The Bird’s Robe Collective is about to celebrate its fifth birthday as a label. How far has the business come in that time?
It’s come much further than I ever expected. When we did the first Bird’s Robe show in 2008, there was just some loose idea of eventually building a scene. When the label started in 2010 it was also just a naive concept of introducing people to new, interesting music. Since then we’ve grown to over 50 artists on the roster, had three ARIA nominations, a Top 40 album and become national tour promoters for acts like 65daysofstatic, This Will Destroy You and Mew. One of the high points was Sleepmakeswaves headlining the Metro Theatre for the first time in June. It was like the culmination of everything we had collectively worked towards, literally a dream come true.
How strong is the current progressive and experimental scene in Australian music?
Musically it is amazing. There is such a depth of talent across so many different genres. What really strikes me is the community, though – now there is a real family spirit and a shared willingness to collaborate, contribute and see each other succeed. It’s a real joy to be part of.
Bird’s Robe acts as a record label, promoter, publicist, booking agent and management. How important is it to diversify in the music business these days?
For us, all the above was done out of necessity. Nobody wanted to book shows for our weird progressive or post-rock bands, so I became a booking agent. Nobody wanted to promote the shows, so I became a publicist. Nobody wanted to release our music, so I became a label. Then we needed someone to bring it all together, so I became a manager. Then I realised we had nobody bringing like-minded international acts to Australia, so I became a promoter. Functionally, it helps to have that diversity so you get to understand how things work together and can make things happen – when you run your business, you are your own top priority.
Who are the highlight bands helping celebrate the birthday at Manning Bar next month?
All of them! [Laughs]. It is a rare treat to see Pirate perform live, in particular. So many of these acts have had really big years – Sleepmakeswaves playing 55 shows in 22 countries and Troldhaugen playing Summer Breeze festival in Germany come to mind as highlights.
Do you have plans to expand internationally from here?
We now have several acts touring internationally, so continuing to be active is certainly part of the plan. I think setting up an office overseas is beyond our budget, but the internet keeps us connected well enough. I think the next 12-18 months will see us doing a lot more in North America and Asia, as our focus for the past few years has been mainly on the UK, Europe and Australia.
It’s the Bird’s Robe Records 5th Birthday, with Sleepmakeswaves, Troldhaugen, Toehider, Meniscus, Pirate and more, at theManning Bar on Saturday December 5.
