FAITH & HOPE RECORDS LIMITED
The Isle of Skye, 1997. A rather drunk Neil Claxton (Mint Royale) and an equally hammered mate were ranting on about their mutual disgust with the music business, and how Neil should set up a label. The next day once Neil’s hangover had cleared he contacted his old friend David Wood with the belief that they should see Neil’s idea through and Faith & Hope opened for business not long afterwards well the 11th of November 1997 to be exact, in what Neil calls the “less salubrious end of central Manchester”.
In ‘98 they signed their first band, Subaqwa, and released their first record, Mint Royale’s ‘Deadbeat’. Faith & Hope’s subsequent release of Mint Royale’s ‘Don’t Falter’ gave them a top 20 hit, the first top 20 hit from a Manchester based record label since Sub Sub’s ‘Ain’t No Love’ on Rob’s Records in 1993. Despite a small number of staff the label now forms a pivotal part of Manchester’s music scene. With an ethos of honesty and realism, Faith & Hope’s acts vary massively in style but all fall under the banner of ‘alternative pop’. The acts hover anywhere between electronica and rock, between the individual and band-driven. Determined to release inspirational music without spending a lot doing it, Faith & Hope were one of the first labels to champion the lo-fi creativity of the burgeoning ‘bedroom musician’ ethic as their starting point. ”We do have an affinity with people who do things for themselves,” explains Neil. “And we certainly couldn’t have a whole roster of real bands, as it would be too expensive. We think that people who do music all the way from conception to the finished product have more of a vision.”
2000 saw the creation of faith & hope songs, a publishing arm of the company and in 2002, Neil and David were delighted to welcome Doug D’Arcy on board as an equity shareholder.
Collectively Neil, David and Doug own ninety percent of faith & hope. Faith & hope are currently one of the few independent record label and publishing companies to have entered major licensing deals (Universal, EMI & BMG) and joint ventures (Sony) with nearly every major. A true tribute to their visionary A&R skills.
Faith & Hope’s roster now includes: Mint Royale, National Forest, Beats For Beginners, Shirokuma, Los Paranoias, Morning Runner and Grand Transmitter. Back catalogue artists include Alpinestars, Budnubac, AN-2, Nightclubbing, DJ Dan & Grandadbob, Subaqwa and LC Anderson Vs Psycho Radio. Faith & Hope remains resolutely independent and genuinely unpredictable in its tastes. Keep listening to see what comes next.
FAITH & HOPE'S
WORKING SHAREHOLDERS
Neil Claxton (Director & Shareholder)
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