Team Swans was founded in New York over four decades ago. He was the originator of the project Michael Gira – vocalist, guitarist and composer, also a long-time leader of the group. The band became famous for its constantly evolving sound, which included grim, brutal noise-rock and soulful, ethereal folk. Fans also especially appreciated the musicians for their insanely loud, transcendent live performances.
Swans’ first releases, such as the 1982 EP and debut album “Filter” released a year later, were characterized by an extremely raw, brutal sound. In the following years, the band experimented with sounds, and in the mid-1980s they added a female vocalist Jarboe. At that time, the melodies presented by American rockers were enriched with gothic folk and ambient. Albums like “White Light from the Mouth of Infinity” showed that their music also became more reflective and emotional.
Michael Gira caused a lot of arguments in the team. Musicians canceled their tour because of him!
Although the band achieved considerable success, introducing many innovations to the world of rock – both in terms of notes, record sales and cooperation with labels – it was not without problems. Swans consisted of good musicians, refined details and a brilliant frontman. It was said that if it weren’t for Gira, there would be no Swans, but at the same time, if it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be any of their problems. The band gained extremely controversial opinions, all thanks to Michael’s scandals.
The singer had many problems already in his childhood, which you can learn about, among others: from the book “Swans. Sacrifice and transcendence”. As a young boy, he became addicted to illegal substances and later fled halfway around the world, only to end up in prison. When the Swans were formed, his old problems were still there, which affected his work in the team. Gira argued with everyone and about everything, he was domineering and could cause instrumentalists working with him to quit the tour overnight. He took it out on his musicians, but despite this, listeners still focus mainly on his musical intelligence and vision.
After several years of activity, the Swans band broke up. Reactivation took place only in 2010.
Just after the release of the double album in 1996 “Soundtracks for the Blind” The Swans band broke up. Several musicians, including Michael Gira, founded a separate project Angels of Lightand Jarboe focused on her solo career. Paradoxically, the popularity of Swans itself began to grow even more. The group became an inspiration for many experimental, noise, post-rock and gothic artists.
In January 2010, there was a great breakthrough – Gira announced the reactivation of Swans, right after he felt inspired and wanted to revive the former formation during one of his new group’s concerts. Jarboe did not decide to return, but the former guitarist returned to the band – Norman Westberg. In the fall of 2010, the band released an album to fans “My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky”which was a symbol of the opening of a new stage of Swans’ activities.
After returning to the stage, Swans released a few more albums
After their return, Swans hit the top again, releasing further appreciated albums: “The Seer” in 2012, “To Be Kind” in 2014, “The Glowing Man” in 2016 or “The Beggar” in 2023. Their sound continued to change – musicians began to combine trance-like, long compositions with noise, blues and even folk elements.
This year, Swans released their seventeenth self-titled album “Birthing”. They went on a tour with him, which is supposed to be a farewell to the “large spectacles” format that the rockers have performed since their reactivation. According to foreign media, Gira announces that the group will continue its activities after the tour, but with a smaller line-up than before.
Swans have performed in Poland many times! On November 25, 2025, a concert took place in Warsaw
Swans’ music gains a lot during concerts and live reception, and Polish fans of the group have had the opportunity to participate in the performances of the American band many times. Already in 2010, shortly after reactivation, the musicians played in Wrocław, and two years later they appeared at the OFF Festival. The following year they performed in Poland twice – in the Kwadrat Club in Krakow and in the Stodola Club in Warsaw. Their last visit to our country was a show as part of the tour promoting the album “The Beggar” in 2024.
On November 25 this year, a rock group straight from America came to Poland again to perform at Stodoła in Warsaw. The stage featured compositions from the latest album, such as: “The Merge”but the musicians also did not forget about older songs such as “A Little God in My Hands” or unreleased songs, including: “The End of Forgetting”. She was a special guest of the concert Jessica Moss – respected Canadian violinist and composer.
This is what the Swans concert in Warsaw looked like: