Swans @ The Ritz, Manchester, 9 Oct

Swans aren’t a band that come out and play the hits. The last 30 years have seen them push genre boundaries and explore countless styles – noise rock, drone, no wave – making their back catalog nearly as intimidating as the wall of Mesa amps stacked onstage.  

His back to the crowd, Michael Gira sways with the atonal drone of The Knot, an unreleased song with its roots in another track, No Words / No Thoughts from 2010's My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky. The 40-minute opener sets the tone for the whole set; swelling layers that build in volume to a point of almost unbearable tension before crashing down into a stomping, locked-in groove.

Gira’s vocals roll out in waves, more instrumental than lyrical. In fact, the first clear words he says are directed to the lighting technician, imploring him to "keep the fucking spotlight on the words." They follow this with Screen Shot, its hammering riff drawing the crowd in as an exciting counterpoint to the more unstructured intro. It’s also the shortest song of the night, clocking in at a mere ten minutes.

But Swans really come into their own during The Cloud of Unknowing. Unrestricted by the confines of a record, the song takes on a new life in this live setting. The growing layers of sound have an orchestral effect with Gira playing the conductor, leading the band with swirling arms and stomping feet. Eyes closed, he raises his shaking hands to the sky like a Pentecostal preacher while the band strangle single chords for minutes on end to wring out every sound they can find. Although some of the subtleties are drowned out in favour of sheer volume, other sections are brought to the forefront, especially Christoph Hahn’s screaming pedal steel guitar. 

Even after two and half hours of pummelling sound, the Ritz stays electrified. The music is heavy, the spirit is high, and our ears haven’t stopped ringing since.