Swell Maps, the influential post-punk band, have announced their first new album in 46 years. Titled 'Swell Maps C21', it is the band's first newly recorded material since 1980's 'Jane from Occupied Europe'. The band, known for their DIY ethos and eclectic sound, have been championed by John Peel and signed to Rough Trade in their heyday.
Founding member Jowe Head, now 69, has assembled a group of sympathetic musicians for the project. 'We took what we were doing very seriously, but we were determined to have a bit of fun doing it,' he said. 'We had a saying: serious fun. A lot of the bands around at the time were very dour and frowning all the time, wearing grey. We weren't like that.'
Swell Maps formed in Solihull in the early 1970s, with core members Jowe Head (real name Stephen Bird), Nikki Sudden (Adrian Godfrey), and Epic Soundtracks (Kevin Godfrey). Their music blended punk, psychedelia, prog, and krautrock, and they were known for their unconventional approach, using whatever sounds they could create. Their debut single 'Read About Seymour' was released in 1977.
The band's influence has been acknowledged by artists such as Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Pavement's Stephen Malkmus, who said Pavement formed as a tribute to Swell Maps. Despite their impact, the band split in 1980 after a disastrous Italian tour, following an incident where Head was badly beaten by skinheads after spraying them with a water pistol.
Head reflected on the band's early days: 'We weren't ready before 77. It wasn't until punk that a few venues became more accessible. We could sneak on to a punk night, even though we didn't look like punks or sound like punks. We were trying to do something a bit different to the Sex Pistols or the Damned or the Clash.' The new album marks a return for a band that has remained a cult favourite among music nerds.
