BIOGRAPHY
Swervedriver formed in Oxford in 1989 around Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, rounding out an early lineup with bassist Vynes and drummer Graham Bonner. A demo tape reached Creation Records boss Alan McGee, who signed the band immediately. Creation issued the Son of Mustang Ford and Rave Dawn EPs in 1990, both well reviewed even as the British press largely overlooked the band in favor of flashier peers. By 1993 the lineup had settled with Franklin, Hartridge, drummer Jez Hindmarsh and bassist Steve George. Their debut album Raise and follow-up Mezcal Head, home to the single Duel, both charted in the UK and showed a heavier, more rock-oriented sound than their shoegaze contemporaries. Label troubles and fading momentum led to a split at the end of 1998. The band reunited a decade later, returning with new material in 2013 and releasing I Wasn't Born to Lose You (2015) and Future Ruins (2019).