Swim School

On Friday, 7th November, the brilliant rock band Swim School played Sidney & Matilda in Sheffield. I sat down with the band before the show to discuss the tour so far and their debut album, released at the end of October.

How has the tour been so far?
Alice: Really, really fun. I think there’s always this curse where the first night of tour is always the worst one — things always go wrong, it’s just the typical thing. But for Newcastle, it was amazing from the start.

It was rammed, really busy. We’re playing bigger rooms this time around, and it just feels a lot cooler to be in these bigger spaces — even tonight in Sheffield.

A highlight of the set has to be playing “On & On”, because the crowd just sang the chorus back to us, and it felt really, really good.

What’s the reception been like for the album so far?
Alice: The day it came out, that Friday morning, our phones just didn’t stop going off. Then we had the in-store events as well — we did Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Liverpool, Bury, and a signing in Newcastle.
Just seeing all these people turning up with our vinyl and album — something we’ve worked so hard on, spent so much time on, with lots of sleepless nights — it just feels so cool.

People love it, and all the feedback so far has been more than we ever expected. It’s just been through the roof, and it’s been amazing.

Was there any particular reason why you released a deluxe album with two different sides?
Lee: In the run-up to the album release, there were quite a lot of people on Twitter asking if any of the older songs would be included. Obviously, there was a whole batch of new songs too.

So, the deluxe album is for the people who wanted the older tracks as well — that way, they can listen to the full catalogue, not just the new songs separate from the old ones.

What are you most excited about tonight in Sheffield?
Alice: I think it’s going to be sick. We’ve got loads of our die-hard fans coming, which is mental — a lot of them are travelling with us.

I think the fact that our music can bring us down here, far from home, and people are still buying tickets and coming along — it’s just mental.

Is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to for the rest of the tour?
Alice: Definitely going to Europe — places I’ve never been to before. I’ve never been to Belfast, Cologne, Antwerp… I’ve only been to Paris once when I was young.

I think it’s that thought again — that your music is literally taking you across the world.