Young & Lost Club Interview
November 12, 2009
London-based indie label, Young & Lost Club was a project born in early 2005 that now, four years later, is thriving in the competitive waters of the music industry. From the early days when they produced the Pyrrha Girls fanzine, to which a certain Mr Pete Doherty contributed; Nadia Dahlawi and Sara Jade have set up an empire of sorts. From running regular nights at Soho dive The Push Bar to commandeering the upstairs room of indie uber-club Frog, the pair put their contacts to good use and turned their attentions to setting up their very own label
The label’s first single was released in March 2005, a double A–side from retro killer song smiths Vincent Vincent and the Villains. This 1,000 run single sold out almost instantly only to appear on eBay a few weeks later going for three times the price. Since this landmark first release, the label has been responsible for the debut singles from Noah and the Whale, Larrikin Love, Good Shoes, Pull Tiger Tail, Fear of Flying and Johnny Flynn amongst other acclaimed bands. Along the way, Nadia and Sara have honed their skills as DJs and, still known to everyone as the Pyrrha Girls, have graced the hippest dance-floors across the globe.
Nadia took time out of running a record label and successful club night to chat to Cargo…
Hi Nadia, what was the inspiration behind the label?
We started Young & Lost Club because at the time there were really no singles labels for new bands around. We wanted to create a kind of singles club where people collected every release and came down to the club to see the bands play live as well.
What was your musical background prior to starting a label?
We didn’t have much musical background before starting the label; we ran a small fanzine all through school which was called Pyrrha Fanzine. We were the first to write about Razorlight and Peter Doherty used to contribute as well. We did a few club nights at Notting Hill Arts Club to go along with the launch with bands like Art Brut, Lupen Crook and Special Needs playing.
What release are you most proud of?
We are proud of every release we have put out but I think we are especially proud of Noah and The Whales first album “Peaceful The World Lays Me Down.” It was our first album and stayed in the top 5 for a month.
Do you release music purely on the basis of a personal love for a band or do you have to weigh up whether it will sell?
We release music purely on the basis of our personal love for a band! I’m not sure if that’s always worked out for the best for us but we wouldn’t do it any other way!
Are there any bands that you came close to signing; artists that you would have loved to have worked with but, for whatever reason, didn’t work out?
No luckily we have always been able to work with all our favourite bands.
What are some of your favourite bands that aren’t on your label?
We are very big fan of The Strokes! We also love Vampire Weekend, a new band from Manchester called Egyptian Hip Hop and Celestial Bodies
How do you identify artists that you want to sign?
They are usually bands that we know and we look for a full package in a way, for example as good live as they are on records. We also like our acts to be involved in their artwork and videos as we feel it comes across better to their audience.
Who would you say are the next up and coming artists that we should look out for?
We are really excited about Loverman, the band are writing lots of new songs at the moment and there are plans for a single out in January time. [You can download an exclusive track here.] We also love a new London band called Lunar Youth.
What are the key points in a band getting their music noticed and creating a buzz?
We feel live shows are really important. Also its great when a band is really involved in all aspects from their artwork, to running their own myspace and even running their own club night. So many bands are really lazy these days and get a manager and agent really early on and it feels like they loose their whole identity along the way.
Do you place a strong importance on the overall aesthetic of the label (sleeve artwork / website / club night poster design) or is it purely about the strength of the music?
We feel it’s really important for the overall aesthetic of the label to be about Young and Lost Club, not just the music. Neill (ex member of Vincent Vincent and The Villains) does all our artwork and we feel he is a really important member of the team. He definitely understands the label and always comes up with great flyers and web designs for us.
Musically, do you think the label is maturing in regards to the singles you are releasing and the artists you are signing?
Yes I think so. We do a lot more EPs now which we were not experienced enough to do at the beginning. Also we are doing a free fortnightly download from our website now as well.
Do the artists on Y&L completely reflect your taste in music?
Yes they do reflect our music taste although we do love Jackson Brown and Fleetwood Mac as well!
Is it more important to sustain the vinyl release ethos of the label or to distribute to a wider audience digitally?
We do release digitally as well now through itunes and through our fortnightly free download section of our website. We still feel vinyl releases will always have a place though. Most of our releases sell out within a month so people definitely still have a desire for physical versions of music in their lives.
Finally, what can we expect at the Young & Lost night at Cargo on the 13th November?
Dead Kids will be headlining – they are a really amazing live band and always win over fans. Also Loverman will be main support, their live shows are amazing as well. We have been to about 150 Loverman live shows now and never get bored of watching them. Also come down early to check out Grass Houses they are a new London band that are creating quite a buzz. There will also be all our favourite Y&L Djs as well so expect dancing right up until 3am!
Cargo is teaming up with Young & Lost Club on Friday 13th November for a wild trip on the dark side featuring Dead Kids, Loverman & Grass Houses. This is a Free Fridays event so make sure you arrive early to avoid the queues.
