Skep Wax
Here’s the full-version of JEFF PENCZAK’s excellent interview with AMELIA FLETCHER and ROB PURSEY (Heavenly, Swansea Sound, The Catenary Wires, Skep Wax Records) that appeared in issue #173
Shindig!: Whatever convinced you to start your own label? Was it akin to John Peel’s Dandelion launch in that you were hearing all these great bands but no one was releasing their records or was it simply an opportunity to release your own records when no one else would?
Rob: The madness started because we had recorded a new album by The Catenary Wires [Birling Gap] and a debut album by our new band Swansea Sound [Live At The Rum Puncheon]. There were labels offering to put them out. But it seemed like the time was right to do something ourselves. We had talked about starting a label before (30 years before, to be precise, when Heavenly first got going) – and for me, the idea had never really gone away.
Amelia: But it was always the intention to put out other bands, too. We wouldn’t have been interested in only doing our own records. We’ve released albums by loads of new bands that we love: The Cords, Tulpa, Crumbs, and Sassyhiya for example. The scene that we are a part of is yielding some incredible bands at the moment.
S!: Why ‘Skep Wax’? Are you both apiarists? Or perhaps a self-deprecating play on “Skip Wax” – rubbish records?
Rob: I don’t know much about bees, but I do know that a “skep” is an old-fashioned wicker beehive, which was used by Kentish smugglers to disguise themselves: they were worn over the head like wicker balaclavas. When we first moved to rural Kent we used “The Skep” to name an old barn that was used for gigs and rudimentary film screenings. And the word just stuck. When those local events got bigger we started an organisation called Skep Arts. And then the label came along and that got called Skep Wax. If we started a haulage company it would probably be called Skep Logistics.
S!:What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered running a label – from funding tours to distribution to A&R work to PR for the acts and simply encouraging people to explore new artists? I’m sure you’ve encountered the typical “Why isn’t my record in the charts” enquiries?
Rob: The joy for us is in getting other bands’ art across to an audience without manipulating it to make it more “chart-friendly.” It was a lot of fun when The Cords DID hit the charts, though! Really exciting, and even better that we didn’t pay for any hype. We don’t mind doing unusual, uncommercial things if the material demands it. The new European Sun album came with a 17-minute song called ‘School Report’. It was brilliant, but way too long to fit on the LP so we made additional CD singles that come in their own special envelopes with a hand-signed school report. I don’t think this tactic would look very impressive on a business plan – but luckily we don’t have one of those. When we started the label, we decided that we would try to do as much as possible ourselves – press releases, publicity, helping organise tours, videos, etc. The more you control the process the more independent you are, and the less money you hand over to agents, pluggers, publicists, etc. As a result, I’d say the biggest challenges have been learning how all these things work, and then finding enough time to do them properly.
Amelia: The main challenge is just getting the word out. We are well linked into the DIY indie community, and the myriad online ’zines and radio shows that are part of that, but our bands deserve lots of attention and it can be harder to get into more mainstream outlets like the daily newspapers, monthly music mags, or daytime BBC 6Music. The other challenge is not being too coy about our own bands. It can be embarrassing to email people telling them how great the new Heavenly or Swansea Sound album is, but we have little choice if we want to get the word out!
S!:You’ve worked with (or released records) through various labels over the years. Was that experience helpful in preparing to start your own label?
Rob: Yes, definitely. Looking back at Sarah Records, and K in America, and Elefant in Spain, in each case you could see how just a couple of people could build something quite significant, while staying committed to their respective DIY/punk/indiepop scenes.
Amelia: I like how all of those labels created a sense of community around them, with fans being part of the gang. I like to think we are doing that, too. We did a four-day Skep Wax Weekender in London last summer, featuring almost all the bands on the label. The indie-pop community turned out in big numbers!
S!:What are some of the key elements you look for or listen for when considering to sign a band or artist?
Amelia: The most important thing is that we both love the music. We are going to end up listening to it a lot and working hard to push it, so we need to love it.
Rob: If we love the music, we also want to know that the band are in a position to help promote it. Will they play gigs? Will they make videos? And (sadly) do they know how to promote themselves on social media? Bands like Tulpa and The Cords are keen to play live as much as possible, but they also know how to use Instagram. There’s only so much a label can do, but when you are working in concert with an enthusiastic band you can achieve a lot.
S!: So far all your acts are groups – do you also consider solo acts or do you prefer working with full bands?
Rob: We did release a beautiful album by solo songwriter Marlody a couple of years ago, and we hope to release another. But the key thing with Marlody was that we had seen her play live, and we knew she was spellbinding. If hers had just been a studio project I don’t think we’d have taken it on.
Amelia: We do also have a couple of duos on the label: The Cords and Special Friend. Although both of them make such big sounds: they know how to fill the room!
S!: Your two Under The Bridge compilations reunite a lot of the old (no pun intended ) Sarah-era bands along with new projects from former Sarah label mates. Had you stayed in touch with them over the years or did you reach out to see if they were interested in contributing?
Rob: We knew a few of the old Sarah bands, but there were lots we barely knew at all. Part of the fun of Under The Bridge was finally making contact with bands we’d been on a label with – bands like Even As We Speak and Secret Shine. We had sometimes shared stages with them back in the day, but had been too shy or self-obsessed to actually talk to them.
Amelia: It was amazing, when putting those records together, to discover quite how many of our old label mates were still making great music; just listen to The Gentle Spring [featuring Michael Hiscock from The Field Mice] or Jetstream Pony [Beth Arzy from Aberdeen’s new project]! They sound as fresh and as innovative as ever. The obvious band missing from those compilations was Heavenly, but we have only recently returned to making new music – partly inspired by all our old label mates!
S!:While shepherding your label acts through the challenges we’ve discussed, you both still find time to make new music with your own projects. How do you balance everything?
Rob: They seem to go together quite well, they use different parts of your brain, although the label usually has to take precedence. For example, there’s a new Swansea Sound song I really want to finish, but there are press releases to send out and vinyl to be ordered – and that’s more urgent. I’ve got a friend who’s a builder. He’s done loads of extensions and garages for other people but still hasn’t got round to installing his own kitchen. It’s a bit like that sometimes.
Amelia: The trickiest thing is that our online orders stack up when we go away on tour, but people are usually very good about it.
S!:Has your own legacy helped open any doors at the clubs that book the bands or are there still challenges in getting your acts into the clubs?
Rob: I’m not sure about that. We do know people as a result of our own musical activities, but nowadays I think the label is more powerful in terms of getting promoters to take an interest in our bands. I’m pleased about that. People take an interest in Skep Wax bands even if they have no idea about me and Amelia as musicians.
Amelia: It did help at first. Journalists and DJs get thousands of emails from bands and labels, and our names definitely helped our emails to stand out from the morass. But now, I agree with Rob, the Skep Wax name carries its own weight.
S!:Are airplay and live gigs still important in introducing your acts to an audience and garnering record sales? Has social media helped in this regard? I see you have an active presence in the usual arenas.
Rob: Yes, airplay and gigs are still hugely important but social media, and the digital economy generally, have changed everything. Labels used to be indispensable because they were the only way you could access music: if you liked the music you had to buy a record. But now, music flows for free out of every phone and laptop. So labels have become a way of helping steer people towards something worth listening to, and then trying to persuade them to “own” it by buying a copy. It’s a lot tougher, I think. I have become very active on social media. I didn’t do any of that stuff before the label started, as I thought it was a creepy simulacrum of community. I still do. But if you’ve got something objective to tell people about, it’s actually really useful. And I do quite enjoy it now, to be honest. I’ve always been good at turning up at parties just as everyone else is leaving.
Amelia: Definitely, and gigs in particular. The challenge is that it is very costly to go on tour now, especially abroad. It’s okay for Heavenly, because we can get big enough audiences to cover our costs, but many UK-based Skep Wax bands really only play the UK. That’s partly why we did the four-day Skep Wax festival last summer – to attract international people to come and see the bands here instead.
S!:Many of your artists appeared at the Wales Goes Pop festival at The Gate in Cardiff over April Bank Holiday weekend. You also performed twice with Swansea Sound and Heavenly. That must have been a wonderful experience?
Rob: I really like my festivals to be indoors, under a roof, with four walls around me, and at Wales Goes Pop I am pretty sure I only saw daylight when I was forced to leave The Gate to find food. Liz Hunt [who performed with The School] has organised several of these events before, and they’re always good, but this one felt really special. That may be subjective: Heavenly and Swansea Sound both played, so I got more than my fair share of the limelight. But everyone I talked to expressed the same feeling. The sense of community and sheer joy at coming together to see the bands was palpable.
This was definitely an indiepop kind of event, but after seeing pretty much every band over the course of the long weekend, I realised how broad that definition is. There were very young bands like The Cords and Radhika; there were old bands like us. There were loud bands like Prolapse and Tulpa; there were gentle pop bands like Rachel Love and The School. There was minimal grrrl-punk from The Slugs and there was grandiose orchestration from Simon Love. What all the bands had in common was a fierce belief in the DIY ethic, and a strong identification with the community it generates. It felt autonomous and powerful, but generous and inclusive. The bands and the audience mingled as equals. Hardly any of the bands were dominated by men, which immediately made it more enjoyable than the sausage-fests that occur elsewhere.
My highlights of the weekend were ‘Christian’ by British Birds, whose eccentric, infectious chorus we found ourselves singing at regular intervals as we drove back down the M4 on Monday, Sassyhiya’s rousing anthem ‘You Can Give It But You Can’t Take It,’ which isn’t specifically about the current leader of the free world but is definitely about people like him, and Eva of The Cords calmly squeezing ferocious feedback out of her guitar at the beginning of new song ‘Control’. Girls can make just as much noise as boys, they just make less of a fuss about it. If Wales Goes Pop happens next Easter, and I think it will, you should really try to get yourself to Cardiff.
Visit www.skepwax.com to check out all their releases, join the mailing list, and see when/where their bands are touring.
