Swans

Swans were one of the few rock music bands to emerge from the New York, USA No Wave scene intact. The band was formed in 1982 by Michael Gira, and employed a shifting line up of musicians between then (th

Swans were one of the few rock music bands to emerge from the New York, USA No Wave scene intact. The band was formed in 1982 by Michael Gira, and employed a shifting line up of musicians between then (the only other constant member was keyboardist/vocalist Jarboe) and their dissolution in 1997. One of their trademarks of their early work was playing painfully loud live to which audience members sometimes regurgitated and the police sometimes had to force them to cancel.

Their early music was typified by slow and grinding guitar noise, and pounded drums, punctuated by Gira's morbid and violent lyrics, usually barked or shouted. Critic Ned Raggett describes Swans' early recordings as "aggressive beyond words."