Biography
Nikki Sudden pursued an independent path once the pioneering British post-punk band Swell Maps dissolved, first issuing solo material before simultaneously launching the Jacobites. This ensemble offered a more conventional vehicle for his affinity for unadorned yet stylishly dissipated rock & roll, grounded chiefly in the Rolling Stones and the Faces while folding in strands of singer/songwriter expression drawn from Neil Young and Bob Dylan plus the hard-edged British glam of T. Rex, Mott the Hoople, and David Bowie. After his solo debut appeared in 1982, Sudden assembled the Jacobites in 1984 alongside his brother Epic Soundtracks, the former Swell Maps drummer, and guitarist Dave Kusworth. Bassist Mark Lemon completed the original lineup, and the group delivered its first album, a self-titled effort on the independent label Glass, in 1984; an EP called Shame for the Angels also emerged that year. The second album, Robespierre's Velvet Basement, followed in 1985 and achieved a measure of critical and underground recognition. Conceived initially as a double LP, the sessions produced enough additional tracks for a separate release on a German label titled Lost in a Sea of Scarves.
Soundtracks departed later in 1985 to join Crime & the City Solution, a project linked to the Birthday Party. Two further Jacobites EPs, Pin Your Heart to Me and When the Rain Comes, surfaced before guitarist Kusworth exited in early 1986 to begin solo work. Although Sudden continued using the Jacobites name for his changing roster of accompanists over the next several years, the band no longer retained its original character. Nevertheless, the 1986 compilation The Ragged School reached American listeners when Twin/Tone issued it at the encouragement of Paul Westerberg, and the 1988 compilation Fortune of Fame strengthened the group's profile.
In 1993, after accumulating numerous solo releases, Nikki Sudden reformed the Jacobites in earnest with Dave Kusworth, adding guitarist Glenn Tranter, bassist Carl Eugene Picôt, and drummer Mark Williams. A sequence of recordings on smaller labels followed, comprising 1994's Howling Good Times, 1995's Old Scarlett and Heart of Hearts, and 1996's Kiss of Life; these appeared only sparsely in the U.S. and resonated more strongly across mainland Europe than in the band's native U.K. The garage-rock label Bomp released the reunited Jacobites' fifth album, God Save Us Poor Sinners, in the U.S. in 1998, and in 2002 the indie imprint Secretly Canadian began reissuing the group's early catalog.
Soundtracks departed later in 1985 to join Crime & the City Solution, a project linked to the Birthday Party. Two further Jacobites EPs, Pin Your Heart to Me and When the Rain Comes, surfaced before guitarist Kusworth exited in early 1986 to begin solo work. Although Sudden continued using the Jacobites name for his changing roster of accompanists over the next several years, the band no longer retained its original character. Nevertheless, the 1986 compilation The Ragged School reached American listeners when Twin/Tone issued it at the encouragement of Paul Westerberg, and the 1988 compilation Fortune of Fame strengthened the group's profile.
In 1993, after accumulating numerous solo releases, Nikki Sudden reformed the Jacobites in earnest with Dave Kusworth, adding guitarist Glenn Tranter, bassist Carl Eugene Picôt, and drummer Mark Williams. A sequence of recordings on smaller labels followed, comprising 1994's Howling Good Times, 1995's Old Scarlett and Heart of Hearts, and 1996's Kiss of Life; these appeared only sparsely in the U.S. and resonated more strongly across mainland Europe than in the band's native U.K. The garage-rock label Bomp released the reunited Jacobites' fifth album, God Save Us Poor Sinners, in the U.S. in 1998, and in 2002 the indie imprint Secretly Canadian began reissuing the group's early catalog.
Albums
