As Marshall Records celebrates its 10th anniversary, we head to their big birthday bash with Cancer Bats to find out how they are dedicated to supporting artists at all stages of their career…
“We love any excuse to have a rowdy Wednesday night,” suggests Liam Cormier, frontman of Cancer Bats, from the stage this evening. The Toronto punks are headlining this special show at Blondies Taproom in east London for the 10th birthday of Marshall Records, the label arm of the legendary British manufacturer of amps, speaker cabinets and effects pedals originally founded in 1962.
“Ultimately this is a gig, which is what’s important to us in terms of staying true to what we do,” explains Steve Tannett, Director of Music Platforms at Marshall Group, earlier in the day. Having been in a band himself – a founding member of west London punks Menace, who were recently name-checked by comedian Harry Enfield on the Off Menu podcast – Steve has imbued Marshall Records with an ethos of supporting the underdog. “We want to give a chance to some bands that perhaps other labels might not, for whatever reason. We want to create a fair and equitable arrangement, with artist-friendly deals.”
Many of the bands that have benefited from this arrangement are here tonight.
“It turned out that this latest crop of artists – Cancer Bats, Big Truck, Daytime TV, and Ashaine White – who have all made records with us this year, were all available for tonight,” continues Steve, thrilled the many schedules have aligned. We thought that if we’re going to do it, we should do it in style.”
Standing in the central courtroom of the taproom, that style is evident. On one side, the fully-stocked bar serves everything from beers to absinthe piña colada slushies. On the other side, delicious wood-fired pizzas are being made to order. Meanwhile, straight ahead is the 250-capacity venue where Cancer Bats and three other recent signees to Marshall Records will soundtrack celebrations, beneath a ceiling festooned with fairy lights.
Members of the Marshall Records family aren’t only here as performers – others have turned up as punters with pints in hand, including Kid Bookie and two-thirds of Northern Irish rock veterans Therapy? (as singer/guitarist Andy Cairns is ensconced in Marshall’s recording studio, working on the trio’s 17th album, their fourth with the label, to be released next year).
“Every kind of iconic rock’n’roll moment has had a Marshall in the background,” says Therapy? bassist Michael McKeegan, relishing a break from the rigours of recording, alongside drummer Neil Cooper. “Looking through the pages of Kerrang!, you’d see walls of Marshalls. Going back to my first musical love, AC/DC, there were walls of Marshalls. Metallica? Walls of Marshalls. That’s what we aspired to play on and to be. We’ve been going as a band for 36 years this year, and Marshall has always been there, rejuvenating and moving forward. So, it’s quite surreal sometimes to remember we’re on their label.”
Drummer Neil, meanwhile, commends the label’s commitment to live music, particularly at a grassroots level with venues like this one, embodied by the many signs emblazoned with the words ‘KEEP LIVE MUSIC ALIVE’ dotted around the place, nodding to Marshall's own campaign to to highlight the plight of independent venues, on which the foundations of rock and alternative music are built.
“People are sleepwalking into a situation where one day we potentially don’t have venues of this size,” suggests Michael. “So [it’s great] to have champions that put their money where their mouth is to help support smaller venues, for bands coming through and cutting their teeth in spaces like this.”
That’s true of artists like Ashaine White. Ashaine, who was nominated for the Ivors’ Rising Star award in 2022, is the most recent addition to the Marshall Records roster. Her opening set tonight is a compelling cocktail of alt.rock and soul, with Just Like You raising excitement levels for her debut album, due in the new year, as well as capturing the attention of her fellow performers.
“I can’t compete with that voice,” suggests Daytime TV singer Will Irvine during their set. Will is doing himself a disservice, though, as his pipes, and the efforts of the rest of this rock quartet illustrate an outfit firmly in the ascent. Block Out The Noise and Anger Management showcases a shapeshifting mix of ’80s dreaminess and the kind of sleek pop rock that’ll appeal to fans of Nothing But Thieves. “We’re actually at a piss-up at a brewery,” suggests Will at the end of their 30-minute masterclass, a job well done, as they prepare for an encore of beers.
Big Truck is the newer project from SOFT PLAY’s Laurie Vincent and is a markedly different proposition to his day job. The punchy poetry of the band he made his name with is still in place, as is the streak of unpredictability that sees him take a stroll through the crowd at one point, but the arrangements on Central Reservation Blues and Surf The Suffering are dense with post-punk, jazz and everything in between – delivered tonight with one aim in mind. “We want to get it cooking for Cancer Bats,” Laurie admits.
Rooms like this are where Cancer Bats do their best work, as frontman Liam Cormier acknowledges earlier in the day, as the British rain these Canadians have become familiar with over the past 20 years begins to fall.
“Knowing that [Marshall Records] are on the same page as us and want to do cool things is great,” enthuses Liam. “They have a connection to the whole DIY scene, which is such an important part of how Cancer Bats operates. You have to have places like this to play, you know, because you’re not just jumping into arenas to be Slayer. Sometimes bigger labels don’t really understand that – they want you to be more in the corporate, standard circuit of tours, but this band thrives on playing cool, fun kinds of shows.”
Cancer Bats will have the chance to show how much they thrive when they hit the UK in October on Marshall’s Made Of Loud jaunt, alongside Ignite and Knives. And based on the scorching preview they deliver tonight, it’s sure to be one of the tours of the year. During their headline set, Liam, looking resplendent with his combination of mullet and singlet, notes that as relatively new members of the Marshall Records family, though a band for two decades, they “simultaneously feel young and old.” He has a point – tearing through Stay Stuck and Long Tooth, both from their forthcoming eighth album, Give Me Dirt, due in August, Liam and co. possess the ceaseless energy of younger men paired with the assured stagecraft of older heads.
Plus, having been around a few years means they’ve stockpiled tried-and-tested tunes that can detonate rooms like this, in the form of Golden Tanks, Bricks & Mortar, and Hail Destroyer. “Happy birthday, Marshall Records,” Liam bellows, his eyes and the veins in his temples bulging, pacing like a wild beast in front of this sold out crowd.
Indeed, many happy returns – we only hope our hearing returns after this most pummelling of parties…
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