Once upon a time in Pickering, Ontario, there were four teens who formed a punk band at the hey day of some of Toronto’s best such as Teenage Head, The Diodes, and Battered Wives. Swindled lasted from 1979 to 1982, replacing their original drummer along the way, and put out a 7″ vinyl single before imploding. Sounds like it could be any local garage band, right?
Except who’d have thought that they’d be back almost 30 years later. At a January tribute to my friend and fellow music history buff and author, veteran guitarist and solo artist in his own right Jaimie Vernon, Swindled performed for the first time in years, with singer Ivan Judd and bassist Tim James, but minus either of the original drummers, so consummate local session musician Cleave Anderson (Blue Rodeo among others) stepped behind the drums. The group easily performed a dozen songs in a half hour (since a three minute song to them is long!) and was so well received by the audience that this was not to be a one-time-only gig. So the band performed a live session on University of Toronto radio station CIUT-FM, which turned out so promising that it led to the release of their debut album It’s only peace that you want…It’s only war that you get!
Now having been predisposed to some of these songs over the years through numerous other bands featuring Jaimie and/or Ivan, I’m pleased that all of this has been preserved on disc, and that the band is performing additional shows this summer. On July 22 they performed at Toronto club Bovine Sex Club… with two other similar bands, which made for an energetic and fast-paced evening. The Swindled members lived through the original punk scene, and over the years have since become terrific performers and musicians, but it’s not exactly as if The Ramones or Teenage Head have received the spit and polished treatment – there are fortunately still many spit stains! Their songs are all original, many (if not all) written in the late 70’s or early 80’s, and they still sound fresh even though time has placed some of the lyrical content way back when, particularly in songs like “Nazi Dog” (a reference to a Toronto punk singer of the late 70’s) and “Aunti-Thatcher”.
The band re-recorded their first single “Who Wants Guns”, along with its better and more timeless B-side “Hymn #84”, for inclusion along with their originals, which still sound surprisingly gritty and survived the transfer to disc. I also enjoy the swagger and sneer of “Meantime”, “Possession”, and “Apathy Rules”. Three original demos are also included in the package for historical and curiosity value.
Bigger, better, older, wiser? Perhaps but the only way to judge is to check out the album which is available on iTunes, Amazon, or through Bullseye Canada – or, check out an upcoming show (if you’re in the Toronto area, a show is happening sometime in August in Oshawa, about a half hour east). Find out more about Swindled through their Facebook pages. You can watch a video of their performance of “Who Wants Guns” below at their reunion show earlier this year.
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