Previously known as Shake Appeal, Swervedriver formed in Oxford in 1989 around Adam Franklin (vocals and guitars), Jimmy Hartridge (lead guitar) and Adrian Vines (bass) who moved to London from Essex, Oxfordshire and Yorkshire respectively and linked up with Graham Bonnar (drums).
Their sound changed from Stooges-style grunge rock to a more contemporary American stylisation – and an apparent lyrical obsession with highways, pick-up trucks and all things mid-Western.
Between 1989 and 1998, the band released four studio albums and numerous EPs and singles and by 1993 had a lineup of Franklin, Hartridge, Jez Hindmarsh (drums), and Steve George (bass).
They reached #63 in the UK charts with their third EP, Sandblasted.
The band reunited in 2008 for touring purposes. They released their first new single in fifteen years in September 2013 and their first full-length album in seventeen years in March 2015
Adam Franklin
Vocals, guitar
Jimmy Hartridge
Guitar
Adrian ‘Adi’ Vines
Bass
Graham Bonnar
Drums
Steve George
Bass
Jez Hindmarsh
Drums