INTERVIEW: Pink Mist

Why do you think these three labels work so well together? What do you all have in common?

Kev BSM: Musically we each operate in a slightly different field, with the occasional crossover, but it's our attitudes and ethics which are very similar. The three of us have been friends for a long time and have each worked with one another on previous projects. Pink Mist is a way of continuing that and, by joining forces and sharing resources (I'm a poet), we can hopefully create something pretty awesome. Also, we were all born within a couple of weeks of one another, which we only realised last month. Spooky!

Alex HR: I think of us like a triangle with a central point. We each go off on our own music tangent - HR: Sick/Beyond Death, BSM: Emo/TAPTAP/Kinsella-rips, B&B: Random computer noises - but we all meet in the middle in various ways.Tall Ships and Gallops being the most obvious examples of this right now. Most importantly though we do all get along in person, regardless of what the internet might tell you.

Simon B&B: That covers most of it, I'd say it's actually quite hard to come across people you find it easy to work with. On the day-to-day and also the whole ethos behind it all. And this feels quite natural.


What benefits would this 'coalition' bring to the bands on each of your rosters?

K: Hopefully it'll bring wider recognition of their work, as well as more opportunities provided by the joint tours, samplers and promotional activities. For a band like Talons, for example, it's great because they could easily appeal to a lot of Holy Roar and Blood & Biscuits fans who may not otherwise have discovered them.

A: I just think musical boundaries are ridiculous. I can’t stand it when people shut off entire types of music from their lives. For all my bluster and faux-bravado, I just can’t understand why someone can’t listen to Baths, Sigur Ros, Deicide, Foo Fighters, Neurosis, This Town Needs Guns, Throats, Three Trapped Tigers and everything in between, because I do! The coalition is all about broad-mindedness to make everything better for everyone.

S: I think all the labels at some point or another have asked for favours or help from each other, be it with knowing a promoter in falmouth, or a place that turns around t-shirts super quick, or a hook up with a japanese label. Whatever. This is like saying 'you don't have to ask anymore!' It's become clear that we're all good at certain things so we all should be able to benefit from that. It can only be a good thing for our bands.


With each of the labels doing so well individually at the moment, why have you decided to launch Pink Mist now?

K: It seemed like the perfect time. We'd been discussing and planning this for well over a year now but we were waiting until a few other commitments were out of the way, as we didn't want to launch into it before we were fully ready. All three labels have arguably their biggest and best years yet coming up with a release schedule of something like 40 new albums and EP's between us, from a nicely diverse group of bands.

A: I think in the current economic/music industry climate, each of us did not want to hit any glass ceilings whatsoever imposed by outside factors. Clubbing together will hopefully ensure that we all continue to grow as much as we want to.

S: It was important we didn't rush into it, there's far too many chumparinos out there doing things half-arsed. So we wanted to wait until the timing was right so we could do it properly. And rather than have a massive in-your-face launch, just introduce it gently. So it can grown organically, like a potato.


Other than the forthcoming tour with Three Trapped Tigers and Tall Ships, what collaborative efforts can we expect in the near future? Who can we expect to see on tour together? The very thought of a Holy Roar band touring with a Blood & Biscuits band touring with a Big Scary Monsters band sends shivers up Bearded's hairy spine - in a good way!

K: We're launching officially in April with 'Hello Pink Mist', a pink/white 12" compilation featuring 4 bands from each label. That's coming out for Record Store Day on the 16th and will be supported by a big, free launch party at Rota in Notting Hill. We have a showcase coming up at The Great Escape in May, just before the Three Trapped Tigers/Tall Ships tour kicks off, and have some ideas about how to celebrate our birthdays in July with another Pink Mist party. Some vague ideas have been thrown around for the 2nd showcase tour in early autumn and I expect there'll be at least one more compilation before the end of the year.

A: What Kev said! To further the final point of your question, I want nothing more than for some of my more hardcore bands to become more open-minded and tour with non-hardcore acts, and vice-versa. Gigs with 3/4/5 similar bands are boring as fuck. I also want to see more collaborative artistic projects - music, clothing, art - it can all go together - and I don't see why we should limit ourselves as long as it doesnt dilute who or what we are.

S: I agree with Bearded, and Alex, and maybe Kev too. We all go to shows and watch 3 indie bands jangle their way through a set, then another night it'll be 3 hardcore bands who all look and sound similar, same with dudes on laptops. Let's mix it up like a fruit salad. I think we're often insulting people's intelligence giving them 3 similar bands. It's too obvious. That's what good about festivals isn't it? The variety. We'll certainly try it. And if people hate it, well... f**k 'em!


What's the relevance of the name?

K: Simon suggested the name and it just seemed to stick right from the start. I don't think we even considered any others actually, it just kinda clung on! I'll let him explain what Pink Mist actually is...

A: It’s brutal and wussy, just like us.

S: Google it