SWIMM Finishes '16 Strong With Inspired Gig At Troubadour

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA- SWIMM had a busy 2016. Having spent most of the year on tour opening for bands like Dr. Dog and Rooney in support of their most recent EP “Beverly Hells”, they capped it all off with a killer performance at The Troubadour in December. Earlier in the year, I was able to watch them perform at Mainfest Alhambra. I thought they were solid live then … but their Troubadour performance really opened my eyes to the boatloads of magic that they are capable of on stage.

Their music is fantastic. The way they are able to create lush soundscapes with catchy hooks and psychedelic sensibilities is what hooks the listener initially, but to watch them bring those musical moments to life on stage will have you coming back for more.

Part of that “hook” is their whimsically sensual lead vocalist, Chris Hess. His deceptively delicate tenor voice was pure and pristine on this evening, but what really captured my attention was the way he carried himself on stage. His performance on this night seemed to have a little extra “umph” compared to the last time I saw them at Mainfest. He had a certain swagger about him- whether he was sprawled across the floor singing into his microphone or allowing his body to move with every loud chord that he pounded on his guitar- that permeated throughout the venue. You could feel how lost in the music he was, and it was a joy to watch on stage.

Another significant difference between this performance and the one I saw earlier in the year was the fact that they had some pretty amazing visuals accompany their performance. A projector manned by a friend illuminated the white screen behind them to put on a dancing display of live, choreographed oil patterns that could have easily distracted you from action on stage. As cliche as it may sound, it was an art show within an art show, and it was pretty damn cool.

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