One of the original US shoegaze bands, Swirlies have been making beautiful noise for over 30 years. The band recently were going through their archives and found a tape with footage from their 1995 show at legendary East Village indie rock club Brownies. Guitarist Damon Tutunjian sets the scene:

This is “Upstairs” from our show at Brownies on May 27, 1995. A club we seemed to play once a month back then (was it our Boston Tea Party?). We were a Damon, Christina, Andy, and Anthony arrangement at this show, which occurred right smack in the middle of our two-year, multi-city recording adventure for the “They Spent their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons” LP.

You can watch “Upstairs” below.

Swirlies will be on tour in July — their first shows in five years and first since the death of guitarist Rob Laakso — which have them out with Frankie Rose, making for a great double bill. That run of Northeast shows wraps up at Le Poisson Rouge on 7/23 with a lineup that also includes w0rmh0les and a DJ set from Nothing. Tickets are still available.

Of the LPR show, Swirlies say: “Much has changed in the intervening 28 years (note Damon’s brief ‘shaggy hair’ and ‘no shorts’ period), but Damon will still be playing a jag into his ‘Cost-l-ey’ (sic) pedal into a MusicMan through his Randall snakeskin cabinet, and Andy will still wander sullenly over to the CS-50 to make loud noises from time to time. Adam and Deb, both Swirlies since the late 1990s will also be with us, as well as Elliot from Obscure Son/You’re Jovian. And, as a special bonus, former Swirlie Christina Files will be joining us at LPR as w0rmh0les. Maybe we’ll even be able to enlist her to join in on a song. Who knows… ‘Sneaky Flutes Foreva!’

All dates are listed below.

Swirlies / Frankie Rose – 2023 Tour Dates
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 Portland ME SPACE
Thursday, July 20, 2023 Easthampton MA Daily Operation
Friday, July 21, 2023 Somerville MA NICE, a Fest
Saturday, July 22, 2023 Hamden CT Space Ballroom
Sunday, July 23, 2023 New York NY Le Poisson Rouge