Swim Deep’s new material fully flicks with Reading 2015 crowd

Since the start of 2015, Swim Deep haven’t just been trying to convince cynics that they’ve properly changed, shifting from hazy youthful cuts to driven krautrock stormers. Then there’s the tougher task - keeping fans on board.

Since ‘To My Brother’ dropped in January, it’s been something of an uphill struggle to keep everyone on side. When an eight-minute stormer like ‘Fuelho Boogie’ is suddenly lumped into a set made up of old material - it has every chance of going down like a lead balloon.

This evening’s set at Reading is the first time - truthfully - that everything falls into place. New cuts hold pace with old favourites, and a positive response to these shamelessly weird songs is tangible. ‘Namaste’’s closing scream is met with rapture, and ‘One Great Song and I Could Change the World’ lives up to its big intentions. Austin Williams is beaming, bouncing off the walls at the response, and there’s even space for one remarkable cameo: A special guest dancer who spins in circles for the entirety of ‘Fuelho Boogie’. It’s beyond bonkers, but that’s exactly what Swim Deep are these days - and people are finally accepting it.