Nicholas Paul Barker is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who formed a rock, power pop band, Nick Barker & the Reptiles, in March 1988. Their cover version of Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" reached the top 30 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Singles Chart in November 1989. They provided two top 40 albums on the related ARIA Albums Chart, Goin' to Pieces (1989) and After the Show (1991). He formed another group, Barker, in 1993, and their single, "Time Bomb", was listed at No. 20 on Triple J Hottest 100 for 1994. Barker then went solo from 1995. Biography Early Years Nicholas Paul Barker left secondary school in the late 1970s and started an apprenticeship in a workshop. He was the bass guitarist for a succession of Melbourne-based bands, starting with the Curse during 1980–1981, and during the summer of 1982–1983 he played and recorded with Beachouse. Also in the Curse's line-up were Adrian Chynoweth on guitar, Nique Needles, John Rowell and Graeme Scott. He moved to Reptile Smile with Chynoweth and Nick Cross, Rick Hawkins and Tony Hawkins during 1983–1984, then Freak Power with Chynoweth, Needles and Scott, before joining the Wreckery, a rock and blues group, in December 1985. The Wreckery had formed earlier in 1985 with Robin Casinader on drums, piano, Hammond organ, guitar and violin (ex-Plays with Marionettes, Horla), Edward Clayton-Jones on guitar, organ and vocals (ex-Fabulous Marquises, Plays with Marionettes, Horla, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), Tadeusz O'Biegly on bass guitar, Hugo Race on vocals and guitar (ex-Plays with Marionettes, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) and Charles Todd on saxophone, organ (ex-Wild Dog Rodeo, Cattletruck). Barker performed on their releases, Yeh My People (mini-album, 1986), Here at Pain's Insistence (1987), The Collection (compilation, 1988), and Laying Down Law (1988), but he had left early in 1988, before the latter appeared. 1988-1993: Nick Barker & the Reptiles Barker moved to lead guitar and lead vocals when he formed Nick Barker & the Reptiles, a rock, blues and power pop band in March 1988, with former bandmate Chynoweth on guitar, Drew Basford on bass guitar, and David Pinder on drums. They signed to Mushroom Records' White Label imprint. Their debut single, "Another Me" was released in December. Chris Harris joined the group on harmonica. Also during 1988 and 1989, Barker was a member of Hugo Race and the