The rock-blues duo that played Margot Robbie’s wedding

WHEN Matthew Armitage asked his bandmate if she knew anyone local who played drums and might be up for a jam, he had no idea it would spark such an enduring musical partnership.

The duo he formed with drummer Matt Swan, known as The Swamps, has now been going strong for more than a decade, building a loyal following with an energetic mix of rock-and-roll covers and old-school blues.

Originally from New Zealand, Armitage had been jamming with drummers in Wellington and was already part of another duo in the Northern Rivers, which he frequently visited while dating his Australian girlfriend

When the pair recorded their first session together, Armitage said he was impressed by the sound, and from then on Swan, originally from Tasmania, began joining him at gigs around town.

“He was quite connected in the Byron scene with a band called Elegant Shiver at the time and had founded Royal Blood,” Armitage said.

 

The Swamps became a fixture of the Byron Bay music scene, helped by a long-running residency at the Northern Front bar before it became a piano bar.

They also played at Margot Robbie’s wedding at a private property in Coorabell in the Byron Bay hinterland in 2016.

Inspired by American rock duo The Black Keys, the pair are known for crowd favourites such as Tequila, I Just Want to Make Love to You and Great Balls of Fire, performing at events including the Sample Food Festival at Bangalow Showground and the Burn After Dark Winter Festival at The Farm.

The band developed an album’s worth of material during the COVID-19 lockdowns and are now using software to build on those recordings, with plans to release their first EP this summer.

The Swamps will play at The Railway Hotel Byron on Saturday, March 28, from 7pm.