Nikki Sudden


Adrian Nicholas Godfrey, known professionally as Nikki Sudden, was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother, Epic Soundtracks, while attending Solihull School in Solihull.

Career

Nikki Sudden was born Adrian Nicholas Godfrey in London, England. The main influences on Sudden's music were artists such as T. Rex, the Rolling Stones, the Faces, Bob Dylan and Johnny Thunders. Following the break-up of Swell Maps in 1980, he started a solo career and also released records with Dave Kusworth as the Jacobites. In 1991, he released single "I Belong to You" from the album The Jewel Thief. The album was recorded during a brief period when Sudden guested at R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck's home in Athens, Georgia. According to Sudden, the inspiration for the song came from Roger McGuinn's "King of the Hill" song. The song was later collected on the 2000 compilation The Last Bandit: The Best of Nikki Sudden.
The album *Red Brocade* was released in 1999 on multiple labels internationally, including:
The album was re-released in 2022 as a 2× vinyl LP by Bang! Records under catalog number BANG!-LP158.
Sudden collaborated with Mike Scott and Anthony Thistlethwaite of the Waterboys, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, The Golden Horde as 'The Last Bandits', Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones, Rowland S. Howard, Jeremy Gluck of the Barracudas, Ian McLagan of Small Faces and the Faces, Phil Shoenfelt, Al DeLoner of Midnight Choir, Tom Ashton of the March Violets, members of R.E.M. and Sonic Youth. The Jacobites' tune "Pin Your Heart" was covered on the Lemonheads' 1997 single "The Outdoor Type". Post Swell Maps, Sudden formed and recorded as Bingo Little with Andy Bean and Cally Callomon.
Sudden also wrote for a number of music magazines, such as Spex, INTRO, Mojo, the Birmingham-based fanzine Waxstreet Dive, and Bucketfull of Brains. At the time of his death, he was writing his autobiography, as well as a history of the Wick, and was due to perform in London on 29 March 2006. Sudden died of a heart attack at the age of 49 after performing at the Knitting Factory.

Reissues

In September 2013, it was announced that The Numero Group would reissue a series of Sudden's albums on vinyl, with Waiting on Egypt, The Bible Belt, Jacobites, and Robespierre's Velvet Basement scheduled for November 2013 release, and releases Texas, Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc scheduled for February 2014.

Discography

Swell Maps

Albums

  • A Trip to Marineville
  • ''Jane from Occupied Europe''

    Compilations

  • Whatever Happens Next...
  • Collision Time
  • Train Out of It
  • Collision Time Revisited
  • International Rescue
  • Sweep the Desert
  • ''Wastrels and Whippersnappers''

    Singles

  • "Read About Seymour"
  • "Dresden Style"
  • "Real Shocks"
  • "Let's Build a Car"

    The Jacobites

Studio albums

  • Jacobites
  • Robespierre's Velvet Basement
  • Lost in a Sea of Scarves
  • Texas
  • Dead Men Tell No Tales
  • Howling Good Times
  • Old Scarlett
  • ''God Save Us Poor Sinners''

    Compilations

  • The Ragged School
  • Fortune of Fame
  • Heart of Hearts
  • ''Hawks Get Religion''

    Live albums

  • ''Kiss of Life''

    Singles

  • "Shame for the Angels E.P."
  • "Pin Your Heart to Me"
  • "When the Rain Comes" from "Robespierre´s Velvet Basement"
  • "Jangle Town" from Texas
  • "Margaritta" comes with "Howling Good Times" LP
  • "Don´t You Ever Leave Me" from "Howling Good Times"
  • "Over and Over"
  • "Teenage Christmas" comes with "God Save Us Poor Sinners" LP
  • "The Otter Song"

    Solo

Albums

  • Waiting on Egypt
  • The Bible Belt
  • Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc
  • Crown of Thorns
  • Groove
  • The Jewel Thief
  • Seven Lives Later
  • From the Warwick Road to the Banks of the Nile
  • Egyptian Roads
  • Red Brocade
  • Treasure Island
*
  • Golden Vanity

    Compilations, live, reissues

  • Back to the Coast
  • Liquor, Guns and Ammo re-release of The Jewel Thief
  • The Last Bandit
  • The Nikki Sudden Compendium
  • Tel Aviv Blues
  • Playing With Fire
  • Still Full of Shocks
  • Fred Beethoven
  • The Copenhagen Affair
  • Christmas Day Blues
  • Quasimodo
  • ''The Last Bandits in the World''

    Singles

  • "Back to the Start"
  • "Channel Steamer" from Waiting on Egypt
  • "Wedding Hotel" from Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc
  • "Lunacy Is Legend EP"
  • "The Angels Are Calling"
  • "The Sun Is Shining" from The Jewel Thief
  • "I Belong to You" from The Jewel Thief
  • "Buick MacKane"
  • "Whiskey Priest" from Seven Lives Later
  • "Bourgeois Blues"
  • "So Many Girls" from Red Brocade
  • "Hanoi Jane" from Golden Vanity
  • "Barroom Blues"

    Nikki Sudden and Freddy Lynxx

  • ''By The Lights of the Burning Citroen''

    with Freddy Lynxx

  • No Pleasure Thrills
  • "No Pleasure Thrills / Open Up & Bleed“
  • "Soul Power / Opium-Den“
  • "Have Faith"
  • ''Full Cover''

    with Ghost Train

  • "All My Sunken Ships / You Knocked Me Out Cold “

    Movieology

  • Under the Milky Way – Nikki Sudden & Dave Kusworth play two drunken musicians on a train
  • "Planet Alex" – Nikki Sudden plays a drunkard
  • "Far East Man" – Nikki Sudden is standing in the audience in front of Ron Wood and can be seen several times
  • "Honey Baby"
  • "The Favor", Swell Maps
  • "The Pacific and Eddy" – Nikki Sudden as Silhouette
  • "Last Time in Berlin – Nikki Sudden Documentary" – unreleased