It’s almost a social experiment and indeed an exciting experience. What will happen if you take the same band members from an already awesome band to start a new one? Only this time you play in a different formation. Shwuaen, the first band we invite for our Talent Recordings sessions, is not afraid to take a dive into the unknown and try something else. Even though they already have a name and quite a reputation.
Brother Ross, sister Amber MacLean and their friend Tom van Garderen are local legends in the Rotterdam alternative punk scene. Forbidden Wizards, where Tom plays the drums, Ross the bass guitar and Amber does the guitar and vocals, appears regularly in the lineup from festivals like Left of the Dial Rotterdam, Le Mini Who and Baroeg Open Air. They also were the support act for Amyl and the Sniffers (twice!). The band on stage became a guarantee for a raw and energetic show with their superfast “ritalin rock”.
And then the 3 band members decided it was time for something new: Shwuaen, with this time Ross on drums, Tom on the guitar, and Amber on the bass guitar and vocals. Phoenicopteridae, their debut EP, was released in May 2020. The songs from Shwuaen differ from the ones created with the Forbidden Wizards formation: slower, but also more intense and darker.
Why Shwuaen at The Talent Recordings?
Well, they are talented, obviously. And super creative, consistently trying to find new ways to create music and reinvent themselves. To our humble opinion Shwuaen represents the best of what’s going on in the heavy & alternative scenes of Rotterdam and The Netherlands. That’s why we open our Mojo Dojo for these soon-to-be punk legends.
We would like to thank Rabobank Rotterdam for the generous donation that made the recordings possible of Shwuaen and 4 other Rotterdam acts. Rabobank wants to support creative talent in The Netherlands and we are grateful they choose The Talent Recordings to do so.
Stay tuned for more news about release dates, Shwuaen and The Talent Recordings!
Photo header: Michiel de Wilde
