A Day @ The Label: Heist Or Hit Records
‘Tied to the tracks since 2008’, Heist or Hit are an independent record label based in Manchester, made up of Founder: Mick Scholefield, Label Manager: Martin Colclough, Sync / Social Media Manager: Pat Fogarty and most recent addition: A&R Assistant, Sam Coomber. The label’s line up boasts a notable array of artists, from past signings such as Sea Moya, Simian Ghost - and of course, the late dream-pop duo, Her’s - to their current roster, featuring the likes of Hobby Club, Brad Stank and many more. The label are without doubt a discernible influence within the UK’s music community, having just released their 175th project under the Heist or Hit moniker: future-funk minimalists Tungz’s most recent single, ‘Can’t We Just Be Friends Again.’ We caught up with the guys, talking all things Heist or Hit…
The label owes its origin to Mick, who at the time represented US radio station WOXY’s ears in the UK. After discovering a humble selection of artists, Mick made the decision to support them independently. Manchester indie-quartet, The Answering Machine, found themselves among the bands on the list; half of which, would in future join Mick on the Heist or Hit journey, following a pivotal moment in 2008 within the bowels of a dirty Camden pub. ”I remember it being our first gig in months,” says Martin.
After playing as a band for two years prior and constantly fighting with record labels, who made big promises with no deliverance, the band took to the stage, thrashing though a makeshift setlist of new songs. “We’d gotten to the point where we didn’t care much for impressing the ‘industry’ anymore, so we just got very drunk and let hell break loose.” It was this energy that resonated with wide-eyed, new label owner, Mick. “Twenty minutes after the show, we’re packing down our gear and this dude in a full-length, black leather jacket and shades approaches us and explains he’s there on behalf of a US radio station and wants to work with us.” The group spent the next few hours together, already planning their first trip to SXSW and fantasising over what would become the first incarnation of Heist or Hit. “It was just this ‘let’s not talk about it, let’s do it’ attitude, and we loved it.”
“I mean, what Martin said!” Pat agrees. “I remember Mick talking about how he wanted the label to embody the ethos of the early Factory model. That was particularly exciting to us. The idea of a label with a punk heart. It was Mick who brought that spirit to the table and it’s what allows us to be so vital and adaptable to this day.”
Following a relatively short but successful career under Mick’s wing, The Answering Machine announced their split in 2011. “I continued to work alongside Mick at Heist or Hit,” explains Martin. “We grew the company and explored new avenues outside of the label, including artist management, publishing, and more recently, live promotion.” The pair operated as a two-man team for the next five years, operating from a DIY office set-up on Martin’s kitchen table, working ‘tirelessly and passionately’ on a mixture of artists from around the world. However, it was not until 2018 when their journey finally came full-circle. “We’d reached a point where we needed more hands-on-deck, so Pat joined and it couldn’t have been more fitting.” The label continued with this outfit for the following two years, before being joined by A&R Scout, Sam. “We’ve enjoyed some of the highest highs and darkest lows a label could ever experience. It’s created a very close bond between us, and that bond is the glue that holds our label together.”
The Heist or Hit office finds itself in the heart of the Northern Quarter, Manchester, which the label has called its home since 2014. Much of their mornings are usually spent drinking coffee, discussing podcasts, and holding each other back from eating lunch too early. “During the afternoon, we’ll usually soundtrack the office with Amazing Radio or a Spotify playlist, or stick some A&R on the speakers” says Martin. “We have a designated beer fridge too, so we’re never more than a couple of feet away from some late afternoon suds.” I would like to take this moment in the piece to pause and remember our comrades working in Wernham-Hogg-esque office spaces out there. We salute you. “It’s actually humbling to be working at something you care deeply about day in, day out,” adds Pat. “We find ourselves wearing many hats. One hour you can hop from tea boy to head of publishing, with a bit of copywriting thrown in for good measure. The next, you’re running to the shop, liaising with the press and wearing your social media manager hat. We’ll always make time for a good old-fashioned meeting, however. The Northern Quarter has too many good bars.” Je suis désolé, unhappy office workers of the world. Je suis désolé.
“We work very well in the office. Even on occasions when we work from home or in my case, working from one of my other companies in the South. We prefer to be together though. I think it’s really important to talk out ideas and use each of our skills to make them happen.” says Mick, before Martin continues: “As there’s only four of us in a small space, it makes for a super intimate working environment. The office is at its most bustling when Mick is up, but we’re also really used to working remotely. Skype is our Virtual Office during these times. Everything is very informal; we work as friends not colleagues.”
Pat agrees that although they all have their own roles at the label, collaborative working is what they value the most. “We recently re-jigged the office layout to be more open plan. Although, on occasion I will still slip behind my monitor pretending to be super involved in writing an artist biography while necking those Brannigan’s Roast Beef and Mustard crisps. The ones with a proper dirty butcher on the pack.” From day-to-day, Martin explains, the office is manned by Pat and himself.
“We’ve been friends for over fifteen years, and have toured the UK and beyond together in the back of a van, so there’s not much we don’t know about each other. We read each other very well, so working together is a breeze. We share the same tastes in everything too,” he says, before hesitating. “Other than football. He’s a Blue and I’m a Red.” Are there any bad office habits? I ask. “Sam, our A&R assistant,” Mick states. “But we are a much too close-knit team to divulge the reasons why…”
“You’re going to cause some arguments with this question!” interjects Martin, laughing. “I have to admit, I’m a bit of a neat freak, so I get a lot of stick from the other three about this. If a cushion is out of place on the sofa, or a dirty cup is left on the side, my stress levels rise. So I can’t be easy to work with. I agree with Mick though, Sam has to be king of the bad habits…” He trails off, “…I’m going to stop now before I turn into Monica from Friends.” Pat eventually follows suit, “I feel like there’s a theme developing here so I’m going to nominate Sam. Mainly because of his ‘feeder’ status. If we didn’t have the will power we have, we’d be drinking beers out of hollowed out donuts by 10.30am.”
“Working at Heist or Hit has brought us loads of funny moments, in fact laughter is a regular part of our day,” claims Mick. “We often have crazy ideas too silly to ever put in practice and we say to ourselves that these would be in another episode of the comedy series about the label. Over the years this comedy series has a ridiculous number of episodes.”
“I feel like this would be a long-running sub-plot, but for a year now I’ve had AirPods and didn’t realise there was a microphone built into the bottom,” Pat begins, smirking. “I’ve been putting them in, making calls and swanning round the office talking into my phone. The other guys just watched me for 12-months. It was only recently that Martin put me out of my misery.”
So, what makes Heist or Hit different from other labels I hear you ask? Pat explains how he feels it is the development they are able to offer to young acts. “Anyone can take raw talent and market it ‘properly’. There’s a precedent for that. But Facebook likes will only get you so far. Having been artists ourselves, we have the advantage of that perspective and are able to nurture the creative and grow it into a career. I also feel like we have great tastemaker currency. That’s not unique to us. Other labels, such as Speedy Wunderground, do it brilliantly. But I do feel like Heist or Hit is making waves in that world.” Martin elaborates, “We also admire labels such as Heavenly Recordings and 4AD, and strive to achieve the same ‘family’ feel that these labels create. It’s difficult to describe, but whilst our roster of artists don’t share a musical style, their DNA is the same.”
With a new wave of sounds and styles emerging from seemingly every local and bedroom in the UK each day, I find myself wondering how one label could possibly wade through such an ocean of artists, not to mention deeming those worthy enough to be ordained in to the Heist or Hit family. “We listen to everything submitted to the label,” begins Mick. “It’s rarer for us to sign an artist submitted to us out of the blue.” Martin agrees. “Generally, if I’m being told to like something then it’s not the greatest start, I usually like to begin by finding new acts purely on a fan level. I want to find that excitement of discovery.” Mick continues, adding: “We use so many routes to locate bands before they are even thinking about submitting to us. This can be as a result of us seeing them as support artists live, hearing their music on a playlist or even on the radio.”
“Having grown up in a MySpace generation, I’m used to trawling the internet endlessly for new music, jumping from profile to profile of unsigned artists in the hope of stumbling over something special. We also have some friends of the label whose ears we trust, so we always take their recommendations seriously too,” adds Martin. Is there any way we can get our Heist or Hit fix whilst at home? “Yeah. Tungz have started ‘Tungz TV’, Thursday nights, IG Live,“ replies Pat. “They generally have a special guest, do a quiz and play a tune.” Pat answers.
“Away from new music, we strongly recommend you check out the weekly livestreams between Pizzagirl and Brad Stank,” Martin adds. “They usually take place on Thursday evenings during the lockdown, over on their respective Instragram profiles. Grab a crate of beer, and join them for some amusing anecdotes!”
Now, time for some digging. Does the label have any new signings lined up for when we return to normality? “We certainly do!,” answers Martin. “There’s a recently-signed raucous four-piece indie band from Liverpool who we’re close to announcing. They actually have music ready to go, so it may even be our first Lockdown Artist Announcement. We’re also in the very early stages of working with a young singer-songwriter, who we are insanely excited about! No project name as yet, and only demos to speak of, but super talented.”
“We’ve also been talking to a band who have already put material out, which admittedly is quite rare for us,” Pat adds. “There’s potential we may work on something pretty amazing together. We shot out of the blocks in January with a host of new signings [Brad Stank, Tungz, SKIA, Orpine] but we can’t sit still. There’s just too much good music around. It feels like a golden time creatively.”
“As Pat mentioned,” begins Martin. “We were thrown into lockdown with a 2020 release schedule bursting at the seams. As the situation changes daily, we’re having to keep adapting how we release new music, but we made a pact on Day One that we’ll continue with all our digital releases as planned. Therefore, we’re excited to say that May will see the release of Liverpool Scandi-popper SKIA’s debut EP ‘Apricot’, as well as Orpine’s debut album ‘Grown Ungrown’. Then in June, we’re set to drop the eagerly awaited debut album ‘Kinky Om’ by Brad Stank.”
“In a lot of ways, it would have been easier to roll over during this time,” interjects Pat. “It’s just not in the label’s DNA. That punky attitude keeps driving us forward. It’s taken time to adapt to the ‘new normal’ but here we are as determined as ever to keep you entertained.”
Working with artists during the development phase is evidently where the guys get their biggest buzz, and I can’t help but think that Pat and Martin see elements of themselves in the young and excited artists they work with. Offering support and guidance to rising musicians appears to come very naturally to them, something which reflects the group’s humble beginnings; from a chance meeting, to a fully-established and revered record label.
