How to Swim were formed at Glasgow School of Art in late 2000 by Gregor Barclay (vocals and guitar), then a 1st year architecture student. HTS began as a six piece, comprising Barclay and fellow undergraduates: bassist Tang Chi Meng, percussionist Michael Bates, drummer Benedict Radcliffe, guitarist Mark Chapman and multi-instrumentalist Anna Webster. This line-up would last for only one performance, with Radcliffe departing, replaced by Bob Rafferty.
Initial influences included Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground and Pavement. The band's line-up would continue to change many times over subsequent years, adapting influences and styles. Throughout, Barclay has remained the principal songwriter, the sole continuous member through the different incarnations of the band.
How to Swim are an art-rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Active since 2000 in one form or another, the band achieved fleeting notoriety through Stow College's Electric Honey label in the noughties. Subsequent output has been on the band's own Personal Hygiene imprint.
Recent releases have included a trio of EPs recorded in Barcelona, Spain, compiled in 2024's Bars 'n' Loners LP.
The band are set to release further records in 2024, including their long-awaited fourth album, Greek Active.
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