"Fast Train" press release

The Swaps announce Fast Train — a bold reinvention of folk-blues

Leamington Spa, 16 July 2025 – UK trio The Swaps return this summer with Fast Train, their first studio album as a three-piece, and their most intimate and emotionally resonant recording to date. Released by Stingo Records on 13 August as CD and digital download, the record will arrive on streaming platforms later this year. 

After slimming down from a five-piece electric band to a stripped-back acoustic trio, The Swaps have emerged with a distinctive new sound: open, naturally rhythmic and quietly bold. Built around the soul-drenched voice of Beth Brooks and the interweaving acoustic guitars of James Knight and Adam Phillips, Fast Train explores themes of loss, longing, dreams, and the complexities of navigating the modern world. The songs were recorded live to capture the magic of three humans making music in a space together, and then enhanced with subtle layers of synth, piano, bass, voice and percussion.

The band have a large and fiercely loyal following in their hometown. They host a monthly Blues Club at Leamington’s legendary Temperance, one of the UK’s most prestigious small venues. Blues Club sells out months in advance as soon as tickets go on sale. Guests at the club have included members of The Specials and Dr. Feelgood as well as folk and blues stars like Tim Edey and Stevie Watts. Building on this local success, The Swaps are now starting to earn national recognition, thanks in part to their five nominations in the 2025 UK Blues Awards — a clear sign that their new acoustic direction is striking a chord far beyond the Midlands.

“All three of us are songwriters and while we didn’t talk about it beforehand we all seemed to be asking the same question. How do you find your way in a world that throws so much at you: love and loss, planetary collapse and personal joy, mental distress and optimism,” says James Knight. “We love all kinds of blues but feel that it’s too easy to fall into tired cliches. There’s so much more you can do with the inherent drama of the form.”

Musically, Fast Train has one foot in the blues and the other in the singer-songwriter folk of Nick Drake and Paul Simon, while in Beth’s voice you can hear hints of Aretha and Annie Lennox. It’s a beguiling, soulful mixture brought together by quietly modern production, shifting between bare acoustic intimacy and dreamlike sonic textures.

From the quiet drama of “Echoes” and title track “Fast Train”, to the layered ambience of “Shadows” and “Wolf,” to the skipping groove of “Scars” and the poppy hooks of “All You Do” and “Sweetheart”, Fast Train combines emotional depth with musical invention.

This is folk-blues for the modern day— rooted in tradition, reaching forward, and resonating now.

The Swaps are supporting Fast Train with a series of UK live shows in the second half of this year. See https://theswaps.co.uk/live for details.

Fast Train by The Swaps

Available 13 August 2025 – CD & Digital Download via www.theswaps.co.uk

Streaming release: later in 2025

Track list:

1. Spain

2. Fish

3. Sweetheart

4. Echoes

5. Shadows

6. Fast Train

7. Scars

8. Nothing

9. All You Do

10. Wolf

"Swaps Live" press release

New album: SWAPS LIVE

Leamington Spa, 15 November 2024 — The Swaps have just released their first live album, an eight song collection recorded at the 2024 Upton Blues Festival. With a mixture of brand new material and older favourites, the record captures a band leaning into the dynamic range and excitement of their new life as an acoustic trio.

The Swaps build most of their music around the jaw-dropping vocals of Beth Brooks and the instinctive guitar interplay of James Knight and Adam Phillips. All three are songwriters, which perhaps explains the variety and exceptional quality of the material on “SWAPS LIVE”. The eight original tracks range from the melancholy “Wolf”, where James wrestles with loss, to the raucous “Negativity”, which showcases Adam’s spectacular country-blues picking. “Sweetheart” is a Beth Brooks composition that has already been chosen as single of the week by local BBC radio; it’s a yearning, turbulent song that pushes her extraordinary voice into a raw, emotional place.

The Swaps are a lot of people’s favourite unknown band. But it seems that the secret is getting out.

“SWAPS LIVE” is available now on Bandcamp, and will be released on streaming services in December. Physical CDs are available through Bandcamp and through the band’s website. Or if you are in the Leamington area, you can pop into Temperance café-bar and buy one at the counter there.

About The Swaps

The Swaps are Beth Brooks (vocals), James Knight (guitar and vocals), and Adam Phillips (guitar). They have been honing their blend of blues, folk, pop and soul for many years in different line-ups, before consolidating into today’s acoustic trio. The band hosts the regular “Blues Club” at Temperance in Leamington Spa. This sells out months in advance and features The Swaps plus guests that have included some of the biggest names on the British blues scene.

Swaps Live at Upton Blues Festival 2024. Recorded live by Mu-Mu Audio, mixed and mastered by Andie Thompson at Gighouse Recording Studios. A Stingo production

For more information, interviews, or press materials, please contact: theswaps@gmail.com

Website: www.theswaps.co.uk
Bandcamp: www.theswaps.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-upton-2024
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theswaps
Instagram: @the_swaps
Temperance (Blues Club every second Wednesday of the month): http://www.temperance.bar

The Swaps are part of the Stingo Collective, www.stingo.org