Category: Record Label

Interview – Strong Island Recordings

Posted in Interview, New Music, Record Label

A Record Label Rich with Talent & a Lot of Love for Portsmouth…
Interview with Brad Sked by Kieran Tibbert

Strong Island Recordings are a Portsmouth-based Independent Record Label who work with new and upcoming artists, in addition to hosting their own gigs at a variety of different venues across the south. I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak with their Label Manager, Brad Sked, about their past, present and future shows, as well as some of their artists that are rising to fame.

Hi Brad! How are you doing, and where are you in the world right now?

Brad: I’m very well, thank you! I’m currently in Portsmouth very much enjoying the sunshine we’re having.

This week, on 2nd February, you have the second instalment of your series of free shows at The Vaults in Portsmouth. How has the overall reaction been to these gigs that are free-entry?

We’ve only had the one so far in Portsmouth with LIPWORMS, Jules Smith and Number 9 and it seemed to go down very well. It was a busy one, and everybody there seemed into it, so it was a lot of fun. The venue as well was happy, so it’s a win-win all round!

You’d expect bigger crowds if there’s no entry fee, so have the artists that perform at these shows benefited from them in any way?

Whilst it could be assumed there would be a bigger crowd, money is still very tight for people at the moment, with the cost of living crisis and all, and people do have their own life stuff going on, so I’d never expect people to just come down. Saying that, you are likely to see more people because it’s free, so in a way, there’s less anxiety on ticket sales, and because bands know they should be playing to a crowd, the worry of ticket sales is mitigated in the process. Hopefully also with the free shows, bands can then sell their merch a little easier as well.

One of the artists performing at next week’s show is Daisy & The Dead Heads. What can we expect from them throughout this year?

I expect they’ll have a bunch of shows and other things going on. We actually released their record ‘I Hate The Sea’ at the tail end of last year. They’re always playing around the capital though; I highly recommend people catching them live at some point, as they’re ace!

Which other upcoming artists under your label have new music on the way? Do you have a personal favourite or one you’re looking forward to the most?

Until stuff is all fully 100% set, I don’t usually like to talk about upcoming stuff as there’s always so many factors involved that could see said things not happen; we’ve even had stuff pulled 12 hours before a release in the past and it is what it is. With that, we do have a new release from Brighton-Folk meets Baroque-Pop artist Woody Green this week that also features the wonderful Nina from The New Eves. Real nice Leonard Cohen meets Velvet Underground vibes; it’s really really good anyway. Brighton seems to be a hotbed once again for new artists.

 

The music scene is always changing, but have you seen or experienced any changes to the local music scene in Portsmouth as of late?

I think there’s a little live music renaissance for sure, which is nice. The Vaults are making a great effort to make the space more of a music pub, letting the likes of Washed Out and ourselves put on free shows, which is really great and is something I’ve wanted to do down in these parts of the UK for years, so I’m incredibly grateful for that. You also have ABH Promotions at Edge of the Wedge, Neu Waves at The Deco, some cool garage rock shows at The Barn, Future Folk at Guildhall, and The Vaults, everyone’s favourite record cafe in Pie and Vinyl doing shows at the Pier, plus there’s lots of others too, so it’s good to be a live music fan in Portsmouth at the moment!

The city could still really do with another 100-200 capacity venue though, but especially a 600 to 800 capacity venue too. I look at Southampton, with the great venues they have in Heartbreakers, Joiners, plus 1865 and Engine Rooms for larger touring shows, and I can’t help but feel Portsmouth is missing out. With that said, I kind of see the Portsmouth and Southampton music scene as one big thing ultimately, so in a way, I guess it’s also good that there’s more of a spread.

You’ve been involved with some Food Bank Fundraisers, which we previously saw back in November last year with your Interstellar Food Drive. Is this something you’ll be aiming to continue and do more of this year?

Yeah, we aim to do the food bank drives annually. I’d like to do them more often, but there’s so many logistics involved, that it’s not always possible, but we will be bringing the Interstellar Food Drive back this year for sure. We don’t have a set date yet but in my head, I’m thinking around early November, or late October again. Saying that, I really would rather that we didn’t have to do them at all though and that food banks weren’t even a thing at all, as they shouldn’t be. Sadly though, they are, as a decade-plus of this current government and their failings of the people has meant that the usage of them is rising year on year.

A big event that you were involved in for several years was Dials Festival, which sadly hasn’t run since 2019; Do you think 2024 could see it, or something similar, return?

Yeah, we had some fun plans for 2020 for the following year, as 2019 was a real success, so it was a shame to not continue. It’s never been officially announced though but I can’t really see Dials returning again. Maybe something similar down the line might come about. Portsmouth could do with another multi-venue festival for emerging artists for sure as Southsea Fest and Dials seemed to always go down well, but they are a lot of work though and it really does require a good team of people.

You’re always keen on working with newer artists that are just starting out in the music scene; Who are some of the more recent ones you’ve worked with and why should people check them out?

So, we’ve worked with Daisy and The Deadheads of course, plus we released Anona (the project of the insanely talented multi instrumentalist Ella Oona Russell, also of The New Eves), Baby Vanga, Michael Georgian and lots more. They’re all just the best.

What other shows and gigs do you have coming up throughout the year that people can look forward to?

We will be continuing our free series of shows on the first Friday of each month at The Vaults, with 1st March featuring label family London psychedelic pop outfit Baby Vanga, who are great, and are like Babe Rainbow meets Syd Barrett. They’re such a blast live and they’re the nicest folk as well, so I’m always excited to see them. Support is from Bernardo, who’s really incredible, and we have Portsmouth locals Making Eyes as well, who are one of the finer new outfits from the city. Then on 5th April we have label family Woody Green and special guests. We have lots of other fun things coming up as well, we’ll be back at the Alt Escape again, and we’ll probably be doing the odd London show on top, as we haven’t done many for a while!

As outlined by Brad, the next opportunity for you to see some of the talent that Strong Island Recordings work with is on Friday 2nd February 2024 at The Vaults, Portsmouth, and entry is free. Check them out on Bandcamp here.

Strong Island Recordings – Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Interview by Kieran Tibbert – Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter

Published 31st January 2024

Label Launch – No Such Thing Records

Posted in New Music, Record Label
Logo for No Such Thing Records - a dark pink bird’s webbed foot on a pale pink background

When a new record label launches into what is an already busy market, it’s sometimes difficult to pick out the USP. However, No Such Thing is very clear about its mission from the outset, setting itself the target of releasing 70% of its music from LGBTQ+ and Black and minority ethnic artists. The wealth of talent already involved in setting up and signing to the label is a reminder that this really doesn’t need to be the exception to the rule of many other independent labels, not to mention promoters, bookers, et al.

The brainchild of electronic musician and producer Dirty Freud and musician and visual artist Ruby Tingle, the label is taking a positive twist on the gender imbalance in music and the arts by proactively championing diversity amongst its acts.

Explaining the ethos behind the label, Dirty Freud says, “What sets No Such Thing apart is our commitment to giving a voice to artists from under-represented groups – whether that’s ethnicity, sexuality or disability… As a Black artist myself, I know that doors don’t always open that easily if you don’t fit the mould. Or if they do, you’re expected to fit into a stereotyped box. We’re here to challenge that, to empower our artists and give them back creative control.”

Ruby Tingle adds, “There’s so much creativity in the north, which we’re here to harness. This is a really exciting time to be doing something different in the music industry.”

Already signed to No Such Thing are six artists all based across the north of England, each one offering something new and innovative – Szou, Leftwinter, Iora, Kaspa, Off Noise and Jaayns.

The label will make its debut release on 12th March with Rose-Tinted by Manchester based electro-pop artist Szou, who says, “I wrote Rose-Tinted in the summer of 2020 when it became apparent that the pandemic was here to stay. Being away from my friends made me appreciate them even more and long for the days when life was normal. It’s a love letter to them really. It’s about looking through old photos and the intense nostalgia feeling you get from that. It’s about wanting to relive those memories, the good and even the bad because it was such a different time to the present day. That sounds bleak but I’m hopeful we’ll be able to make even better memories when all of this shit is over.”

It certainly looks as though No Such Thing will be making memories for the future; we wish them the absolute best of luck with the label and are very much looking forward to watching it develop and grow.

Rose-Tinted is available to pre-save here.

You can find out more about No Such Thing Records here, including more details about their initial roster of artists and links to their socials.

Words by Siobhan

1st March 2021

Clue Records – Music & Mergers: Interview with Scott Lewis

Posted in Interview, Record Label

With the global pandemic robbing us of gigs, festivals and so much more, the music industry has had little to celebrate in 2020, which makes stories such as indie label Clue Records celebrating its eighth year of productivity and a successful merging with fellow Leeds label Hatch Records all the sweeter.

With new signings on the horizon and the boat party to end all boat parties envisioned for their decade celebrations, I spoke to Clue boss Scott Lewis over Zoom to discuss all things Clue, beginning with a brief back and forth bonding over a local record shop which led us to consider the sustainability of the independent music business in 2020…

RB: So, speaking of longevity in the music business, was that something you had in mind when starting Clue? Were you thinking in long term ideals, plans…?

SL: I don’t know really. It’s funny, I’ve just started lecturing about business enterprise at Leeds College of Music, and it’s got me thinking back – I didn’t set up a business plan for Clue, no five-year plan, etc. We started with little bits, like if we could release a record, a vinyl record, then that would be mint, but it was more – let’s do it and see where it goes from there really.

RB: I suppose that’s why Clue has been successful, because as corny as it sounds, you don’t necessarily get into these things for the money, or ‘success’ in business terms.

SL: No, that’s bang on. It gets a little more difficult down the line – there’s a mid-point as somewhere it goes from being purely a passion project to a feasible, financially viable thing. But I mean I’ve always been doing it ‘cos I wanna do it, ‘cos I love the bands.

RB: With that in mind, is there or was there a criteria for artists to be on Clue, other than first and foremost you being excited about them?

SL: Yeah, I’ve got to be a fanboy, the buzz you get when you find something new and amazing… it’s hard to capture really and actually if I find artists who I love, and I find out that they are working with someone else I won’t mind, I’ll still follow them ‘cos I’m a fan anyway! Perhaps in recent years I’ve become more knowledgeable and I want bands to work alongside us for the best results, bands that graft and work hard – I can put energy into bands like that.

The origins of Clue come from Scott and fellow boss Ste Langton, school friends from Stockton who bonded over a love of music and, after being in and out of bands and a brief stint in basic music marketing (Scott acted as marketing director for the Oxfam music festival ‘Oxjam’), felt as though they had something to offer some of the exciting acts they were following.

SL: I came across these bands who were great and, for whatever reason, struggling and I felt that I wanted to help, maybe some admin or boring backroom stuff. So that was it, backroom of the pub, back of a beer mat – let’s do it. That was in 2012 and Narcs was our first band.

RB: Both being from Stockton, how did you end up in Leeds and how much of that locality was a driving force behind Clue?

SL: Well I had been wanting to move out of Stockton for a while, and Ste had just got a job in Leeds and had a spare room and there was just a great scene at the time going on; NME termed it “The New Yorkshire” – bands like Kaiser Chiefs, !Forward, Russia! and The Cribs were all a big part of it and it just seemed like a cool place to go. It wasn’t too far from Stockton, and whilst Leeds isn’t a small city, it wasn’t London – so it felt tangible that we could do something.

Hatch Records was founded a year after Clue in 2013 by Tony Ereira, (whose surname I embarrassingly require Scott to help me pronounce – which he does, with a chuckle) and the relationship between the two began through the Leeds based independent music publication ‘Come Play With Me’…
(Header photo – left: Tony Ereira, right: Scott Lewis)

RB: So, talk us through the merging of Clue with Hatch, which is run by Tony Ereira – where did you first meet Tony? He’s involved in Come Play With Me, as are you I believe?

SL: I am! I’ve fingers in all the pies (laughs). I remember I went to the launch of Come Play With Me and so I met Tony then, and just kept bumping into him at events, gigs etc. in Leeds. We were planning to do a local profile on all Yorkshire indie labels, so Hatch, ourselves at Clue, (Wakefield based label) Philophobia, etc.

I had a job offer last year for another label, but it would have had to mean I would leave everything else I’d worked on; Clue, Come Play With Me and so on. And at that time Tony broached the idea of merging the two labels, and being in similar places it just felt like a natural thing to do and so we all sat down towards the end of last year, crossed the Ts and dotted the Is and it’s worked out brilliant.

RB: How does it work with the artists who were attached to Clue and the ones who were on Hatch, are they now all under Clue now?

SL: All previous Hatch releases are now under a Clue/Hatch heritage; we don’t ever want to pretend that Hatch never existed, they were two different things. I’m not sure what some of the artists are doing at the minute, but if the opportunities are there and it works out right for us to release with them then we’ll look at it when it comes round.  

RB: Was there ever an arm wrestle between you and Tony on which label would retain the name?

SL: No (chuckles) we never had to battle, it was very civil, I think Clue had more on at the time and it felt natural to move into that direction.

RB: I suppose if you’re all under the same umbrella and working as a unit the name is just for ego’s sake at the end of the day…

SL: Exactly and considering it’s Clue which has kept the name that must mean I’ve the biggest ego out of everyone!

RB: All of these new exciting opportunities and of course releasing Team Picture’s debut album The Menace of Mechanical Music, it must have been disappointing to have been restricted due to the pandemic; how have you found it, what are some of the difficulties Clue has faced? 

SL: Its hard, cos we are trying to get something across which is essentially entertainment when there is a lot of serious, heavy shit going on in the world and we’ve got to be considerate of that. In terms of Clue we’ve had a relatively quiet year, ‘cos a lot of the artists would have either been touring or recording and that just can’t happen. We’ve released Team Picture’s album this year and we’ve booked a tour for next year but with the way things are going, you’ve just gotta deal with it in the safest way. Some of our bands have been offered shows and come to me and the first thing I ask them is, “Do you feel comfortable with it? Do you feel safe? Don’t worry about the money or the need to perform, if you don’t feel comfortable don’t do it”. It’s more important for us to look after each other and focus on other things; write, record etc. Team Picture did something really amazing with their video for Handsome Machine, a 3D interactive space where if you watch it on your phone, you can walk around your room but you’re walking around in the video – which to me was brilliant innovation ‘cos everyone was obviously staying in their homes and it brought an experience to them.

RB: Aside from your own projects, what are your favourite things going off in Leeds now, what’s exciting you at the minute?

SL: In terms of bands, Yard Act are amazing. Culture wise, The Brudenell Social Club has just gone from strength to strength and what Nathan (Clark, owner) has done there is incredible, the community and culture created at Hyde Park Book Club is amazing and Chunk, who I think are looking at a new location, they had one of the best DIY spaces in Leeds, what they were doing was unreal.

A slight bias, but I’m working with a company called Music: Leeds, what they are trying to do is provide opportunities in Yorkshire for people who want to work in the music industry and I think what they are doing is accessible and vital for working class backgrounds. I’m from a working class background and one of the things that I do worry about in this pandemic is that money will come out of the industry and artists will massively struggle to be able to create, and so I think what Music: Leeds is doing is amazing.

RB: Mentioning money, I’ve just read today that apparently one third of musicians are considering quitting the industry due to Covid…

SL: I saw the post about that statistic, I have no idea if it’s accurate. I don’t think you get into making music or writing music to make money, it’s more because you want to do it, but I can see why it could be accurate in some respects, because it’s gonna be hard.

How do we make bands now? You can’t meet anyone to talk about putting a band together and even if you did, you can’t get in a room to do anything! The accessibility and the enjoyment found in the community of going to gigs is just not going to be there in the same way it was and it’s worrying.

RB: On a positive note, going forward with Clue, where would you personally like to see the label go? Any concrete plans?

SL: Well we are about to announce a new artist we have been working with which we are really excited about, and what would I like to see in Clue? Well in two years the label will be 10, and I’d like to have a big party on a boat with loads of bands playing! Open top deck boat party! In two years time it might be well needed after all this!

While we’re waiting for that boat to come in, you can check out Clue’s full roster of excellent artists here

Photos above – left: Van Houten by Sam Joyce, right: Yowl by Holly Whittaker

Interview by Ryan Bell

 9th October 2020

Labelled with Love – The Popty-Ping Recording Company

Posted in Interview, Record Label

Ever wondered how to set up a record label? When Andy Black had that thought he may not have taken the most conventional route but it’s working out well so far for DIY outfit The Popty-Ping Recording Company. Andy runs the label with two friends, Matt Jarrett and Dan Orton and together they release limited edition 7” singles, each as a one off project by a different artist. With flourishing music scenes developing around them in Wales and the North West, there’s a wealth of talent to choose from – artists featured so far are made up of the wonderfully eclectic mix of Shy and the Fight, Mowbird, Trecco Beis, Gintis, CHROMA and Red Telephone. We wanted to know how it all began, what’s driving the surge in great Welsh music and where it goes from here…

Tell us about Popty-Ping – how did it all start and who’s involved?

Andy: As with the best of such plans, it began as a drunken pub idea. A mutual friend had introduced me to Shy and the Fight (our first signings); after hearing a demo and seeing a gig I was amazed no-one had shown any interest in them so, after several beers, it seemed a brilliant idea to start a record label to put them out. We drunkenly wondered what the daftest name in Welsh could be, and the Popty-Ping Recording Company was born. Knowing nothing about records or graphic design, I persuaded Dan to design me a logo and sleeve. Radio 1 played the first record in the week it broke, so it seemed so much fun we’d do it all over again with a second band and they did a Marc Riley session for 6 Music. I couldn’t afford to pay Dan for graphics so persuaded him to join in with me and make it a partnership (his knowledge of Welsh music is pretty encyclopedic). Then I hit on an idea of setting a target of nine releases, and putting them all onto a compilation LP called Nine Modern Poets (my grandad released an successful poetry book of the same name – so a modern reflection on the same topic). By the time of the fifth record, we spoke to Matt so much about things it seemed wise to bring him in also. And so now there are three of us. The plan is to release nine of the current 7″ singles and then see what happens next I guess.

Have you got a wish list of artists you want to work with or does it just happen organically when it comes to looking at your next release?

Andy: Hmm kind of… there have been bands we’ve wanted for years and not got, some we’ve worked to develop a great release and others we literally heard a demo, reckoned it brilliant and begged them to let us release it.

Matt: I’ve usually got my eye on two or three but it’s usually down to timing I guess.

How did it feel back in 2012 when you put out your first single and what was the reaction like?

Andy: Both the scariest and proudest thing I’d ever done. I remember the records being delivered and just looking at boxes of orange vinyl and suddenly worrying, ‘What if I’m the only person who thinks this is any good?’… But then it got played on Radio 1 within a week, people all over the world we didn’t know bought it and Dan even heard it when he went to the Olympics that summer. The reaction to the Shy single was just lovely, I somehow thought it would take three releases to get it on Radio 1 and we did it in a week. I’m still really proud of it and think it’s a bloody great release, it’s probably my girlfriend’s favourite of our releases.

There seems to be loads of new talent coming out of Wales at the moment, what do you think is driving this and who should we look out for?

Matt: People. There’s amazing artists but also an outlet for them. I can only speak for South Wales but schemes like Forte Project and Horizons help highlight acts and are run by knowledgeable and passionate people. Liz and Sam at The Moon in Cardiff and Le Pub in Newport are willing to give new bands a stage and are hugely supportive in addition to the team behind Clwb Ifor Bach and Swn. There’s also a strong DIY ethic with bands and promoters that means that nobody sits around twiddling their thumbs. Things happen. You then have labels like Libertino and Bubblewrap consistently releasing amazing music. The common thread is wonderful human beings with a love of music, doing things for the right reasons.

Andy: Yeah, I think a really great developing network for artists and music seems to exist in Wales. From Horizons and Forte to Focus Wales, Adam Walton and Rhys Mwyn. And we’ve had a lot of help from our peers. People like Nicky Wire from the Manics buying our records has exposed us to a much larger audience. I don’t think my 19 year-old self would have ever imagined that could happen, it is amazing when we’re still so tiny and DIY. Finally every band we’ve put out have almost become family, which we’re also really very proud of. I don’t think I could have asked for nicer people in our bands which is a notable guide to anyone wanting us to release them.

Releasing on vinyl has had a big resurgence in popularity, is it getting easier to press and distribute?

Matt: Press, yes. Distribute? With 7″s, I’m not sure. The whole industry is changing and you just need to do anything you can to get people to notice you. Anyone want a tote bag?

Andy: Matt knows much more about vinyl popularity than me (he sells it every day, running Diverse Vinyl in Newport), the tote bags are bloody lovely too and highly recommended – and available on our Bandcamp. Thanks to the Welsh Assembly and Pyst, the process for 7″ distribution is much easier than ever before.

Your latest release introduced us to the wonderful Red Telephone – it must be satisfying to help promote artists you like?

Matt: Absolutely, it’s why we do it. We don’t make money from this. Anything in the bank goes straight into the next release. For me, watching five bands we’ve worked or are working with at our Christmas party makes it worthwhile. Five, fairly different sounding, brilliant acts and fantastic people that we’ve done our bit to push forward and to introduce to a wider audience.

Andy: Ah man, the Red Telephone record is probably the first release we all agreed from the instant we heard it. That Christmas party was so much fun, seeing a room of people you don’t know who’ve paid to come and watch a night of your record label was a really special thing. That’s why we do it I guess. Watching CHROMA continue to develop and grow after our release is also pretty amazing, the only thing I can compare it to must be your old school teacher seeing you’ve done good.

And what’s next for Popty-Ping?

Matt: The next big thing…

Andy: We’ve got three more singles in the Nine Modern Poets plan to release. There’s some more T-shirts coming (we’ve some collaborations in the pipeline on that front), and if Gintis ever finish their LP (they’re recording it with Bill Ryder-Jones) we’d be keen to try and get it a bigger audience.

You can check out all the singles and merch so far on Popty-Ping’s Bandcamp (those tote bags really are good) and give them a follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to catch the latest news and releases as they land.

Interview by Siobhan

26th February 2020