Adam Franklin spent the 1990s as singer, guitarist and main songwriter for London-based Swervedriver, Creation Records rock'n'roll band. Were they 'dream pop'? Were they 'shoegrunge'? Go listen to them playing live and shuffle the words "dream", "grunge", "pop", "shoe" and "merangue" to your own taste. Certainly their heavy melodies incorporated traces of The Stooges, the Velvet Underground, Husker Du and Sonic Youth. Live shows were known for being loud and hypnotic with soaring, hook-laden tunes about UFOs and driving through the desert in the middle of the night etc blah blah.
Since Swervedriver 'went into orbit' in 1999, Adam has taken in a number of different stylings on six releases under the name Toshack
Highway and one appearance on compilation album as Adam Franklin. Sometimes a full band sound with acoustic/electric guitars, electric keyboards and bubbly moogs played through guitar effects pedals - somebody described the first album as 'Spacefolk', there's a couple more words to throw in the air - sometimes a much more back to basics affair, just Adam on his own playing simple melodic pop songs accompanied by the warm glow of the compression of the tape machine, sometimes a little electronic and sometimes a little bit psychedelic, a little bit country, a little bit rock'n'roll. You know, whatever.. Just take a listen .
A seventh release, a full-length album called Bolts of Melody, will be released early in the new year - honest!Discography
Toshack Highway (full length album)
(Catapult / Flower Shop 2000),
Everyday, Rock'n'Roll Is Saving My Life EP (four track EP)
(Space Baby 2001),Magnetic Morning / Aspirin Age (split album with Sianspheric)
(Sonic Unyon 2003),A Houseguest's Wish (one song on Wire tribute album as Adam Franklin)
(Words On Music 2004),Everyday, Rock'n'Roll Is Saving My Life Vol. 2 (full length album of outtakes, demos, live etc)
(SWD 2005),Birdsong EP (four song downloadable EP)
(Shifty Disco 2006),Syds Eye's / Silver Freight Train 7" (seven inch vinyl)
(Blackmountain Music 2006)
