, and downloadable albums (e.g., the Swirlies’ Magic Strop series) on Sneaky Flute Empire.

The band’s members have collaborated with a number of noteworthy artists. Damon Tutunjian produced Mew’s first LP, co-wrote a number of their songs, and has performed (guitar, bass, vocals, and keyboards) on all of their recordings to date. Adam Pierce has played with Mice Parade, HiM, Philistines Jr. and múm. Rob Laakso has played bass, guitar, and keyboards for Kurt Vile and the Violators since 2011.

Photo by Abi Reimold.

TOUR DATES

08/03 San Diego, CA – SPACE
08/04 Visalia, CA – Cellar Door
08/05 Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar
08/06 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo / Part Time Punks
08/08 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
08/10 Portland, OR – Doug Fir
08/11 Seattle, WA – Barboza