Kerry – “Hello Stephen, Thanks for joining our indie label blog! You run Butterfly Effects, and we’re curious—how did you come up with the name?”
Stephen – “It’s from a mathematical term. From wiki: ‘In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.’ Or in English, a small thing can have a large impact, e.g., the flutter of a butterfly’s wings can create a hurricane. That’s what I wanted when I set up the label.
I knew that we were never going to be a big player in the music industry, but I hoped that by helping and supporting local talent, it might be the catalyst for something bigger. It was also about having something that united musicians regardless of genre or style—a home or umbrella for musicians in the north of England.”
Kerry – “I love that! What inspired you to launch an independent record label, and how do you see Butterfly Effect Records making its mark in the music industry?”
Stephen – “Butterfly Effect came into existence through a couple of coincidences about 8 years ago. The first was Banksy did a show at Western-Super-Mare, and one of the centerpieces was a riot shield designed by James Cauty (KLF, JAMS, etc). Fortunately, I had bought one of these a few months previously, and with all the hype around it, I sold it for a nice profit. Amazingly, I have worked with Bill a few times now, and he was happy I used the money for this!
The second coincidence was meeting David Saunders at Twisterella. We were talking about the amazing quality of musical talent in the North East (I think we had just watched Mouses destroy the stage!), and I mentioned starting a record label, and David agreed to help. The proceeds from the riot shield paid for the first EP by The Black Sheep Frederick Dickens.
This sold so well and has funded the next release, and so it has continued. Also, in a nice bit of coincidence, we have just released Mouses’ 2nd LP recently. All of our records go to the British Library, so who knows what that will result in! Hopefully, in 1000 years from now, someone will pull them out, listen to some of them, and be influenced by one or more of the bands!”
Kerry – “That’s a great idea to put them in the British Library. Can you share some details about the artists or bands currently signed with Butterfly Effect, and what attracted you to work with them?”
Stephen – “This is the list of artists BE has released LPs with:
– Black Sheep Frederick Dickens
– Ceiling Demons
– Sticky Pearls
– John Stainthorp
– One Sided Horse
– Veil
– The Golden Age of Nothing
– Weekend Sun
– James Leonard Hewitson
– Nel Unlit
– MWB
– Benjamin Amos
– The Opening Song
– Elaine Palmer
– Desks
– Ghosts Of Love
– Shining Levels
– Harriet Bradshaw
– Analogue Blood
– Mouses
– Riding The Low
– Ivan The TolerableBy the end of the year, it will be 38 LPs, more than I ever imagined when I started the label. I have a few things I look for when I approach a band from the north of England (and there is no contract, very much a Factory Records style of trust). The first is I have to get on with them and believe they will promote and push the LP at least as hard as me. The music has to be something I haven’t heard before, and finally, they need to be good live—gigs are where we sell a lot of our records.”
Kerry – “That’s an impressive, and I certainly recognise a few we have pressed already! What challenges have you faced while establishing the label, and how have you managed to overcome them?”
Stephen – “I didn’t have a clue when I started. A lot of people gave me great advice/guidance. Tom from Sound it Out is probably the main person. I still miss our regular catch-ups. He was and remains a huge reason why BE still exists. Others are John from Wipe Out, Claire and Dave from NARC, TRACKS in Darlington—the list goes on. My advice to anyone starting up something similar is to network, ask loads of questions, and create a network of support.
Almost all problems can be overcome; it’s often just finding the right person to ask. The biggest obstacle (and almost the demise of the label) was when the lead time for getting vinyl made was one year or even more.
Then, very luckily for me, Press On Vinyl came into existence. To have a pressing plant a few minutes’ drive from my house is incredible, especially one that shares a lot of the same principles as me. Seeing our records being made, letting the artists come along, and just the general supportive attitude of the plant is incredible. No exaggeration to say I doubt Butterfly Effect would be here still if Press On Vinyl didn’t exist.”
Kerry – “That’s great to know, we love having your bands visit too! How do you discover new talent, and what criteria do you use when deciding to sign an artist or band to Butterfly Effect Records?”
Stephen – “I go and see lots and lots of bands and listen to friends’ recommendations.”
Kerry – “Are there any upcoming projects or releases that you’re particularly excited about this year?”
Stephen – “We have a lot planned for 2024:
1. Ivan the Tolerable Vol 3 and 4. Ivan, actually confusingly called Oli, is an incredibly talented and prolific musician. We worked on a 7” project in early 2023, and I mentioned that as his back catalog was so vast and so limited (lathes, handmade CDs, tapes, etc.), a lot of people hadn’t heard his early material. From that conversation, a rerelease of this material has happened in 2024. I’m currently listening to the TP of Vol 3, and I can’t wait for people to hear it!
2. Liz Corney. Liz was the founder of the alt-folk harmony group “The Cornshed Sisters,” with whom she has released two albums on Memphis Industries, while at the same time touring extensively playing keys with critically acclaimed label-mates Field Music. Her solo LP will be released by us, and I have to say it’s sublime. I can’t wait for the world to hear it. The first song dropped a couple of weeks ago, and the reaction has been fab!
3. Last Of the Fallen Angels. Made up of Newcastle-based Conrad McQueen and Darlington singer Sam Davies, they have been recording and playing together for the last couple of years. The band has been described as “trip hop/dream pop” and has caught the attention of producers Simon Ellis (Spice Girls, Westlife, etc.) and also Mark Saunders (Cure, David Byrne, Erasure, etc.).
4. The Dead Seat. Darlington band that plays bittersweet, foot-tapping gospel blues. The first band I trialed “7” singles club” with, and as it sold out in less than 4 hours, I continued the project. Paul Wheeler in the band is a great artist as well, not content with designing the LP sleeve, he has made art for each song with a connecting art/theme throughout the LP that tells a story of someone making a deal with the devil and its consequences. Unlike anything being made at the moment, IMO, and really great live.
5. Faithful Johannes x Neocia. I have known Tim for a while now, and he gave me a CD of the LP he was working on. I listened to it on the way home and knew we had to release it. This is what they say about it:
“Crafted within an almost Lynchian framework, the album delves into a myriad of themes that range from the surreal to the all too real. Dreams and fears; pressures and expectations; nostalgia and present-day realities; all of these are explored across 14 songs that underscore Johannes’ reputation as the ‘Alan Bennett of hip hop.’ Orbiting in the same rap galaxy as transatlantic counterparts Serengeti and R.A.P. Ferreira, Johannes unloads his bars with a seemingly casual delivery that disarms the listener and eases them into the depth of his lyricism. For the production, Johannes has reunited with Hartlepool native Neocia, whose previous collaborations feature a broad spectrum of artists, including Melanie Baker, Maius Mollis, Benjamin Fitzgerald, John Dole, and Spell Token.”
Kerry – “Wow, that’s a lot to look forward to! So now for a fun question, if Butterfly Effect hosted a fictional music festival which three artists, living or fictional, would headline the event?”
Stephen – “In 2022, we did do a festival, and it was all the bands that had recorded for the label at that time. It was at Pealies Barn and was probably the perfect day for me (and also one of the most stressful too!). We will be returning in 2025 to Pealies Barn—a venue that we absolutely love. But if I had to have three (well four!) artists that weren’t on my label, it would be:
1. Jack White. I’m a huge fan and have seen him in his many incarnations (even queuing up at 5am to get tickets when he played his London shop!).
2. Stooges (original lineup from the 70s). Iggy Pop can do no wrong, and I would have loved to have seen him at his height with the rawness of early Stooges.
3. David Bowie – not sure I need to say more.
4. Kate Bush – her music helped soundtrack my teens, and I have never seen her live.”
Kerry – So last question where can our readers follow you on socials?
Butterfly Effect (@butterflyeffectlabel) • Instagram photos and videos
Butterfly Effect | Facebook
Butterfly Effect – The undiscovered and the unconventional (butterflyeffectlabel.com)