Music

10 Small Faces

10 Itchycoo Park The Small Faces [download]
Classic celebration of the joys of stoned park life and the first Britpop single – which paved the way for London’s indie label revolution
Famed for mixing protest and enterprise with music, London has a rich, proud history of independent record labels. In 1967, The Small Faces released psych-mod anthem ‘Itchycoo Park’ through Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate Records; this celebratory ode to getting stoned in Little Ilford Park, Manor House, was the first record in the UK to be banned for overt drug references, although the group ultimately lied their way out of it. Feature continues

From the ’60s onwards, London has seen an explosion of independent labels, fuelled by a fast-changing youth culture the major labels couldn’t (and still can’t) keep up with. During punk, ‘God Save The Queen’ was released on the then independent Virgin Records, while Stiff, Chiswick and Rough Trade popped up to encourage the likes of Cherry Red and Beggars Banquet, which thrived during the ’80s post-punk and new wave years. Scenes such as acid house (Boy’s Own Recordings, XL) and drum ’n’ bass existed almost exclusively on indies, and there’s even been the odd unexpected Number One, such as Wiiija Records’ (named after its W11 1JA postcode) Cornershop hit, ‘Brimful Of Asha’, in 1998. What makes these labels so special is their individual personalities – each one is like a friend who recommends cool records to you.

‘Stiff had a lot of my favourite bands when I was a nipper,’ recalls Matt Jacob, co-founder of Islington’s Memphis Industries, home to The Go! Team and Field Music. ‘I liked their recklessness, which is probably not something to aspire to. In terms of DIY attitude and enjoying the process of releasing records, they don’t come much better.’

‘My favourite has got to be Rough Trade,’ says James Endeacott, the man who signed The Libertines to Rough Trade and is now head of 1965 Records. ‘That’s the label, as a kid, that I looked up to and I was very fortunate to work there. They’re the benchmark of any great label, whether it’s in London or not. The way they operate and the way they’re so eclectic – they put out folk, reggae, anything – they give a real sense of London and it’s run by people who are London.’

Both Endeacott and Jacob are heavily involved in the capital’s current indie label boom which is throwing up some of the most exciting music London has heard for years – even if Endeacott’s label is part-owned by Columbia, a familiar scenario as the majors attempt to keep their fingers on the pulse (see also 679 Recordings and B-Unique).

‘There are literally hundreds in London,’ says Jacob. ‘Starting a label is a pretty alluring idea. But it’s the hardest thing in the world to keep it going. I heard recently that 94 per cent of labels lose money, so there’s probably only a handful in London that you could classify as successful.’

But if a label is going to succeed, London is the right place to start. Bands, journalists, PRs, DJs, promoters – all part of a firm industry infrastructure and a thrilling music scene – are drawn here.

‘It helps that the media’s here,’ says Endeacott. ‘But London’s also one of the most exciting cities in the world. There’s so much going on and it attracts bands. They come here and they want to go and look at the art; look at the big buildings; see the great bands.’
This abundance of amazing clubs, galleries, green spaces and people is, perhaps, London’s crucial advantage –it’s all too beautiful, as a wise man once said. Chris Parkin