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Here we are again, back with another chat to document the DIY scene that I have been part of through Struggletown for the past 10 years. It's been a few weeks since I've felt like recording an episode, I'm a little burnt out on it all - with the COVID restrictions easing it feels like a strange time to be doing something that was very much useful lockdown distraction for me.Ben Goulder suggested speaking to Lew Currie from Nai Harvest (Grazes, Thumbuster, Splutter & More) and I am very glad I did. I think Lew is one of the people whose intro to punk music and illustration/design for bands echoes my own the most. We both dived into the world of MySpace and embraced the wealth of local bands that were there looking for a creative person to make record covers and shirt designs for them at a fairly early stage and we've both continued as designers since. Lew is a MUCH better drummer than I am, but that goes without saying. We touch on Lew's early days, when his dad felt that learning an instrument was essential for a young lad, and how he learned his chops playing covers at home with his brother, and later in various projects that didn't really get off the ground. We mention Flood of Red and my previous gues Calum Doris, which is a very nice little link. Then we go into the wild ride that Nai Harvest provided us all with, not least the two core members, Ben and Lew. I was lucky enough to catch onto this band pretty early and we worked on their first 7" together, which went on to multiple represses and represents a benchmark in the 'UKEMO' scene of the period. I also worked on artwork for the first LP - Whatever, which was my first LP cover design and still means a great deal to me now. Nai Harvest had an energy and charm about them that is rare to find, there are thousands of talented bands that deserve our attention but something this two-piece really connected with our little group and saw them become a firm favourite. We talk a bit about what that was like from the inside, and the reality of getting by as a full-time touring artist.Lew's illustration work has been a vivid part of the look of our scene, through record covers, merch and more for wide range of bands and more, including the DIY space, venue and label Delicious Clam.This conversation was a great one to have - I really enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with Lew, and I hope you like it too.Closing track: Wendy House by Thumbuster from the album NO:P https://deliciousclamrecords.bandcamp.com/album/no-p See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today's guest is Calum Doris - the legendary guitar player for post-hardcore band Flood of Red, and brains behind Bad Luck, who split their time between making awesome pop-rock songs and providing the musical chops for Pop Punk Karaoke nights in Glasgow. Calum was born in California and found himself in Airdrie at the age of 8 - in the first part of our conversation, we discover how he got over that culture shock and ended up involved in campaigning for a skatepark to be built in the area. We delve into his musical background, finding out his early influences and what made him want to pick up a guitar. We talk about his supportive parents, including his mum Joan who encouraged him and guided him down the right path to get things done properly.Calum was one of the first people I thought of for this podcast, and we've been trying to find the time to chat for a few months now, but boy was it worth the wait. We've been friends for a long time before the label existed, I worked on designs for Flood of Red, we hung out on nights out and ended up working together in a well-known coffee chain. Calum has done illustrations for various zines and Struggletown merch in his signature cartoon style, so he's well connected to the Struggletown story. Flood of Red has played amazing sets for us at Struggle nights in Bloc and Bad Luck has tore it up at Strugglefest on more than one occasion.If you've had the pleasure of meeting Calum, you'll know he likes to chat - so I knew this would be a story that would take place over at least two episodes - by the time we wrap up part 1, Calum and a group of high school friends under the name The Psychotic Pandas have been playing local shows in community rooms to 400 kids most weekends, sharing the bill with up and coming UK bands like Enter Shikari and Azriel. We'll catch up with Calum again soon for part 2.Closing track - Hold On (feat. Jordan Spiers) taken from Old Songs by Bad Luck - http://badluck1987.bandcamp.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

*some delays in audio, so it sounds like it takes me ages to laugh at stuff, sorry!*In this episode, I catch up with Ben, whose bands always play exactly the right covers to get me grabbing the mic. We chat about his latest project - Fanfare, which releases mixtapes created and curated by artists. These limited edition cassettes are designed as an accessible evolution of the photo and art books of his previous project Snöar Press. We chat about the Sheffield hardcore scene that Ben threw himself into in the mid-2000s, the influence of MySpace on the UK music scene as well as Dead and Gone Records' impact on the Sheffield scene and UK hardcore in general.Ben's first band Grazes was influenced by a mixture of the local hardcore bands that popped up at the time, as well as tinges of screamo and punk. We met at a two-day festival booked by Hawkchild DIY in Stereo called Shortsfest. They covered No Spiritual Surrender by Inside Out and I was stoked (see cover image). After Grazes, The Pact went for a straight-up hardcore sound, emulating bands like American Nightmare and Carry On. Struggletown distributed releases by both bands, a split 7" with Jackals and Grazes and a demo tape for The Pact.Once those bands were out of his system Ben moved to London to study publishing, finding a gap in the local art scene for working-class northern voices. His DIY approach was heavily influenced by his time in bands and many of the artists he worked with are connected to hardcore, including his longtime collaborator and friend Luke Overin, who fronted Never Again. Snöar Press was a successful little DIY operation, releasing books from artists and exhibiting at book fairs in the US. Ben has since launched Fanfare, which is an evolution of his involvement in art releases, aiming for greater accessibility, through the format of sound/music on limited edition cassettes by artists, Cali Dewitt, Luke Overin & Eddie Langham. Find out more about these releases at http://fanfare.worldClosing track - Breathing Fresh Air Through Rotten Lungs by The Pact from the demo/Everyday Struggle Vol.II See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

My guest on this episode is Anna Goldthorp, one of the coolest people I know. From roots as a teenage punk, collecting records by so-cal bands via No Idea, Adeline & Lookout records, she went on to play brass (reluctantly) in a local ska band, introducing her to the local punk scene at an early age. Anna is is best known as a DJ who knows how to build a set out of a wide range of great music, from punk rock to 60's garage and soul. I've been lucky enough to catch Anna playing as part of the triple threat known as Shake Appeal which ran for years in Bloc, the same amazing venue where we hosted hundreds of bands. Shake Appeal was a rare beast that married the sounds of the rock'n'roll, r&b, and soul to punk, metal, and glam rock, without sounding shite. Each of the DJs at that particular night was so well versed in the music they loved that they were able to blend these genres into a stompable dance cavalcade. The frenzied and handmade visual identity for the night summarised the atmosphere perfectly. Anna has gone on to DJ with her friend Holly, playing more mid-century hits with seemingly effortless style and cool vibes always at Nice N Sleazy. Her sophisticated ear for niche 45s and hidden gems has led her to play weekenders in Hamburg, Sheffield and seen her connect with DJs from LA to start up a monthly radio show - Anna G's House Party - which is available to hear on mixcloud.com/radiocore/anna-gs-house-party/Anna's story of getting into punk, figuring out how to DJ and meeting folk along the way is inspirational and underlines the idea that DIY is not genre-specific, but that punk rock gives people the permission to do what they want, how they want.I really relished the opportunity to sit down with Anna and learn about what she does and why and I hope you enjoy the conversation!Closing song - Mini Skirt Blues by Flower Children See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shaun Murawski is a photographer who lives and works in Glasgow. He has been a long-time collaborator with Struggletown, providing photographs for several releases. He has also documented many shows and key moments in our history, all while simultaneously being my closest friend. It's as weird as it is cool to get the chance to interview your best friend. We've often discussed our personal music history and our paths into our respective careers, but never in such a long-form conversation or in so much depth.Following on from the collection of photos that we released in January 2021 entitled Boketto, I was interested to find out what led Shaun to pick up a camera, how his involvement in the local hardcore scene impacted his photography as well as the story of how he ended up shooting the Queen. After years of pushing Shaun to publish a collection of his work, it was great to have the opportunity to release it through Struggletown and see the amazing response it had, selling out its initial run in just 3 days. We intend to release more photography, art, design, and culture publications, definitely more from Shaun.We discuss photography in general and what drives Shaun to take the photos he takes. We talk about growing up in the east end of Glasgow and coming across punk music as a teenager. We cover the strange angles the press took when he was appointed to shoot the portrait of the Queen for the Scottish Parliament building, attempting to paint him as a 'rubber earring wearing punk'. Shaun also co-owns Super Bario, an arcade bar in the east of Glasgow city centre on King Street. It's a great place for a pint and a game of House of the Dead.The song at the end is by Quests - a band Shaun and I were in with Steven Gribbin (theapplesofenergy) it's called 'If you wouldn't tell Stalin, don't tell anyone'. We recorded it as we wrote it with Richard Wardrop (Bear Arms). We only played one show, we were mostly in it to hang out, drink Quilmes and eat pizza.Find Shaun's work at shaunmurawski.com and on Instagram @shaunmurawski See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean is the host of the amazing Culture Fear podcast, which was massively influential on the format of this podcast, in addition, Sean's advice made this podcast possible. All of that aside, Sean is a prolific and avid champion of DIY culture, through his bands Losing Sleep (RIP) and Consolation, as well as a wide range of other projects. His origin story take us from the outskirts of London, holding signs for Banquet Records, right across the states on tour with Spraynard and back. I had a great time catching up with him and he was gracious enough to invite me on as a guest to Culture Fear. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Keir O'Donnell plays guitar and sings in Wolves at Heart, a pop punk band from Glasgow who somehow managed to inspire me to start a record label. Find out what got Keir into playing music, what made him put on a handful of super fun shows, how he dealt with being the only mosher at his school, and lots more. Keir is involved in producing film now, and he takes us into the similarities between loading in a film set, and loading in a gig. Will we hear more from Wolves at Heart in the future? Listen to find out.Song - The Good In Me from the split 7" with Last Call See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Round 2 with the illustrious Glenn Barrington.We pick up where we left off talking about the music scene in Sackville, moving to Halifax, and later on to Toronto.We talk about punk jobs, that are flexible enough to allow time to tour, pay the bills, and also contribute to the punk economy in some way.We are then joined by Anne Herteis, who is married to Glenn and is one of the most genuine activists I know, she has worked in a few jobs - advocating, fighting for justice, and generally improving the world directly around her. In this conversation, we focus on Thunder & Lightning, a bar that they took over, what the place meant to them and how they operated it in an inclusive, open, and above all community-minded way. Under their guidance, the pub became even more of a pillar of the local community, hosting live events that challenged perceptions, while also making sure everyone had a good time. I have never had the pleasure of drinking a pint in T&L, but I feel like I have, just based on knowing these two amazing people, the team they assembled, and the work they put into making it that way.I feel like Glenn's voice will be back on the podcast sometime soon, maybe as a guest host!T&L forever!End track - Nowhere by THREES from We're Sorry We Missed you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I catch up with one of my closest friends, who also happens to play bass and sing in my band, Slowlight. Beth is one of the most inspiring and hard-working people, I have been lucky enough to meet. She has worked countless day jobs as a musician, working with a wide range of people using music as a tool for communication, expression, and enjoyment. She also embodies the DIY spirit of activism and community support, from driving bands around to hosting the odd gig in her flat, Beth has put in the miles. This conversation came just as she was on the cusp of releasing her lockdown recorded, solo project under the moniker flinch. this release was also the catalyst for this podcast as it kick-started my enthusiasm for connecting with the DIY community Struggletown was involved in building. Beth's first DIY show was one of ours, at Bloc and it's great to still be part of her musical life in a bunch of different ways.Big thanks to Beth for having the patience to do this twice, as the first version was a write off for a few reasons (all my own fault!)Opening theme by gerard from flakes (and grave matthews)End track - Escape from Rupture Farms by flinch. from Enough is Enough. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I catch up with my longtime friend Glenn and get to know about his roots in the insane Cape Breton, Nova Scotia music scene, which led to a lifetime of playing in DIY bands. We discuss how DIY became a way of life and nothing else made sense, how we met through the label and finding out we are transatlantic clones. Glenn played in literally hundreds of bands, to name a few:Horses, !ATTENTION!, Fortune Teller, No Hands, THREES, he also played drums for Risky Business on the split with Nervous Wreck (uncredited). He and his partner Anne went on to run a bar in Sackville, New Brunswick called Thunder & Lightning which was a local community hub and stop off point for international DIY bands, musicians, artists and more - we go into that in Part 2.End track - When Good People Make Babies - !ATTENTION! from the self-titled LP See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.