Swell Maps were one of the key post-punk bands. The much-loved outfit swerved from lo-fi glam anthems to noise collage and were never ever dull and packed full of thrilling ideas. Through crackling, jarring scuzz and fuzz, Swell Maps’ two LPs – 1979’s “A Trip to Marineville” and “Jane from Occupied Europe” a year later – cut through krautrock, post punk, art punk and ambient noise in their short-lived existence.
Born out of suburban boredom, teenage brothers Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks founded Swell Maps in Solihull in 1972, but only properly formed after the 1977 release of their juddering debut single ‘Read About Seymour’. Embodying the DIY spirit of the age, the track is messy, disjointed and chaotic, the guitar lines fall over one another in tandem with the tuneless vocals that provided a statement of intent from the brothers and their new bandmates, one that would follow into their full-length LPs.
Their next standout single, ‘Lets Build a Car’ more directly channels their contemporaries; straightforward riffs echoing the Ramones, instrumentation akin to Germs’ ‘Lexicon Devil’, and gargled lyrics provide a punk staple. With these singles in their arsenal, Swell Maps buried them within their two sprawling masterpieces, plunged into a dense and brilliant context, amongst rock ballad, jangling art-punk and sparse industrial pieces.
The group, also featuring the late Nikki Sudden and Nikki’s brother, the late Epic Soundtracks, along with Phones Sportsman, John Cockrill, and Richard Earl emerged in the late 1970s, and are now known as legendary pioneers of what is now referred to as “alternative rock” or “post-punk” with their blend of punk rock mixed with experimental and psychedelic sounds. Both albums standing at 22 tracks and a run time of an hour, Swell Maps’ two albums envelop the listener in a soundscape previously unheard, fusing experimental instrumentals filled with harsh piano chords and feedback, with surf rock tracks seemingly found in the gutter.
Together they released four 7” singles, the first in 1977 on their own Rather Records and two critically acclaimed albums in a brief but dramatic career, that led to them topping the UK independent charts, and influencing bands such as Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Blur.
The sounds within the songs are in a constant battle with one another, melody is hidden beneath the grit of grating guitar, choruses appear from the depths of abrasive noise, before disappearing again as the tracks become looser and freer. Nikki Sudden’s guitar slices through the dirty, low-fi feedback, alongside the constantly pushing drums; their music is relentlessly inventive, without losing focus.
The debut, “A Trip to Marineville” is a white knuckle, violent introduction to Swell Maps. They do not waste any time, the opener of ‘H.S. Art’ boasts driving punk rock, staccato keys and an almost catchy chorus, whilst the brilliant ‘Full Moon in my Pocket’ shows the band wearing their influences on their sleeve, placing surreal lyrics onto a Can backbone. In stark contrast, the album contains the haunting ‘Gunboats’, which slowly builds to a crescendo of improvisational sound over its eight minutes, along with ‘Adventure into Basketry’ – an experimental opus acting as the centrepiece of the album.
Months later, the band released “Jane from Occupied Europe”, a less exhilarating listen than its predecessor, but still retaining an industrial menace, showing Swell Maps subtract from their music without losing impact. The album includes ‘Lets Buy a Bridge’, alongside the constant groove of ‘Secret Island’, which slowly unravels as the record moves on, after the restricted surf drums of ‘Robot Factory’. The echoing keys and indistinguishable noises that recur maintain the tone of a truly original project.
Shortly after the release of “Jane from Occupied Europe“, the band split during a tour of Italy, assigning Swell Maps to history, and leaving a legacy of consistent moments of ahead-of-its-time. After Swell Maps broke up in 1980, Jowe joined the Television Personalities. Ten years with the TVPs saw Jowe making more influential records, touring Europe regularly, and playing in Japan and the USA.
Swell Maps created great songs that pushed the boundary of what albums could sound like, leaving an immeasurable impact on the future of western guitar music. These albums provided a wealth of material for future innovation among post punk bands such as Sonic Youth, Pavement, Nirvana and Stereolab, even reaching the contemporary stylings of Parquet Courts. Swell Maps took the abrasive genius of Can, harnessed the pent-up aggression that comes with living in Solihull, and utilised punk ethic to create music far beyond their time. They demand a re-listen, some tracks last less than a minute and others creep closer to 10, every note and noise is disquietingly perfect.
“Secret Island” by Swell Maps, taken from the Peel Session recorded on 18 March 1980
Since the deaths of Soundtracks in 1997 and Sudden in 2006, Head has become the band’s archivist. “It’s difficult and sometimes even uncomfortable and slightly painful because two of my ex-comrades are no longer with us,” he says. “Nikki and Epic were very important members of the band. Well, we all had an important part to play. There were no passengers, we were all very vocal, all very creative.”
Today he still regularly releases recordings, solo and with multiple groups, and is the steward of the Swell Maps legacy. In his 155-page biography of the band, Jowe takes us to each members’ formative years and reveals what made them experiment with challenging music and eventually come together to form Swell Maps.
The First-ever official biography of Swell Maps, “Swell Maps 1972-1980” penned by band member and co-founder Jowe Head. Swell Maps were formed in Jowe’s home town of Solihull, West Midlands with various school friends in 1972.
Through his own recollections and utilizing interviews with former members, he explores the early days of the band, and details stories that bring the reader into the inner workings of the band as they travelled through the late 70s cultural scene in Europe. The last section of the book updates the whereabouts of all the key players.
The book includes dozens of full-colour images of band memorabilia from the author’s personal collection, including photos, posters, flyers, artwork, original lyrics, and more. Additionally, a 7” vinyl single is included that features tracks never before released anywhere.
“The first Swell Maps single I bought still to this day gives me a soul scorched buzz’n’rush….The Swell Maps had a lot to do with my upbringing.”—Thurston Moore
“Jowe Head spent time in two of the UK’s coolest underground bands: Swell Maps and Television Personalities…a lovably skewed indie-pop tunesmith.” —Time Out New York
·Contains 7” with six exclusive never-before-released tracks culled from the band and solo member archives.
Tracklisting:
1. *Securicore
2. *Come Upstairs and See My Chemistry Set
3. *Harmony In Your Bathroom
4. **Double Dose
5. ***Elegia part 1
6. ****Votive Offering
*These 3 tracks were edited from a 1977 demo session. Two of the songs have never been released before in any form.
**Double Dose – is a 1979 radio jingle, the master tape recently rediscovered
***Elegia part 1 – is an out-take from “Jane From Occupied Europe ” studio sessions.
****Votive Offering – is an experimental home-recording
·Packed with full colour photos and images of posters, flyers, album art, and other assorted band ephemera. ·Detailed appendix contains a discography, notes on selected songs, concert dates, and set lists among other items.
·First comprehensive biography to focus on Swell Maps.
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The Fat Angel Sings 