Here at WAX, we love to wax lyrical (get it?) about the incredible indie scene in Bristol. It’s rich and supportive, and there’s so much to discover. One of the groups making it all happen is local label Breakfast Records, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a big all-dayer at the Lost and Grounded brewery.
Breakfast Records is Josh and Dan, who also make up part of the band Langkamer, another WAX favourite. The two friends decided to start a label on a whim, and 10 years later, have helped bands like Getdown Services and Mumble Tide to success, among others. One might say they have been pivotal in keeping the local scene alive, though after speaking to the guys, it seems unlikely they would agree. When I ask them how they think Getdown Services blew up, they just laugh and say: “You mean, how can we attribute Getdown’s success to us?”
I think they’re probably selling themselves short. They have made sure bands like Getdown feel seen and are taken seriously. They have put on shows and made merch and created a scene where like-minded artists can meet. Sure, Getdown may have found success anyway (who doesn’t love a song complaining about landlords), but without Breakfast, how likely is it they would have found that success in Bristol?
The all-dayer at Lost and Grounded was a worthy celebration – a big who’s who of the Bristol indie scene. I managed to sit down next to big barrels of lager and ale to chat to Josh and Dan about redefining success and sticking with the things you love.
Talk us through how you got started – how did it all happen 10 years ago?
Josh: My friend Jasmine said – hey I’m starting a record label with Dan, do you want to get involved? I said that sounds great. We were humming and hawing about what we were going to call it. I looked at the list the other day, we dodged a lot of bullets. Broken Head Records was one of them, that’s really bad. Lo-Fi Records was one, quite limiting.
Dan: We originally met when we were living in Oxford. I met Josh and Jasmine and thought: these are the coolest people I’ve met and they’re not even from here.
What do you look out for when you decide what bands to sign?
Josh: There’s not much thought behind it, it’s a lot more feeling. It’s down to the music we resonate with the most. There’s no magic formula, it’s basically down to taste. There’s so much good stuff we get sent, but it’s not quite the right fit for us. It’s quite subjective.
Dan: Half the time it’s really technical things getting in the way. Josh and I align on things, I don’t think we ever really disagreed on what’s good.
Josh: It’s such an investment for us, sometimes we get sent something I absolutely love but am I the right person to work with this band? You have to figure out whether you align with people. We have very limited resources.
How do you finance yourself, do you do it for the fun of it or do you have money?
Josh: We saved up money over the last few years. We never had a cash injection from anywhere. The first few years, we did small runs of tapes and made T-Shirts ourselves and the we were lucky enough to have a bit of money coming in from record and merch sales.
Dan: There was a point a few years ago when things started to work in our favour. We always just aimed to break even and then realised we’re actually making a bit of money. I thought – if we just hang on, we could save enough money to invest in artists properly.
You have a few bands that are successful, Getdown Services for example, or the band you’re in, Langkamer.
Josh: To a degree, with those bands, they’re very slow success stories. I don’t think I heard any rumours about anyone being an industry plant, these are bands that played gigs to empty rooms for years and years. It’s about putting time in and trusting the process and trying to keep your output consistent and building a fan base through word of mouth. We’ve not had a marketing budget.
Dan: With someone like Getdown, I remember the first time I saw them live. It was rough around the edges but it was just so fun, in a way I thought people will really connect with. Most people who see them think they want to see them again and that’s quite rare.
Josh: I also think they wouldn’t have done well in a utopia. I think people go to their shows because there’s a sense of joy and catharsis. We are living in a depressing dystopia and people want relief from that and I think that’s what Getdown can offer.
They’re also great entertainers, aren’t they.
Josh: Yes, it’s very old school entertainment.
Is being passionate the secret to success?
Josh: Dan and I spoke about the secret to success and we think the secret is to change your definition of success. The moment you start defining success as having fun making music, feeling satisfied with the process, that’s when you become successful. Dan and I have struggled with that over the years, it’s quite a thankless task doing the band and the label and you set these goals and never reach them. It’s like the myth of Sisyphus, it’s always going to be one more hill to roll the rock up.
I spoke to someone recently in a very successful band, he was complaining about the size of the shows they were playing. Something clicked in my mind and I thought nobody is ever going to be happy because everyone is setting these unrealistic goals. My advice is: enjoy what you’re doing when you’re doing it.
It kind of links with the dystopia, doesn’t it, capitalism tells you to always do more, do better…
Josh: Exactly, just enjoy what you’re doing. Your career is made up of the things you do every day, so you’ve got to try and enjoy that rather than constantly striving to reach a new peak.
Dan: I was thinking also, being in a band is a job where people actually applaud you. Obviously that’s addictive and you want more of it, but it’s still pretty good to play a song and people connect with it. You’ve got to remember that. The number of people doesn’t really matter. Maybe, the more people, the less you actually feel present with them.
The way I experience the music scene in Bristol, people support each other and go to each other’s gigs. Is that what you experience as a label?
Dan: Bristol has so much going on for the size it is, you can be inspired in any genre. It doesn’t feel like a competition. You go somewhere like London and you feel the edge of people really trying to get ahead. People do envision themselves moving to London, that’s their aim. There’s only so many jobs and maybe that can produce bitterness.
Last question: How do you feel having made it for 10 years?
Josh: This is not a number we were gearing towards. It’s more like: I look back and think, fucking hell, was that 10 years ago? Where did the last 10 years go? That has flown by. I feel a sense of gratitude and pride that we’re still here because there was definitely a period where our enthusiasm was waning. We’d just come out of lockdown and it felt we’d been hustling for a long time. We had hundreds of unsold vinyl in Dan’s room, threatening to crush him in his sleep.
Dan: It was a health risk.
Josh: So, I feel very fortunate to have made it through that period. The tide’s turned in our favour a bit and I feel very grateful to have someone as smart as Dan as my co-pilot. I would have crashed this plane into the ground long ago.
Dan: I think we work well together.
//Words: Clara Bullock//