For Skinny O’Leary, the most rewarding part of any video game is the sidequest. In life, he’s said yes to a lot of side quests too…including developing a career in music and artist management through SIDEQUEST records.  SIDEQUEST is both a label and a management company. A multifaceted project championing indie sounds across Perth including Ursula, Mal De Mer and Smol Fish. Forming in 2021, the project emerged as the music industry was starting to recover from the COVID 19 pandemic…uniting once again in venues and at gigs. It was the perfect time to champion powerful connections that local music can make between people. 

On this episode of First Pressing Mark is catching up with old friend and mentor Greg Sanders of Gun Fever Music. Growing up in Armadale, the musician and label head first remembers getting swept up in the magic of indie rock listening to Weezer on his walkman.  This love extended into adulthood with the birthing of Gun Fever Music, an independent record label championing local indie sounds from the the likes of Mezzanine, Dead Owls and beloved local outfit Pat Chow. He’s currently spending time on his own projects while continuing to spread the word and champion some of the finest indie music in Boorloo. 

You can’t talk about WA punk without talking about Kyle Gleadell.  Like many Perth artists Kyle moved to Melbourne and while he was there discovered the underground punk scene, warehouse gigs and fanzine culture. Upon his return he was invited to join Helter Skelter as their bass player and in 2012 launched Helter Skelter Records, distributing records and producing punk music across Boorloo. The rest is history.  In this episode, he speaks with Mark Neal about his love of punk, being an artist as well as a distributor and navigating the costs of the music industry… Sourced from Reckless Release.

Today, things are about to get a little bit louder…   In a growing digital world, Ben Docherty of Televised Suicide Records prefers to let the wax of his punk label sell out before he releases his music online. Launching in 2015, Televised Suicide strives to keep physical merchendise and music alive in a growing digital landscape.  Since its inception it has featured some of the best of what Australian Punk has to offer, from Sewercide to Territory, Drowning Horse, Nerve Quakes and Gaoled.  It’s going to get loud on this episode of First Pressing as Mark Neal speaks with Ben Docherty of Televised Suicide Records. 

A mainstay in the local music community, Adem Kerimofski knows a bit about independent record labels. You may remember Adem from a little project called Turnstyle. Emerging out of the grunge tinted sounds of the mid 90s, Turnstyle bucked the trends of mainstream music cementing their unique sounds through the use of Casio keyboards.  Around this time, as a budding young Perth based musician, Adem K launched Igloo Records… a label to accompany his extensive musical discography, from Turnstyle to The Community Chest. Over 30 years later, Adem’s influence on the scene stands strong, championing Perth and Australian bands of indie rock, garage rock and pop synth persuasion.  

At a time when record labels were uncommon, Martin Clarke pioneered Perth’s first independent platform Clarion Records. Founded in 1962, Clarion Records is considered one of the most influential labels of its time for its dedication to promoting local talent and producing high quality recordings through the introduction of new and innovative technologies never before seen in Perth. As well as uplifting Perth musicians, Clarion had tremendous national success with Johnny Young, The Valentines (featuring some of the first recordings of Bon Scott), Fatty Lumpkin and Chalice. Mark Neal sits down with local radio stalwart Alan Mannings to chat about the birth of Clarion Records and the early days of the Perth music scene. You can check out all the independent artists featured in season two of the podcast on this Spotify playlist which will be updated weekly. Image: Outside Martin Clarke Recording Studio 1968. Sourced from the collections of the State Library of Western Australia and reproduced with the permission of the Library Board of Western Australia.

First Pressing returns for season two with a new cast of local label heads championing independent music! You may recognise Nici Ward as the voice of local indie-rockers Lonesome Dove. But when she’s not fronting one of Perth’s favourite indie bands she’s running Pink House Records. From humble beginnings singing Suzie Quatro on the coffee table of her childhood home, it makes perfect sense that Nici started to write and produce her own music, travelling across the country and around the world to do so. She now helps artists navigate the music industry and release music as unique as them through Pink House Records, one of Perth’s youngest labels priding itself on individuality and professional production.

Across seven episodes Mark Neal has been catching up with the people behind local record labels to chat about Perth’s music scene and the wonderful communities they nurture.  In this bonus episode of First Pressing, RTRFM music director Matthew Perrett shifts the spotlight onto the label head to chat about Blue, Grey, Pink records. Blue Grey Pink was founded by Mark in 2017 and aims to platform artists showcasing the diversity and talent of WA’s vibrant sonic landscape; fuelled by a love of the local music community. Mark chats with Matt about his love of local music, supporting artists to create new and innovative music and representing alternative sounds. First Pressing is a new RTRFM podcast championing the visionaries behind WA record labels. Join Mark Neal each fortnight for a deep dive into Perth’s independent music scene and the people that nurture the community.  

Sam Ford is a Perth based musician and producer who has worked with some of the biggest names in WA music – from Abbe May to POND, Romeo Walker and the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. He’s also the brains behind Tone City Records, a local label with a passion for supporting and nurturing the next generation of music makers and putting WA on the national and international map. Grown out of a love for the local community, the label was founded on an ethos of working across genre, sounds and nurturing the next generation of multi-talented artists. Mark Neal sits down with Sam to chat about his first year running a record label, his musical origins and the importance of community within the music industry. First Pressing is a new RTRFM podcast championing the visionaries behind WA record labels. Join Mark Neal each fortnight for a deep dive into Perth’s independent music scene and the people that nurture the community.

This fortnight Mark Neal sits down with Peter, Georgie and Connor from Midnight Elevator. Midnight Elevator is a Perth/Boorloo independent label and events collective, co-ordinated by Connor Golder, Georgie Berry and Peter McAvan; collectively with the help of incredible artists in sound, spatial and visual aesthetic alike. Since their inception in July 2020, Midnight Elevator have placed a strong emphasis on local producers and live artists who contribute unique sounds to Perth’s sonic landscape.  First Pressing is a new RTRFM podcast championing the visionaries behind WA record labels. Join Mark Neal each fortnight for a deep dive into Perth’s independent music scene and the people that nurture the community.