Label
Fandango is the release process stripped to its
fundamentals, inspired by the driving DIY dynamics
of fresh-eared labels such as Transgressive, Marquis
Cha Cha and Dance To The Radio. The slogan for
our label is the eminently catchy “no frills:
all thrills”, because in the true orange-arsed
spirit of easyjet Label Fandango is a bring -
your - own - sandwiches operation with generic
sleeves, a gently unhinged disposition and a genuine
passion for helping bands reach somewhere else.
It started, as most of the best things
in life tend to, with a gig. In 2001 Club
Fandango crept onto the London music
scene on a Tuesday night in Camden’s
Dublin Castle
and carefully unfurled its glossy new
backdrop. Four years down the line that
Tuesday is a heaving maelstrom of top
sexy indierock behaviour with Keane,
Bloc Party,
22-20s, Death Cab For Cutie, Kaiser
Chiefs, Go!
Team and Arctic
Monkeys all filling the venue at various
points.
The
backdrop is looking a bit worse for wear
after over 200 shows. But then again aren’t
we all? So what comes next? A record company,
of course.
Pointy
Records and Fierce
Panda (your hosts for Club Fandango)
are launching Label Fandango as a Singles
Club in its purest sense, purveying thrillingly
limited edition releases in black &
white sleeves with the aim of breaking
even and having a bit of fun with smashing
new talent along the way. Pointy Records
is the refuge for cosmic star chasers
such as The
Clientele and Flotation
Toy Warning. The fierce panda recording
company is the indie escape hatch for
sonic terrorists such as Art
Brut, Apartment,
Agent Blue and other bands beginning with
‘A’. Together they are Label
Fandango.
And together they have been gawping at
the excesses of the corporate machine.
Indie Boomtime it may be but what does
that mean? £100k marketing spends
for ‘80s soundalikes, hysterical
TV advertising campaigns for half-baked
debut albums and total catastrophe if
the latest over-hyped Libertines wannabes’
second single fails to crack the top 20,
that’s what. What are we doing,
people? Is this really fun??
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