Location: London Est: 2008
Potted History: “I was working at the Full Time Hobby label doing A&R,” says Blood And Biscuits big tomato Simon Morley. “I was helping out at the first ever End Of The Road Festival when I met a guy called Tom Rogerson, we got on really well and he told me about his band, an instrumental three-piece driven by the idea of trying to replicate IDM, but completely live. It sounded right up my street. He said they were called Three Trapped Tigers.”
Early demos landed on Simon’s desk which, he says, were like nothing he’d ever heard. He tried to sign the band to Full Time Hobby, but after months of banging on realised it wasn’t going happen so decided to release the EP himself.
“I was in the privileged position of knowing the ropes and I’d made a few friends along the way who helped immeasurably,” he says. “Luckily, due to the band being ridiculously good, it wasn’t hard getting people excited about them.”
Mission Statement: “The loose running theme is the wonky and weird side of the intersection between electronic music and live music,” explains Simon. “I love to hear something that confuses me, like ‘How the hell are they doing that?’. If a band can strike a balance between that weirdness and melody/composition, I’m always excited to hear that.”
Key Artists & Releases: Along with Three Trapped Tigers, the stable is impressive. There’s a raft of side projects from various TTT members including Adam Betts, Evil Ex and Strobes and debut outings from the likes of Tall Ships, The Physics House Band and Gallops as well as the odd curveball…
“Bop English, James Petralli from White Denim, had actual songs, which he sang,” laughs Simon. “He got played on the radio and we actually sold some records! I also released albums by Múm and Efterklang for Cassette Store Day a few years ago so I snuck them onto my roster for a while to make the label seem bigger than it is.”
Future Plans: “I’m very lucky to work for City Slang, which means I can continue my A&R policy of waiting until I come across something that I fall in love with,” he says. “I struggle to do anything that my heart’s not in, so it’s important for me to be 100 per cent.”
Any Other Business?: “People always ask about the name,” says Simon. “It was a kitchen-based miscommunication between me and my housemate Ryan. I wish I could remember exactly what he said, but I just heard ‘blood and biscuits’, we laughed, it stuck. I also kind of regret not coming up with a better logo… it’s a dog with a snake’s tongue and udders, which it speaks out of. I’ve come to love the little freak.”
