| "... let me rave about SWARM. These four highly creative, talented and personable musicians played to a sold out audience Saturday night and the show was held over for a matinee on Sunday. The humour made it so kids thoroughly enjoyed it, and the sheer high energy level kept everyone's eyes riveted to the stage. From toilet plungers to tea kettles, PVC tubing to oil cans, you just never knew what was going to be turned into a percussion instrument next as these four made everyone dizzy, spinning the instruments around the stage in some wild and crazy dance. It's been a while since I've seen something so innovative, fresh and crazy. What a score for the RCA to bring in this show. Well done." -Glenna Turnbull, Kelowna Capital News, April 16th, 2008. | ||
| "Taiko on steroids" -ArtStarts showcase panel 2003 | ||
| "The intensity and sonic power has to be seen to be believed!!!! " -Under the Volcano Music Festival 2001 | ||
| “It’s brash. It’s even a bit bonkers…Listen long enough to them (SWARM) and the STOMP comparisons are drowned out. SWARM is more musical, although trying to spot cultural touchstones of these musicians is near to impossible, even for them”. Peter Grainger, Reporter, CTV, Vancouver, BC. | ||
| SWARM is one of those rare acts that truly is for everyone. From the very young to the very old - you can't resist this group. They have created a very original show that is entertaining as well as highly artistic. The skill involved with the choreography and the execution of playing the instruments, not to mention the great music being created all works in a wonderful way. It is delightful for young folks yet isn't a kids show by any means. The experience of SWARM is immediate, vital and unforgettable. For anyone wanting to book a show that will be a season highlight for everyone in your audience - this is the show for you!" -Fiona Black, Director of Programming, Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre. | ||
| "The audience, from toddlers to senior citizens, was totally spellbound. The level of creativity, imagination, musicianship, choreography, and entertainment is unrivaled by anything I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot". - Filberg Festival 2003 -J.S. | ||
| "Employing physical theater and clowning techniques alongside actual choreography, they use the drums as a starting point to three-dimensionally involve percussion in a kinetic performance more closely aligned with the performance art movement of the 60's than with Taiko drumming, which it also resembles. The main difference is that these guys are just plain silly and having way to much fun." Andrea Rabinovith, Gulf Islands Driftwood, August 29, 2007 | ||
"...maybe the biggest crowd of the festival filled the outdoor cement structure of the downtown bus terminal for a dual concert featuring the worldbeat percussion ensemble SWARM, followed by the popular Calgary R&B band The Real Deal. From a jazz perspective SWARM proved more intriguing, with the four-member group putting on a highly improvised show as much about movement as the music they played on a wide range of unusual-looking drums. They extended their range by banging industrial hoses against the pavement, recruiting crowd members to clap and play various handheld percussion (sometimes while moving around in patterns resembling childhood games), and whatever else came to mind." -Mark Sabbatini, All about Jazz, June 30, 2005 |
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| "Dress-ed in orange jumpsuit's with rolling drums attached to hip harnesses, Swarm gyrated around the stage beating feverish rhythms and playing eerie wavering notes on their musical inventions. The "Long Strings" instrument- produces a tone that sounds like a thousand chanting voices and its harmonies sweep like waves through the audience." -Joshua Samuelsen, The Origon, April 8, 1998 | ||
| "Over the years there have been a number of attempts by local electronic music artists to bring together elements of live instruments and visuals. None has been as ambitious as the upcoming Winnipeg debut of Vancouver-based percussion troupe SWARM with local electronic outfit FLFK. Using highly unusual, one of a kind instruments made from recycled or found materials, SWARM's highly choreographed show, complete with full visuals, is part performance art, part extreme percussion routine - and one of the most unique shows you will see or hear. -Anthony Augustine, July 1 2004, Uptown Magazine | ||
| "In human form, Swarm consists of five trained and talented musicians... By the time their 90-minute show has ended, they have evoked the primitive, embodied the hip and reached out toward an almost extraterrestrial avant-garde." -By Lawrence Van Gelder, February 13, 1998, The New York Times | ||
| "SWARM is like taking taiko drumming, adapting it for the West, urbanizing it for the inner city, and playing on incredible sculpted instruments. They're made out of recycled material like exhaust pipe, plungers, and garbage cans. It's hard to believe all the energy these guys release, especially in kids." Terry Hunter, October 7, 2004 Producer of The Heart of the City Festival & Executive Director of Vancouver Moving Theather | ||
"Gary Grosvenor invited percussionists from SWARM to join the Swing Cats on stage for an improvised jam session. The two styles merged amazingly well, the powerful drums adding a unique, quasi-tropical flavor to the Cats' jazzy groove. For a moment, the downtown Parkade sounded like a full-blown Brazilian carnival"-Oliver Asselin, June 28, 2004, The Medicine Hat News |
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| "Very dynamic. Excellent work! Beautiful to listen to and to watch. High energy, great performance. Loved the movement of the marimba. Wow! Looks like you were having fun. Performance exposes kids to possibilities! Spectacular piece - great entertainment value. Great sounds, wonderful rhythms. Great choreography. Visually interesting. Good variety. Neat use of found materials. Look is far out - kids would love. Amazing carefully choreographed percussion. Fantastic coordination. Loved the energy and enthusiasm - very professional! Very entertaining and stimulating! Very creative! Very audience friendly! Excellent!! Great Intensity. Very “together” group. Very visually effective and appealing. Great stuff! Rhythmics and patterning complex and appealing - WOW! What fun! What energy. Awesome! Works well with any age!! Lots of sound and fury. Original and inventive - children will see their own possibilities. Great talent. I think the primary kids would love this! It’s all right to be different - to let creativity open new doors. Contemporary; fun" -Artsstarts Showcase Comments 2003 | ||
| " The two-set show revolved around their industrial-exotic-prehistoric instruments, which the group pounded, pushed, swatted, swung and occasionally plucked. Their chops in a surprising range of styles were well-rehearsed and completely in synch, even in the midst of tribal shouts and amazing props. The display culminated in a full-body armor Buddha worn by one S.W.A.R.M.er, which the others instantly fell on and hit in perfect time." -by David Weiss, DRUM! Magazine, June, 1998 |
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| "It is a visual extravaganza of deceptively simple sophistication. Playing gigantic instruments they've constructed themselves, they are never stationary, never silent...Swirling their huge drums around the floor, they leap, they chant; they bang their sticks on the floor demanding sound out of every available surface." -By Lyn Cockburn, Calgary Sun, November 14, 1996 | ||
| "Vancouver-based percussion troupe SWARM opened with a unique and refreshing production. From kitchenware to exhaust pipe hoses to artillery shells, the five member band amazed the audience with the variety and quality of sounds they were able to produce with instruments made of recycled materials. The percussionists took over the dance floor, running and jumping around as they switched instruments, sending wheel-mounted drums across the venue. A four player xylophone and a plastic symphony were only a few of the tricks the group pulled out. SWARM had the audience smiling throughout the show, with even a few comic moments involving splashing water and toilet plungers. "The energy was fantastic. Just an incredible show," said Duncan Dyler after the first part of the evening. "I saw these guys play in the street and I just had to come down (tonight)" he explained. "The way these guys play those radiator hoses is very cool," said Mad Hatter, Andy Christie." -Oliver Asselin, June 28, 2004, The Medicine Hat News | ||