SPILL LIVE REVIEW: SWANS @ THE PHOENIX CONCERT THREATRE, TORONTO

SWANS

@ THE PHOENIX CONCERT THREATRE, TORONTO

OCTOBER 3, 2025

Legendary experimental rock outfit Swans is renowned for their relentless intensity, pushing the boundaries of noise, and for the sheer force of their live performances. In 2025, they returned to the stage in support of Birthing, an album that signals the close of their infamous “wall of sound” era, a chapter that began with the band’s resurrection 15 years ago.

The band opened with the 30-min behemoth “The End Of Forgetting,” a perfect song to set the tone. Michael Gira began alone, sparsely strumming his acoustic guitar. As the tension grew, the rest of the band joined in, layering texture and depth and beginning a descent into madness. Needless to say, the crowd was now fully warmed up and ready for more.

“The Merge” was next, and it too unfolded like a slow-building hurricane before erupting into a massive wave of noise. Gira stood on stage acting as a maestro to the rest of the band. Looking extremely manic, he stumbled around, fixed in a trance, his movements were deliberate and almost ritualistic as he pointed and gestured at band members, signalling shifts in the song’s tempo. The audience ate this up; they wanted to be involved. Gira wasn’t just conducting his band, he was conducting the audience’s energy and movements as well.

A major highlight of the set was when the band played “A Little God in My Hands,” one of their most popular songs and one that isn’t heard live by them very often. Experiencing this number live felt like a completely different beast compared to the studio version. That muscular baseline, which is already a standout on the album, snarled and pulsed with more primal aggression than usual; you could feel it through your entire body.

It’s impossible not to mention Christopher Pravdica’s incredible bass work throughout the night. It was a propulsive force from start to finish; loud, abrasive, and perfectly timed, cutting through the storm of blistering guitars and providing one of the foundational pillars of every performance. The relentless sound of his bass playing echoed off the walls and shook the room.

The group finished the night off with the song “Newly Sentient Being.” The song’s hypnotic groove and unshakable tension pulled the audience deeper into the brooding atmosphere as Gira’s voice hovered over the track like a sermon. It all made for a very grandiose ending to the night, as the final notes faded into silence, the band left the stage unceremoniously, leaving the audience stunned. Even those who wore earplugs came out of this forever changed.

(Photography by Cory Barter)

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