Biography
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Years Active
1980 – present (44 years)
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Founded In
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom
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Members
- Alan Wills
- Ged Quinn
- Jeremy Kelly
- Paul Simpson
The Wild Swans are a band from Liverpool, England formed in 1980 by Paul Simpson (vocals) shortly after he left The Teardrop Explodes, first recruiting James Weston (bass), Justin Stavely (drums), ex-Teardrop Ged Quinn (keyboards) and ex-Systems Jerry Kelly (guitar). A year later, with Rolo McGinty now guesting on bass and Bunnyman Pete DeFreitas replacing Stavely on drums, they released the single "The Revolutionary Spirit" on Liverpool's Zoo label.
The original line-up of The Wild Swans recorded two sessions for the BBC, including one of those chosen by John Peel to begin the Strange Fruit releases several years later, and did a few live shows which included supporting The Teardrop Explodes at the infamous Club Zoo in Liverpool during March 1981. This was immediately followed by a full UK tour supporting Echo and The Bunnymen.
The band split in 1982 , but reformed in 1986 with new member Joseph Fearon on bass. After recording a new Radio 1 session for long-time supporter Janice Long, they went on to sign a two album deal with Sire Records. The band's debut album, Bringing Home The Ashes, was released in 1988 and, after Kelly's departure, Simpson and Fearon released the follow-up LP Space Flower in 1989, disbanding for a second time shortly after.
In the summer of 2007, Simpson began writing and demoing a new Wild Swans album. The band's latest single "English Electric Lightning" was released via Occultation Records in March 2009. They also played two reunion gigs in Liverpool for which the line-up was augmented by Ricky Maymi of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Henry Priestman, Les Pattinson and Will Sergeant, while the band's current line-up comprises Simpson (vocals/bass), Ged Quinn (keyboards), Mike Mooney (guitar), Ricky Rene Maymi (bass/electric 12 string guitar) and Steve Beswick (drums).
Enjoying a degree of success and/or cult status in the USA, Germany, UK, Japan, and especially the Philippines, The Wild Swans also spawned two interesting splinter projects; Care and The Lotus Eaters. As the parent outfit, The Wild Swans remained the cornerstone and historically, will probably be remembered as the most revered and influential of the three projects.
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