Founded by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira, Swans emerged from New York's no wave scene, spawning acts such as James Chance & the Contortions, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, DNA and Mars in 1982. Known for their musical brutality and misanthropic lyrics, Swans' live shows have a reputation for being intense aural assaults, while Gira would describe them as "soul-lifting and body-destroying". The band is constantly evolving and has explored genres such as noise, post-punk, industrial and post-rock, but Swans always remains melodic. After ten albums, the band broke up in 1997, while Gira formed Angels of Light and focused on his label, Young God Records, before reforming in 2010. They have since continued to tour internationally and have released an additional 5 albums to date. On June 15, Trix and Toneelhuis will bring Swans to the Bourla Theater for their European tour.

Norman Westberg is a New York City guitarist best known for his work with Swans. Present through almost the entirety of the band's existence, Westberg was brought on for Swans' debut album Filth (1983) and appeared on every album through 1991's White Light From the Mouth of Infinity (he also played in 1995 for The Great Annihilator). His playing can also be heard on many Swans side projects, including The Body Haters and solo albums by Jarboe. Westberg was for a short time a member of The Heroine Sheiks with Shannon Selberg (ex-The Cows)as well as John Fell (ex-China Shop). Aside from the present incarnation of Swans, he currently plays in the NYC bands NeVAh (with Vinnie Signorelli & Algis Kizys) and Five Dollar Priest (formerly Size Queens) (with Ron Ward of Speedball Baby & Bob Bert among others). He also appeared (credited as Norman Westburg) in a short film The Right Side of My Brain directed by Richard Kern and starring Lydia Lunch.