Sounds of Swami are a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

influenced punk rock band currently active in the UK. They formed in late 2005 in

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The band is well known for their eclectic mix of punk, DC post-hardcore, and

as well as their aggressive stage presence. To date, the band have released one album, one single, two EP's and have had their songs included on numerous international compilations. Their second album Furniture For Modern Living will be released in 2017.

Biography

Sounds of Swami formed in September 2005 and had their first band practice above their local music bar. Within five weeks, the band had eight original songs and played their first gig in December. The band spent the first two years writing and demoing material using their own portable recording equipment. The band's debut EP '' Vent'' (2008) was very well received on the underground punk circuit, with many publications commending its

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

and

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

approach to punk. Reoccurring band comparisons include

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...

At The Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (drums) ...

Hot Snakes Hot Snakes are an American post-hardcore band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis had found internatio ...

and

Propagandhi Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski and guitari ...

. The band's second EP '' Halcyon Days'' was released in conjunction with

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

record label

TNSrecords TNSrecords (also known as TNS and That's Not Skanking) is a DIY Record Label based in Manchester, United Kingdom, founded in 2008 by Revenge of the Psychotronic Man bassist/vocalist Andy Psychotronic, along with a personal friend of his, Tim B ...

and generated even more positive reviews. Many commented highly on the EP's raw,

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the " nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

production and songcraft. Their songs have been included on several international punk compilations. The band's songs deal with a variety of subjects, notably promotion of

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

anti-commercialism Commercialism is the application of both manufacturing and consumption towards personal usage, or the practices, methods, aims, and distribution of products in a free market geared toward generating a profit. Commercialism can also refer, positivel ...

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...

politics and D.I.Y sensibilities. Lyrics often detail first-hand experiences. In October 2010, drummer and founding member Matthew Wade left the band to move to Brighton. He played his last show with the band at the 1in12 Club, Bradford. He was replaced by Joe Dimuantes formally of skacore outfit

Random Hand Random Hand is a British ska band, formed in Keighley in 2002. Their sound fuses influences from many genres, including ska, reggae, punk rock, metal, hip hop and dub. The band is typically associated with the punk subculture, due to its et ...

. The band travelled to Middle Farm Studios, Devon in April 2012 to record their debut album with James Bragg. The music for the album was recorded live with vocals overdubbed. The album was completed in eight days. On 18.09.12, 'Grump' from their self-titled album was played on the Radio 1 Punk Show by Mike Davies. Davies remarked "I'll be playing them again. I dig it" The first single from the album 'Stitched Up at the Sewing Circle' was released digitally on 26 November as a pay what you want download. The band embarked on a 7 date tour to support the single on 30 November 2012. On 25.11.12, the band confirmed that TNSrecords was set to release the album on CD in early 2013.Sounds of Swami: "TNSrecords to release Sounds of Swami album" ''www.facebook.com''
/ref> The album was released on CD on Monday 1 April through TNSrecords and digitally via the band themselves. In 2016 the band released a video for a new single titled 'Twisting My Arm' which contains a rerecording of 'Look at Me' from their Halcyon Days 7" EP as the b-side. The band began posting video clips of new songs onto their acebookaccount and confirmed they are writing a new album to be recorded in September of that year. Working with producer

Andy Hawkins Melton Andrew Hawkins (born January 21, 1960) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and coach. Hawkins spent most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the San Diego Padres, and also played for the New York Yankees and brie ...

at The Nave Studios, the band recorded the music live straight to 2" analogue tape. 10 songs were completed in 8 days. The band's second album Furniture For Modern Living will be released on 8 July 2017.

Members

* Rob Gilbert – Vocals, Bass * Luke Yates – Vocals, Guitar * Kurt Wood – Vocals, Guitar * Joe Dimuantes – Drums

Former members

* Matthew Wade – Drums (2005–2010)

Discography

Albums

*Furniture For Modern Living (2017) *Sounds of Swami (2013),

EPs

*'' Halcyon Days'' (2009),

, Drawing Board Records *'' Vent'' (2008), Drawing Board Records

Singles

*Kill Me Already (2017), Digital Download *Rome Won't Wait (2017), Digital Download *Twisting My Arm (2016), Digital Download *Get Your Head Checked (2013), Digital Download *Stitched Up at the Sewing Circle (2012), Digital Download

Demos

*Demo Two (2007), CDR *Demo One (2006), CDR

Drawing Board Records

In 2008, the band launched their own record label Drawing Board Records to release their debut

Vent EP The ''Vent EP'' was the first official release by English punk–rock band Sounds of Swami. After several years of recording demos, the band finally entered the studio with Tim Gray (aka TimG) in Manchester. Recorded in two sessions, "Identity Cr ...

(dbr001). They chose not to pursue a recording contract elsewhere in order to keep complete control over their early releases until they solidified their overall sound. Their second EP Halcyon Days was also released on the label (dbr002) in conjunction with Manchester record label

. They later signed with

to release their debut self-titled album.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sounds of Swami English punk rock groups