In 2012, Tom Picton launched his label Howlin Banana in total independence. Many records and tours later, the label will celebrate its tenth anniversary at Point FMR this Saturday, May 7. Meet.
Johnnie car wash, We Hurry You Please Die, Braces !Braces !Hoorsees… The name of the label Howling Banana is no stranger to indie rock fans. At the time, the story begins on a “kick of head”. Just out of his studies, Tom wants to set up a project related to music, driven by his particular interest in records. ” That It seemed logical to me to go on the creation of a label. Since the departure lhe idea was to set up a small artisanal structure, without any particular ambition and with a DIY and amateur approach, so it wasn’t that intimidating“, he explains.
The young enthusiast then begins with “from fairly accessible projects, singles from small French bands in 45 rpm format, with a distribution mainly in VPC and through a few record stores» of his surroundings. Before the Internet was the main channel for promotion, Tom did not hesitate to use blogs and fanzines. Quickly, more and more groups join the adventure. Ten years later, although “Iaesthetic horizon of the label is either extent», commonalities remain between the artists: the guitars, the importance of live music and a certain taste for really pop melodies that stick in your head.
“We slowly comes out of the single circuit underground»
But what about the garage scene and psyche generally in France? For Tom, it has greatly evolved over the past ten years. “We is a bit out of garage/psyche which largely dominated to go towards something much more open, between indie pop, shoe gazepost-punk, pop lofi, cold wave, indie rock inspired by 90’setc. I have the impression that there have never been so many good English-speaking rock and pop groups as there are today in France, so in terms of representation, we are not bad at all, even at European level Besides ! We are slowly leaving the only underground circuit, where all this was still quite confined when I started.»
Faced with detractors for whom rock is dead, Tom replies: “The rock has lost most of the interest of the general public, and has become rather niche music again, that’s a fact. So I imagine that if we stop at that, we can say that rock is dead. But the fact of leaving the mainstream is not necessarily a bad thing, on the contrary, it releases the constraints of a certain pressure of success, which is necessarily beneficial for the creativity of the groups.» No question of brooding, therefore. “So much that there will be good bands, good albums, like there in comes out every week today, no reason to worry about the rock”he adds.
When Tom takes a look in the rear view mirror, his greatest pride is to be always present, in a constantly changing musical landscape.
“II was able to maintain a certain line, whether artistically or functionally, still very DIY today, without having to compromise. I find it hard to measure the impact that the label has had on the indie scene in France for all these years, but having accompanied all these groups for years and going a long way with them is already a great success for me”he explains. The next step ? “To go out discs, again and again!»
10 years of Howling Bananaon point FMR the Saturday April 7 with Td Da Freak, Johnnie Carwash and Fontanarosa.