Ten years on, after appearances at the 2015 Shanghai Echo Park Music Festival, the 2019 Guangzhou Strawberry Music Festival, and their China tour, the band makes their third return to China.

 

 

They were invited to open for Harry Styles？

 

 

The story began in 2020, after Swim Deep wrapped up a major Asia tour including dates in China.
Back in the UK, bassist Cavan joined a casual football match — a classic British pastime — where one of his teammates happened to be Harry Styles.

 

During a halftime conversation, Harry mentioned he was still looking for an opening act for his upcoming London show and asked if Swim Deep might be free in April.
That spontaneous exchange led to a career-defining moment: the band’s first appearance on the stage of a major arena.

 

Beyond earning the admiration of Harry Styles, Swim Deep has become known within the indie circuit as “your favourite band’s favourite band.”
They once swapped opening slots with fellow hometown peers Wolf Alice, and were later personally invited by The 1975 to support the second leg of their U.S. tour.

From Birmingham to the world stage, Swim Deep is far more than an indie rock band.
Since forming in 2011, their music has crossed Europe, Asia, and North America, lighting up countless summer nights with choruses sung and bodies in motion.
Now, over a decade on, they glide between dream pop and modern indie, delivering songs that feel warmer, bolder, and more honest than ever.

 

 

In December 2025, Swim Deep will arrive in Beijing and Shanghai with a setlist spanning both new material and career-defining classics.
Songs like “King City” and “Honey,” with tens of millions of streams worldwide, ignite the crowd within seconds, transporting audiences back to the golden glow of youthful summer romance.
Later works, including “To Feel Good” and “Happy As Larrie,” reveal the band’s playful experimentation — weaving gospel choirs with pulsating synth grooves to unleash a joyful, retro-disco energy.

 

 

Last year’s fourth studio album, There’s A Big Star Outside, was widely acclaimed as the band’s most intimate and authentic record to date, fusing Swim Deep’s signature dream-pop sound with deeper self-reflection and a boldly emotional, unapologetic spirit.