Swell Maps

About

Swell Maps was an English experimental rock/post punk band from Birmingham. The band formed in 1972 out of the British punk rock era and pioneered the post punk movement. The Godfrey brothers, Epic Soundtracks and Nikki Sudden, formed the band with Biggles Books, Phones Sportsman, John Golden Cockrill and Jowe Head. In 1977, the band released its first single, "Read About Seymour," which is still considered a classic punk song, before it released its full-length debut, A Trip to Marineville, a year later. For its time, the album was considered highly-experimental and featured ambient instrumentals that marked the post punk era, and earned the band the number one spot on the Independent Chart. In 1980, Swell Maps dove deeper into the post punk genre with its final, industrial surf rock inspired album, Jane From Occupied Europe, shortly before it broke up due to in-band tensions.