Swell Maps
Rock band from Birmingham · formed 1972
- Shows on record
- 5
- Rooms played
- 5
- Cities
- 4
- Releases
- 23
- Last show
- Dec 6, 2025Élysée Montmartre
About
Swell Maps is a band from Birmingham, formed in 1972, tagged art punk, british, diy by its sources. Shows on record run from 1979 to 2025, across 5 rooms in 4 cities.
- Swell Maps formed in 1972 — MusicBrainz
- Swell Maps disbanded in 1980 — MusicBrainz
- Biggles Books: background vocals — MusicBrainz
- John Cockrill: background vocals — MusicBrainz
- Jowe Head: lead vocals — MusicBrainz
- Epic Soundtracks: lead vocals — MusicBrainz
- Phones B. Sportsman: background vocals — MusicBrainz
- Nikki Sudden: lead vocals — MusicBrainz
- Swell Maps has 18 release group(s) on MusicBrainz spanning 1977–2025 — MusicBrainz
- Swell Maps is from Birmingham , England — Wikipedia
- Swell Maps plays Punk rock — Wikipedia
- Swell Maps plays experimental rock — Wikipedia
- Swell Maps plays post-punk — Wikipedia
- Swell Maps plays art punk — Wikipedia
- Swell Maps has 146493 listeners on Last.fm — Swell Maps on Last.fm
- Swell Maps has released 10 recordings between 2000 and 2026 — Swell Maps on Discogs
- Swell Maps has 1 followers on Genius — Swell Maps on Genius
- Country (per TheAudioDB): Birmingham, England — Swell Maps on TheAudioDB
The summary is assembled from the record fields and shows on this page; each fact listed names its source. See Sources & corrections for what each source supplied.
Shows
5 on record · SongkickShows per year
- 19792 shows
- 20241 show
- 20252 shows
| Date | Venue | Billing | With |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 6, 2025 | Élysée Montmartre · ParisSupportwith Chameleons, Hugh Cornwell | Support | Chameleons, Hugh Cornwell |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Lexington · LondonHeadlinerwith Valve | Headliner | Valve |
| Oct 26, 2024 | TPO · BolognaSupportwith The Telescopes, Lana Del Rabies, kollaps, +4 | Support | The Telescopes, Lana Del Rabies, kollaps, +4 |
| Jul 14, 1979 | Moonlight Club · LondonHeadlinerwith Last Words, Glass Torpedoes | Headliner | Last Words, Glass Torpedoes |
| Jul 13, 1979 | Albany, Deptford · DeptfordHeadlinerwith Last Words, Glass Torpedoes | Headliner | Last Words, Glass Torpedoes |
Where they play
5 rooms in 4 citiesRooms played most
- Albany, Deptford · Deptford1 show
- Élysée Montmartre · Paris1 show
- Moonlight Club · London1 show
- The Lexington · London1 show
- TPO · Bologna1 show
Cities played
- London2 shows
- Bologna1 show
- Deptford1 show
- Paris1 show
Releases
23 releases, 1977–2026Vertical Take-Off & Landing
2026
Wilder Ness EP
2026
C21
2026
The John Peel Sessions
2025 · Compilation
Polar Regions
2023 · Album
Securicore
2022
Mayday Signals
2021 · Album
A Conservation Of Jams! (Another Trawl Through The Swell Maps Archive)
2008
Wastrels and Whippersnappers
2006 · Compilation
Swell Maps
2005
Sweep the Desert
2000 · Compilation
International Rescue
1999 · Compilation
Train Out of It
1987 · Compilation
Collision Time Revisited
1982 · Compilation
Whatever Happens Next...
1981 · Compilation
... In "Jane From Occupied Europe"
1980 · Album
A Trip to Marineville
1979 · Album
Let’s Build a Car
1979 · Single
Loin of the Surf EP
1979 · Ep
Real Shocks
1979 · Single
Dresden Style
1978 · Single
Peel Session 1978
1978
Read About Seymour
1977 · Single
Lineup
- Biggles Books · background vocals
- John Cockrill · background vocals
- Jowe Head · lead vocals
- Epic Soundtracks · lead vocals
- Phones B. Sportsman · background vocals
- Nikki Sudden · lead vocals
Airplay
Photos, art and posters
Sources & corrections
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | Artist facts |
| Wikipedia | Artist facts |
| Swell Maps on Last.fm | Artist facts |
| Swell Maps on Discogs | Artist facts |
| Swell Maps on Genius | Artist facts |
| Swell Maps on TheAudioDB | Artist facts |
| KEXP | Airplay |
| Songkick | Show history, Show posters |
| TheAudioDB | Photos, Logo |
| Last.fm | Credited on the record; no item on this page cites it |
| Discogs | Credited on the record; no item on this page cites it |
| Genius | Credited on the record; no item on this page cites it |
| Wikidata | Credited on the record; no item on this page cites it |
This is a partial record of publicly documented activity. Missing shows, releases or members do not mean there are none. It does not confirm availability for booking.