If you are a sound engineer and still chat shit and talk down to female artists, one can only wonder how you still have a job? And what the fuck is going on with that ponytail and Lynx Africa combo ?
Alice Johnson from Edinburgh’s swim school has used her own experiences of misogyny in the music industry (which is still endemic at every level, from your cosy grassroots venues all the way up to your cavernous arenas ) to write a new single in the form of “Delirious “ and challenge and ridicule that small d**k energy. It’s probably the band’s (who are now a 3-piece) heaviest-sounding song since 2021’s epic “Let Me Inside Your Head “.
“2022 was our busiest year yet, we travelled the whole of the UK playing new venues and meeting new sound engineers, but not every encounter was good,” explains Alice. “I experienced a lot of sexism and a distinct lack of respect when it came to working with the majority of male engineers; constantly being patronised and led to feel as though I wasn’t good enough, Instead of letting it get to me, I wrote ‘Delirious’, a reminder that insecurities are at the root of sexism. The lyrics are very tongue in cheek, almost making a laughing stock of the person who is being misogynistic.”
As you might expect it’s a song that froths with energy and anger, with seething guitars and relentless percussion, it’s a sonic f**k you to the sexism Johnson has encountered and it ends so abruptly you’d be forgiven for thinking a sound guy had cut the feed.!
The track is from swim school’s eagerly awaited second EP Duality, out on 2nd June via LAB Records.
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Read my 2021 interview with swim school from 2021 for Under the Radar HERE
swim school live dates:
1st February – Voodoos, Norwich
3rd February – Heartbreakers, Southampton
4th February – Audio Active, Worthing
5th February – Corporation Room 3, Sheffield
9th April – YES, Manchester (w/ softcult)
10th April – Bodega, Nottingham (w/ softcult)
11th April – Prince Albert, Brighton (w/ softcult)
13th April – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff (w/ softcult)
14th April – Omeara, London (w/ softcult)
17th April – Blue Shell, Cologne DE (w/ softcult)
18th April – Turmzimmer, Hamburg DE (w/ softcult)
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