Swimming

Swimming is a five-piece art-rock band from Nottingham, England, formed in 2004. The group consists of singer and guitarist John Sampson, his brother Peter Sampson, who performs on drums and vocals as The Petebox, Joff Spittlehouse on guitars, Blake Pearson on bass, and Sam Potter on samplers and keyboards; Potter is also associated with Late of the Pier. The band is signed to Tummy Touch Records.

Early recordings and first releases

The band begins by making a series of ambient electronic post-rock recordings on minidisc and cassette for friends. Its first official release is the Pacific Title EP, issued in 2006 on Brighton label Izumi Records. After that release, the band goes on hiatus while John Sampson records and tours as keyboard player with Amusement Parks On Fire.

2008 to 2010

A second EP, Primary, appears on Izumi Records in 2008. The band also releases the singles “Panthalassa” and “Tigershark”, which receive national airplay on BBC Radio 1 and XFM and are played heavily on NME Radio. During this period Swimming supports Chairlift, Pivot and Shearwater, and plays its first festival dates at Glastonbury and Dot to Dot Festival 2008, where it performs a world-first fully binaural, headphone-only show with sonic artist Dallas Simpson.

Albums and label work

The band’s self-produced debut album, The Fireflow Trade, is released in 2009 on its own label, Colourschool Records. The album attracts comparisons to a wide range of other artists in the press and appears in several end-of-year lists, including number 21 in The Fly magazine. In October 2010, Swimming tours Europe and signs to Tim “Love” Lee’s Tummy Touch Records.

Ecstatics International and later work

“Sun In The Island” is the first single from the band’s second full-length album, Ecstatics International, and is chosen as the first release on East Village Radio’s singles club, EVRRecords. The album is released in the UK through Tummy Touch Records in 2011 and is listed by Clash magazine among the year’s best debut albums. Swimming also works with Dallas Simpson on a series of binaural live recordings and performances, often presented as headphone-only experiences.

Film and performance

In 2011, the band makes a short documentary with director Simon Ellis called Swimming: Beach, which premieres at the 8th Berlin International Directors Lounge in 2012. The group records in outdoor settings to suit the songs it is working on, and gives selected performances in cinemas, art spaces, festivals and other venues. Its unusual live setup also draws the attention of Sound On Sound magazine.