PRESS
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Birthing Live Press Roundup
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More press from around the world covering the Birthing tour.
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MUSIC OHM BIRTHING ALBUM REVIEW
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MUSIC OHM BIRTHING REVIEW - https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/swans-birthing ...
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Birthing Press Roundup
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Press articles from around the world covering the Birthing tour.
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Swans’ Michael Gira and Kristof Hahn: EartH, London – Live Review
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https://louderthanwar.com/swans-michael-gira-and-kristof-hahn-earth-london-live-review/ Michael Gira and Kristof HahnEartH, London17th April 2025 Last Thursday saw Swans’ Michael Gira and Kristof Hahn set down in London’s iconic EartH midway through their European tour for a rare performance of upcoming material and selected older works. Known by many for a skull-crushing volume which would frequently distress audiences and crew alike, Gira has taken to bridging full-band tours with more intimate, stripped-back performances. This show, however, was by no means the sonic antithesis to a Swans performance (last reviewed by Louder Than War here). Although it may not have caused the irreparable hearing damage that might befall a reckless Swans concertgoer thinking too much of themselves for ear protection, the duo exercised a surprising ability to summon noise at a volume and frequency which burrowed itself deep behind your ear drums. The gig opened with a virtuosic solo by Hahn on the lap-steel guitar (for this show entitled London Overture), flooding the art-deco theatre with whirlwinds of noise, in equal parts beautiful and overpowering. The overture could’ve gone on for five minutes or for thirty for all I could tell, and for its duration held us in a state of blissful anaesthesia. Gira then joined the stage......
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Live Review: Michael Gira and Kristof Hahn at Heimathafen Neukölln, Berlin – 27 April 2025
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https://beatsperminute.com/live-review-michael-gira-and-kristof-hahn-at-heimathafen-neukolln-berlin-27-april-2025/ Text by John Wohlmacher. For a man that so many of his fans still claim to be intimidated by, Michael Gira in the flesh sure comes across as… somewhat of a goofball. “If you think he’s sexy now”, he expands on his collaborator Kristof Hahn, “you should see him after the show!” Moments later, he puts a finger on his backside: “TSSSSSSSS!” Possibly, his good mood is sparked by the fact that the show in Berlin marks the finale of his widely celebrated tour with Hahn – or because the two musicians are at this point so in tune, their dynamic interplay resembles telepathic communication. Opening with a great performance by soloist Joanna Gemma Auguri, whose tender accordion led songs create an intimate atmosphere that perfectly captures the charms of Neukölln’s Heimathafen, the evening continues with Hahn performing a lengthy improvisation. His lap-steel guitar conjures ever shifting textures, sharp as concrete one moment, before diving into wild psychedelia – moving from ambient tapestries that would fit on Brian Eno’s On Land to No-Wave adjacent noise. Hahn is often held up as one of Gira’s most valuable soldiers, and his performance showcases a generational mastery that is mind blowing. As heavy noise bursts in......