Shoegazers Swervedriver dropped a new EP, The World’s Fair, and then recently performed live at Black Cat on The World’s Fair Tour! Nalinee Darmong was there to photograph the show.
The following article is adapted from a press release.
Following the release of The World’s Fair EP via Outer Battery Records, Swervedriver embarked on a North American tour that included a stop at Black Cat in DC on April 22. At Black Cat, Swervedriver played three of the four EP’s songs, pacing “Volume Control,” “The World’s Fair,” and “Pack Yr Vision” into the set.
Watch an official visualizer for “The World’s Fair” by Swervedriver on YouTube:
Following the recent reissue of Swervedriver’s celebrated 99th Dream, along with last year’s essential outtakes/demos package Doremi Faso Latido, the band partnered up with Outer Battery Records once again for the release of their brand-new EP, The World’s Fair.
“We haven’t really done an EP since our days with Creation,” explains guitarist/vocalist Adam Franklin. “I have no idea why it was the done thing back then, but it was a cool way to present your music with no sort of commitment to direction. You could just go off on one on any song if you wanted, and that’s what we wanted to do again here. I’ve always consumed music via singles anyway and was always partial to a good B-side or three.”
Finding Swervedriver back at their inimitable best The World’s Fair EP offers up a clutch of original songs for the first time since the release of 2018’s Future Ruins. No hard-sell, no grand concepts, just pure joyous rock leading the charge with a dizzying sonic assault on the senses, that piles trademark Swervedriver guitars atop of lush psychedelic overtones.
Here are some photos of Swervedrive performing live at Black Cat on April 22, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Nalinee Darmrong.
