Tonight: Swans w/Xiu Xiu
“Bring earplugs.” This advice, from your friendly neighborhood buffaBLOG editor-in-chief, isn’t just a gentle suggestion. Noise rockers Swans swoop into the 716 tonight, touring for their latest studio album, the critically acclaimed To Be Kind, and it’s going to be loud. Intensely, insanely loud. Frontman Michael Gira, who describes their shows as “soul-uplifting and body-destroying,” has actually dialed back on his stage presence since the band reformed in 2010, but he hasn’t turned the volume down, and he just might turn the air conditioning in the venue off before they go onstage. He likens this experience to one of a Native American sweat lodge, so if you want to get spiritually sweaty, this is the show for you. Formed in 1982, Swans were a staple of the New York no wave scene, and one of the only bands to maintain a long-term presence. They disbanded in 1997, and after a[...]