I don’t know Los Angeles personally, but God, do I hate it after tonight. Oakland quartet SWMRS (pronounced “swimmers”) played to a small crowd of about 40 people at Zaphod Beeblebrox in Ottawa, all of whom were screaming: “I HATE L.A.” by the last song, aptly named “I Hate Los Angeles.”
SWMRS are touring North America and the United Kingdom in support of their first feature-length album Drive North, which was produced by FIDLAR’s Zack Carper. If you’re a fan of the Los Angeles skate punk band, then SWMRS has a comparable raw, stripped-down sound.
The album title references the band’s love of their hometown of Oakland, which is north of Los Angeles. Much like Canada, the best places are north, according to SWMRS. They were chatty with the Canadian crowd, talking politics, the expected weather-related banter, and offering loads of appreciation for the small crowd’s enthusiasm. At one point, singer Cole Becker told the crowd, “You guys make us feel like we’re playing an arena.” D’awww.
While SWMRS might hate L.A., they love Miley Cyrus. In fact, she is their “punk rock queen.” They performed their latest single “Miley” right in the middle of the set, and all 40 or so millennials took off, jumping halfway to the concrete ceiling and back along to their California surf rock.
Much of the hype around SWMRS has been the fact that drummer Joey Armstrong is the son of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, who helped produce their early EPs. This has garnered them much comparison to Green Day. But SWMRS is nothing like Green Day. Joey is a talented musician in his own right, stunning the crowd with a drum solo that would have Buddy Rich tapping along in his grave.
If you’re a Miley lover who can appreciate a good Weezer cover, SWMRS is well worth the $10. I highly recommend music fans take a load off and take it out on L.A. for a night.
