Biopic about American post-punk / noise / experimental act Swans, ‘Where Does a Body End?’ – watch the trailer
As new addition to its list of programs, The Pit VOD platform presents “Where Does a Body End?”, a 2019 Canadian documentary directed by Marco Porsia about the American experimental act Swans. The film had its premiere on May 3, 2019, at the IndieLisboa Film Festival in Portugal and was released worldwide on September 11, 2020 before to land on the plaform in a two-parts version.
You can watch the official trailer of “Where Does a Body End?” right below.
“Where Does a Body End?” is an intimate portrait of the band Swans, from their roots as a brutal, confrontational post-punk band that emerged from the same early 1980s era NYC that gave us Sonic Youth and other acts. The biopic also includes the breakups and chaos (on and offstage), in short you get the full monty.
Swans was formed in 1982 by singer / songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. One of the few acts to emerge from the New York City-based no wave scene and stay intact into the next decade, Swans had an ever-changing sound, exploring genres such as noise rock, post-punk, industrial and post-rock. Initially, their music was known for its sonic brutality and misanthropic lyrics. Following the addition of singer, songwriter and keyboardist Jarboe in 1986, Swans began to incorporate melody and intricacy into their music. Jarboe remained the band’s only constant member except Gira and semi-constant guitarist Norman Westberg until their dissolution in 1997.
In 2010, Gira re-formed the band without Jarboe, establishing a stable lineup of musicians which has toured worldwide and released four albums. This iteration of the group performed its last shows in November 2017, ending the tour in support of its final album “The Glowing Man”. Since 2019, Gira has been touring and recording with Swans as “a revolving cast of contributors”. The band’s latest album, “The Beggar”, will be released on June 23, 2023.
Since 1990, all Swans records have been released through Gira’s own label, Young God Records.
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