In spirit and in sound, Blang Records have been one of the labels that we’ve most closely identified with here at Joyzine since our origins in the early 2000s, and this year sees the DIY imprint celebrating an impressive two decades of existence.
Over those two decades they’ve released music by a host of our favourite artists, many of whom we’ve been introduced to thanks to Blang: the lo-fi punk-folk and comic book art of Jeffrey Lewis, Thomas Truax and his band of self-invented instruments, UK anti-folk cult heroes David Cronenberg’s Wife, the surreal storytelling of The Awkward Silences, and label founder Joe Murphy’s own band Sergeant Buzfuz – these are just a few of the great artists to have put out a record (and in most cases quite a few) with the label, marking them out as a trusted source of great new outsider pop music. And their ethics have always been just as strong as their roster, with the number of bands choosing to stay with them for one release after another testament to the strong community they’ve built.
Over the years the Joyzine-Blang relationship has developed into something of a mutual love-in, with the label featuring regularly on our Advent Calendar, and even inviting me onto their Youtube series Blanguished to prattle on about my favourite music venues in New Cross and Deptford. You can watch that here, but might find more insight and entertainment in the documentary made to mark Blang’s 16th anniversary, which made the Doc & Roll Festival’s official selection – it’s free to view on their Youtube channel here.
We caught up with founder Joe Murphy to find out more about the history of the label, how they’ve been marking their 20th birthday and what plans they have coming up soon.
20 Years! Congratulations – did you ever imagine back when you started that you’d still be at it two decades later?
Thanks! No, I don’t think that far ahead.
What is the secret of your longevity?
Being fired by great music. Determination. Not depending on Blang for income (all income goes back into the label and we don’t have an office). Our main bands also have longevity and keep writing and recording.
Take us right back to the beginning: how and why did Blang Records come into being?
I started a label, Audio Gland, in 1999 to release my own Sergeant Buzfuz records. In 2002 I began putting on nights at the 12 Bar Club. Within a few years a community of like-minded musicians and fans meant Blang was better known than the Audio Gland label, so I “rebranded”. David Cronenberg’s Wife were up for releasing records with me on a self-financed basis so I launched the Blang label with the Fruit Machine compilation, showcasing the variety of acts playing at Blang and the intention was to then start releasing Buzfuz and DCW records.
Who have been some of the important people, whether behind the scenes or up on stage, that helped to make the label what it is today?
1 Andy Lowe.
Brian Eno talks about scenius as opposed to genius and he’s right. If you look at all great musicians and bands, no matter how good they were, they would not have been successful or made the music they did without a supporting scene. Flowers need soil. The Beatles, Stones, Dylan, Joy Division, Can, The Doors, punk, etc etc. Blang would not be here without Andy Lowe the main booker at the 12 Bar Club. He was supportive of my early solo shows and gave me a monthly night at a central London location easily accessible from anywhere in London. I was able to book who I wanted and I started on Mondays with little pressure to bring large crowds.
2 Lach and the NYC antifolk crew.
I was also lucky to simultaneously chance upon the NYC antifolk scene after seeing Lach at the 12 Bar and Jeffrey Lewis at the Enterprise in 2001. The arrival of the internet allowed me to book NYC acts which attracted a crowd who loved music and lyrics with spirit, humour and originality. I put on Lach, Jeffrey Lewis, Diane Cluck, Dufus, Major Matt Mason USA, Prewar Yardsale, Thomas Truax, Randi Russo, Joie DBG, etc etc. Rough Trade had signed The Moldy Peaches and released an antifolk NYC compilation and Blang was a ripple from that. People were meeting at Blang nights and starting bands.
3 Jules and the Blang Gang.
In the early days I would watch acts thinking, wouldn’t it be great to have a label with us, DCW and Milk Kan? By 2005 Milk Kan had signed to a major so it was Buzfuz and DCW. A year later Jules Dakin AKA JJ Crash offered to help with Blang and he was big mates with Milk Kan. So when they got dropped by the major they jumped onboard. I’m the one doing this interview about the twenty years but I couldn’t have done what I’ve done without Jules helping me over nineteen years. For example the recent work he’s done with Jeffrey Lewis’ new album and re-releases. Jules is calm where I get stressed. Then his friend Paul Finlay wanted to help. In 2019 we met La Staunton and Beth Soan, two music-heads who brought lots of ideas and helped with social media and videos and promotion in general. It couldn’t be the same without the five of us. Jules and Paul met La and Beth at the “mega-rave” at The Windmill in celebration of the life of Blang regular and mutual friend Jack Medley. I was confined to bed in Sheffield with bronchitis so missed the event but they offered to help with the Jack Medley’s Secure Men LP we were releasing. They sounded promising but you want to vet new people. La and Beth presented the ace In/Tro show on Reprezent FM. That sounded good. Then Jules told me La had turned down a job offer at X Radio because she wouldn’t be able to choose her own playlists. That was it, you’ve passed the interview.
4 Music fans
There’s a community of people who come to shows and buy records. No label could exist without them.
Tell us a bit about your first release – what was it, how was it received and what did you learn from the process?
Fruit Machine contained 26 quite varied tracks. People think of the Blang nights as antifolk and that was a big part of their appeal but not the whole story. Blang put on improv, Africana, electronica, post-punk, spoken word, that has been lost to the antifolk meme. In the packaging behind the CD was a drawing of orange peel, a thread connecting Blang to John Peel because his show’s eclecticism was an inspiration. The LP had three good reviews. I should have made each act buy a box of 25 CDs, that would have saved me losing a grand of my hard-earned. The only person I remember buying a box was JJ Crash, which said a lot about him and within a year we were a dynamic duo. He collected it from the office I worked in at a Central London College. He had his guitar so I was a bit cheeky and said to get his box of CDs he had to play a song for my colleagues, which he was game for. That also said a lot.
How has the way you approach things changed since then?
Social media didn’t really exist then. Beth is really good there. Downloads have affected record sales. You hear of labels who consequently want a slice of publishing, We’d never do that, partly because three of us are musicians ourselves. I mean, what a bloody cheek! I like to think we’ve always been honest and supportive of musicians and that hasn’t changed.
I know this is a horrible question to ask, and every release is special in its own right, but are there any records you’ve put out that have been particular milestones in the history of Blang?
An obvious answer would be the first and (currently) last releases. Fruit Machine set the ball rolling and that’s when Jules had the idea he’d like to help. The new twentieth birthday release, Blang On Blang: Star-Crossed Covers, features twelve acts covering tracks by others from the back catalogue and I think it’s a triumph! I thought it would be good but not this good. It shows how many great songwriters there are on the label and each track has been stamped with something of the personality of the covering artist. It’s an incredible introduction to the label. With ace art and cherry red vinyl.
Interjection from Jules: I would add that Secure As Fuck by Jack Medley’s Secure Men was a milestone release for me. Not only was it the point at which Beth and La joined but it really dawned on me that the music we were releasing that meant the most to us was coming from a deeper place and in many ways helping the artist deal with whatever problems they were struggling with. It also made me realise that you can’t put any commercial objectives round doing that. You just have to work with what you’ve got. You can really hear that in Jeffrey Lewis’ music. Sadly Jack didn’t make it long enough to see his record released, but making it really helped him. There’s deep meaning in the lyrics and music of Blang artists – lots of lyrics. It’s what makes us different. Maybe in another 20 years more people will get that but in the meantime it’s great being unique.
What do you look for when deciding which bands/artists to release?
Songwriting and spirit. We’re pretty full at the moment though. We have pending releases that have been waiting since Easter to receive a release date. There isn’t the time. And personally Sergeant Buzfuz have moved up a gear or three. It would have to be the next Beatles or Kraftwerk or something similarly groundbreaking to start working with more acts (though there are one or two in the queue). You can spread yourself too thin and we have limited resources. Some people get in touch who seem to think we drive BMWs and have a swanky London office but I’m the Wizard Of Oz behind a veil as thin as Hallowe’en.
How have you been celebrating your 20th birthday?
And I don’t look a day over 18! We celebrated the Blang On Blang compilation LP at the 100 Club, a short walk from the memories of the 12 Bar Club. Great venue and great vibe, it was like a family gathering. Some doubted we could put on eleven acts doing fifteen minutes each but we did. Meatraffle were on first at 7:20 but didn’t complain and went on and off on the dot. That’s the Blang spirit. Towards the end of our set I found I was putting my hands over my heart and telling the audience I loved them. I’m not usually that cheesy but I meant it. Blang fans are intelligent and lovely folk.
What is up next for the label?
The next main thing is a new David Cronenberg’s Wife LP. And one or two other things. There’s still a lot of great music being made under the radar and we’re doing our best to release what we can.
What is the best piece of advice you can give to anyone contemplating starting their own label?
The obvious joke is to say ‘don’t’. Like Joyzine you need the spirit, the determination and the love of music. You should be an amateur in the original French sense, doing it for love. And you need some luck. I was lucky enough to have a Central London venue (now impossible), the New York antifolk scene and the internet happen at the same time. And then the knock-me-down good luck to have songwriters of the calibre of Scrappy Hood (Milk Kan), Tom Mayne (David Cronenberg’s Wife), Polly MacLean (Slate Islands) and Malcolm Kaksois playing there. Suddenly the nights (and then the label) were at the centre of a vibrant musical community. Then over the years I met Jules, Paul, Beth, La, all through the London underground music community (and a big shout out to Tim Perry at The Windmill, South London’s equivalent to the 12 Bar Club). Without them it could be just me and DCW. So get out there, start a night and meet people, genius is not enough, you need scenius. And don’t expect to make money, but instead hope for the riches I’ve experienced: having great nights and meeting a bunch of interesting characters and new friends (and for me, my wife). Do it yourself!
Blang on Blang: Star-Crossed Covers is out now on vinyl and digital download – get your copy now via Bandcamp
Blang Records: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Interview by Paul Maps
Photography by Nick West and La Staunton
Keep up to date with all new content on Joyzine via our
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Mailing List