1. Could you tell a bit more about savage amusement record label?
Savage Amusement said :
I had been selling/trading my own records for years , doing comp tapes and stuff , stuck in dead end jobs , but a few years after meeting Dawn my partner , it was crunch time – dead end jobs, or take the plunge and do distro and label full time? Dawn is very good at spreadsheets so is a big help with the tax recording side of things so I thought “gotta give it a go” .
2. When did you start with the savage amusement record label and are the bands satisfied with your services?
Savage Amusement said :
Savage Amusement as a distro/webstore/label started in 2010 but had been a newsletter long before that , reviewing releases and gigs and also I helped get the first Barse CD out. They were a local band playing great tunes like a mix of the best of John Peel, with an obnoxious sense of humour. I also helped them get deals with Vesku from Hells Tone recs in Finland . There were a lot of great upcoming bands in the late noughties, so I put together a comp in 2011 with Bruised Knuckles label from Finland ( “Bruised Knuckles vs Savage Amusement” ) - we each supplied half the tracks . Tim's side was more varied with a bit of ska , Oi! & punk whilst mine was mainly streetpunk and Oi! Such as Perkele, Booze & Glory , Runnin Riot and Gimp Fist (who kindly gave me a different version of the reggae number “Guilty” ) - all who went on to be a lot bigger. Then I was in touch with Mackie from Blitz who had formed a good new band Epic Problem and they put out various 7”s/splits and 10” , some of which I co-released with Mike from Longshot who I put em onto.
Regarding the 2nd part of your question well mainly , yes . There were a lot of internal politics with Barse, some of which I only found out about later. Gaz (Gash) committed suicide in 2006 but had already recorded an amazing 3rd album “If You Can't Fuck Em Cut Em Up” (the cover featuring Barse's heads imposed over a Royal picture) . Few labels would normally touch a defunct band but Vesku at Hells Tone agreed it was so good we had to get it out. I had no idea until a (local punk's)funeral 10 years later that most of the songs were Andy's (original singer who had left the band a couple of years before) and he wasn't happy about it, as of course he wasn't credited cos neither me nor Veska even knew or stopped to think , as it was a miracle it saw the light of day. Most of the various band members over the years were grateful for getting them zine interviews, gigs etc and getting the stuff out. Andy and Gaz are/were 2 of the most talented songwriters I know and I am proud of getting their stuff out there.
Mackie from Blitz/Epic Problem has been brilliant throughout , and congratulated me at Rebellion fest for getting the word out and releasing their “11-14” comp CD of by then out of print records . A genuine bloke with no ego.
Tim from Bruised Knuckles (comp CD) disappeared shortly after the CD came out so if anyone knows him tell him to get in touch as I still owe him CDs – I did get Vesku (Hells Tone) to try trace him on Finnish forums, to no avail. All the bands seemed happy with the CD though one kicked off with me about copyright, not realising he had already told Tim he could use the song!
3. What bands can expect from you?
Savage Amusement said:
Who knows? I don't have any plans at the minute. Pressing plants for vinyl have whacked up costs to insane levels , and CDs are selling less . There are also shitty formats like Pledge and downloads making things worse. My preferences are 77 punk and Oi!/streetpunk . I just keep my ears open and maybe it's not the end of the label yet!
4. Could you give some advice to bands about the underground scene?
Savage Amusement said:
It's fucked! In the UK at least – bands , venues , record labels, all making a loss. It doesn't matter how good you are – you will play to 7 people at the Black Bull or somewhere . We have one of the worst governments in UK history , killing people with cuts – many can't afford to eat , so gigs are the last thing on their minds. They are also destroying public transport so even less people can get to gigs. There's a few bands who can get a crowd after years and years of gigging – like Dirt Box Disco , Gimp Fist , Hung Like Hanratty – but they are the exception to the rule.
My advice would be not to take the plunge with releases till you've gigged your arses off and built a bit of a following , as you can't afford to make a loss with the prices that pressing plants charge these days. And don't pack in your day job! Creating good songs is great but be prepared to fall out with lots of people along the way cos money is something that's not gonna happen via the band, that is if you get to even the gigging stage cos people in bands are the most chaotic and unreliable people around!
5.Could you say something at the end for the blog All for one and one for all?
Savage Amusement said:
Many thanks for the coverage . Support your small distros, venues and bands and fuck big shitholes like the Academy ! Please check out CDs, vinyl , metal badges, tshirts etc on my webstore at www.savageoi.com . A big thanks to all the people who buy from me !
Thanks!
Trev
