Big Sleep

Big Sleep

Big Sleep is a group from Germany with German, Greek and some French connections, centred on Stefan Schwerdtfeger. Schwerdtfeger spends part of his childhood in the United States before moving to Germany, where he begins his long-running project under the name BIG SLEEP. The group’s work spans progressive rock, folk, indie rock, psychedelic and indie pop.

Stefan Schwerdtfeger and the BIG SLEEP project

Under the BIG SLEEP name, Schwerdtfeger releases a debut album, Everything Falls Into Place, which becomes a notable success in Greece. The single Looking For A Girl With A Washing-Machine remains a regular play on rock radio and in rock bars. A later album, Moonlit Days, is recorded in south-west France and leads to concert opportunities in Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy and France.

He also performs and records with songwriting collaborators including Nikki Sudden, Phil Shoenfelt and Terry Lee Hale. In 1995 he moves to Greece, where he continues to have strong popularity. There he records Thermaikos and With God And Her Sisters, both produced by Chris Eckman of The Walkabouts.

Live work and later activity

With the Greek band BIG SLEEP electric, Schwerdtfeger regularly plays large venues in Greece. In 1988, he gives eight concerts billed as the “Official German Cultural Contribution to the Olympic Games” in Seoul, Korea. He is also a member of the Greek band MPLE, also known as Blue, which has chart hits and attracts large audiences.

In 2010, as BIG SLEEP acoustic, he presents the album White Room, a set of 16 songs performed only with acoustic guitar and voice. His style is described as ranging from fragile and ethereal to wild and emotional.

Other artists using the name

The name Big Sleep has also been used by an indie pop group based in Dublin and by a Welsh band that releases the 1971 album Bluebell Wood after previously performing as Eyes of Blue. That Welsh group breaks up soon after the album appears, and its members later go on to bands including Gentle Giant and Man.