It's been quite a while since we last heard from indie trio Swords so we're absolutely delighted to have them play their first gig in well over a year on The GoldenPlec Stage at this year's Vantastival. We caught up with them to find out exactly where the hell they've been.
"It's been a while alright!" says Jarlath Canning. "We’ve basically been writing, demoing, had a few months of pre-production and then recording, mixing and mastering this album. We’ve had a couple of years of adversity, as individuals, and the album has been our constant through all of that."
With such a gap between albums, it's obvious that the sound will evolve and change as Swords discover new influences and the aforementioned adversity changes their outlook. Canning agrees; "It has either has evolved or devolved, depending on how you look at it. We decided early on in the process that we wanted to change our approach, taking a more organic standpoint and paring it down to the three of us in room, writing with three instruments and a vocal. If something became ancillary to our purposes, we lost it. This time around it is more about the main elements and less about creating a soundscape bigger than us three.
"We wanted it to be a human recording with the sound of string slides, pedal squeaks and chair creaks. We haven’t totally removed the use of synths and atmospheres but we have definitely used them sparingly. Even down to the mastering, it was important that we retained dynamics rather than squeezing every bit of volume out of the track. We think that approach has served us and the songs well throughout the process."
Not playing live for such a lengthy amount of time, the band last performed live in February of last year, can make returning to the stage quite a daunting task., but Diane Anglim says Swords are ready and raring to go. "We are delighted to be back! We've been working on our live show over the last month or so while finishing mixes and masters etc. Playing on The GoldenPlec Stage will be special due to the combined energy of three people who love to play music getting the opportunity to share that music at a festival really close to their hearts."
Diane is also excited to be back at Vantastival, a festival which as she mentions they hold close to their hearts. "My favourite memory is the first year we played - we were playing in a tent around 5pm I think - luckily for us it stared to rain and the ten started to fill and we just had the most amazing crowd all of a sudden!
"I had been at the festival before I had been in a band and loved it - for me it was an amazing experience to be standing on a stage with my new band (and new friends) and getting the chance to sing. It's something that will always stay with me."
The importance of small, independent festivals like Vantastival for Irish bands is immeasurable. Vantastival actually has a policy of ensuring it books a number of bands from Louth, Meath and Westmeath so as to give them an opportunity. Ian Frawls can't sing the festival's praises highly enough. "Vantastival has probably been the most important to our band because it is the first ever festival we played if I remember correctly. The organisers Louise and Benny have given us great stage times and great chances at Vantastival, and that has been so important to us. It's a big part of our bands history & learning curve."
For those that may not know, Vantastival is so called due to the emphasis it puts on promoting van culture, with the vats majority of those in attendance, doing so in campervans. Swords don't have the luxury of a campervan unfortunately but Ian admits that they "might call it Teddy. Teddy Van. After the famous cat in Harold's Cross".
Once Vantastival is out of the way, Swords have a few more shows lined up as they hit the festival circuit, but what most people want to know is, when can we hear the album? Ian remains tight-lipped on a release date but tells us that it shouldn't be long. "Keep an eye on us over the next few months. The album has a name. Let's just say for now that recording & mastering is finished and so we've turned our attention to getting the songs out there." Poker face.
