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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......
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The Beggar and Live Shows Press Round Up
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Press round up of The Beggar reviews and tour reviews. -
Dangerous Minds ‘AMNESIA’ Debut
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https://dangerousminds.net/comments/listen_to_amnesia_from_the_new_swans_album_leaving_meaning The latest Swans album ‘Leaving Meaning’ was released last week on Young God Records. It’s the band’s fifteenth studio album and the follow up to 2016’s epic ‘The Glowing Man.’ Below, Michael Gira essays the varied talents employed in the making of his latest opus. This originally appeared on the Swans website: “Leaving Meaning is the first Swans album to be released since I dissolved the lineup of musicians that constituted Swans from 2010 – 2017. Swans is now comprised of a revolving cast of musicians, selected for both their musical and personal character, chosen according to what I intuit best suits the atmosphere in which I’d like to see the songs I’ve written presented. In collaboration with me, the musicians, through their personality, skill and taste, contribute greatly to the arrangement of the material. They’re all people whose work I admire and whose company I personally enjoy.”Here below are the primary contributors to Leaving Meaning: Michael Gira – Vocals, words, acoustic/electric guitar, production. I started Swans in NYC in 1982 and have been the primary songwriter, singer and producer throughout the years. In the early years I played bass, but later switched to guitar. During the years of Swans hiatus (1999 –......
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Peek-A-Boo-Magazine Interview
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http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/interviews/michael-gira-swans-2019/ MICHAEL GIRA (SWANS) 'Having a strong presence of death in your mind all the time is very healthy thing!' 26/10/2019, Danil VOLOHOV It is quite a difficult task writing about Swans. Of course, there are always certain moments when you, as writer, can mark. Clichés and tags that characterize a certain stage of their career. Since the early 80’s Michael Gira and Swans established a new standard for experimental music. Inspired by the music of Public Image Ltd and Einstürzende Neubauten, Swans created a whole new musical standard. But they were never the same. Of course, thinking about them now you’d imagine noisy guitars, a wall of distortion and slaveship-like drum-beats. And that would be right. But with this, Michael Gira also proved that he could step outside of a certain standard. And it seems that their new album “Leaving Meaning” serves as a proof: acoustic sounds mixed with bluesy chords and certain elements they you wouldn’t expect to hear from Swans. But with all the changes it sounds very organic. As always. In the interview for Peek-A-Boo magazine, Michael Gira told us about songwriting and artistic evolution, about “Leaving Meaning” and performing live, about his cooperation with The......