Clue Records, true champions of up and coming music, and Hatch Records, the label behind the legendary The Wedding Present, have come together to create a united front of Leeds labels in an exciting merger!
Tony Ereira of Hatch and Scott Lewis of Clue
If you’ve had even the slightest eye on Leeds music then you’ve probably heard of Clue Records. Founded by Scott Lewis and Ste Langton, they’ve backed bands like DRAB favourites Fehlt, the ever-gorgeous Van Houten, and genre-bending superstars Team Picture. Not just content to support bands on their roster, Clue also host a monthly show on Amazing Radio where they champion the most exciting music fit for the airwaves. Similarly, Hatch records also have under their wing bands that can only be described as institutions such as The Wedding Present and Nine Black Alps. Between the two of them, the city's music has been elevated to impressive heights.
While it is obvious that ethos and profession unite the two, what really brought them together was artist development agency Come Play With Me. Founded by Hatch’s Tony Ereira and run in part by Lewis, the agency is primarily known for working with West Yorkshire artists, providing professional assistance, and putting out 7” singles with them. When looking through the playlist of artists they’ve worked with, there comes a realization that any band worth their salt in the region has at some point worked with CPWM. Speedy Wunderground’s Treeboy and Arc, the thunderous Magick Mountain, grime veteran Dialect, and an astounding collection of further artists have put out music with CPWM and that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of musicians featured in the pages of their magazine.
Through their work together for Come Play With Me, Lewis and Ereira were quick to spot their similar outlooks and passions. As a result, they experimented with split releases for Team Picture, where the band's material would be put out on both Clue and Hatch. From the successes of the joint venture, they agreed to merge under the banner of Clue, resulting in a bigger team and a broader roster of artists for the label. Fittingly, the first release by the two labels under the same banner was Team Picture’s debut album, The Menace of Mechanical Music, earlier this year. Now that this merger is in the public eye it will be interesting to see how the label develops but there is no doubt that this will be a positive development for Leeds music.
Writing by Varun Govil
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