BANDS IN THE BOROUGHS: UP CLOSE WITH THE SWAY
There’s something particularly fitting about seeing The Sway squeezed onto the tiny stage in the basement of The Jacaranda.
Moments before they begin, the Liverpool five-piece are barely distinguishable from the crowd around them, mingling with friends and fans in a room already packed wall-to-wall.
Then, almost without ceremony, they step onto the stage, pick up their instruments and start playing.
It’s a small moment, but one that captures the feeling of the night. There is little separation between The Sway and the people who have come to see them. The basement is hot, packed and electric, with bodies filling almost every bit of available space. People sing along, shout back at the band and cheer between songs, the energy of the crowd bouncing straight back onto the stage.
The Sway seem to thrive in it. There isn’t exactly much room for five people to move up there, but they find it anyway, bouncing off one another with a playful energy that makes the performance feel loose and instinctive. It feels less like watching something happening at the other end of a room and more like being caught up in it.
There are few rooms in Liverpool quite like The Jacaranda basement. Small, low-ceilinged and unapologetically intimate, a packed-out night downstairs puts artists almost on top of their audience. On Wednesday, that closeness works firmly in The Sway’s favour.
For the five-piece, the night comes amid a period of growing momentum. Having previously shared stages with the likes of The Lathums, The Reytons and Jamie Webster, The Sway have spent the past few years steadily building their own catalogue and audience. Their early EPs Sunshine Seekers and Days Lost or Happily Wasted established their melodic take on rock and roll, driven by the different perspectives of three songwriters within the band.
Last year brought singles In Season and I Don’t Mind, alongside the six-track live EP The Sway Live at the Arch. In March, they returned with their latest single Arrival, continuing a run that has taken them onto increasingly significant stages in 2026.
This summer has included appearances at Liverpool Sound City and the Isle of Wight Festival, while September will see the band head out of Liverpool for headline dates at Manchester’s Deaf Institute and London’s Dingwalls.
Yet, for all that forward movement, there is something satisfying about seeing The Sway in a room this small, surrounded by people who already know the words. Supported by Dr Orange and Pocket, the night has the closeness and spontaneity that grassroots venues can offer at their best.
For The Sway, that was quite literal. One minute they were standing amongst everyone else. The next, they were on stage.
Words: Kieran Irvine
Photos: NameIsBeau
