Swirl

Since their inception in the early nineties Swirl built a reputation for ethereal, melodic pop. The band released a string of early EPs on the Half A Cow label which culminated with the 1994 release of 'The Last Unicorn' album on Mercury/Half A Cow. This was followed with widespread touring including two tours of the States with releases on the New York based Dirt Records. Late 1996 saw the release of the 'On My Own' EP which like its predecessor 'The Last Unicorn' received strong critical acclaim and national airplay on JJJ as well as on the American College Network.

Late 1996 saw the release of the 'On My Own' EP which like its predecessor 'The Last Unicorn' received strong critical acclaim and national airplay on JJJ as well as on the American College Network.

1997 was a time of transition for the band with the amicable departure of Nicola Schulz (vocals, bass) and the addition of two new members Richard Anderson (bass, keyboards) and Keira Hodgkison (vocals, guitar). The resulting lineup unleashed a wave of creative energy enabling the band to reinvent and redefine itself whilst still retaining its distinctive sound.

This metamorphosis saw the band shed its indie tag and transform itself into a lush and sophisticated pop band. Finely honed songwriting skills are evident in the creative partnership between Ben Aylward and Keira Hodgkison and have inspired a prolific array of songs including the singles 'Gypsy Eyes' and 'Time'. The Daniel Denholm-produced album these two singles were drawn from, "Light Fill My Room", was ultimately not released by the band's new label, Festival; it eventually turned up two years after its planned release date, on independent label Um And Ah Records.

Swirl disbanded in 2002. Ben Aylward went on to form the band Beautiful World.