Fence Records is a Scottish
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
based in
Anstruther
Anstruther ( sco, Ainster or Enster ; gd, Ànsruthair) is a small coastal resort town in Fife, Scotland, situated on the north-shore of the Firth of Forth and south-southeast of St Andrews. The town comprises two settlements, Anstruther Eas ...
and
Crail,
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
, founded by musician
King Creosote
Kenny Anderson (born January 1967), known primarily by his stage name King Creosote, is an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland. To date, Anderson has released over forty albums, with his latest full length, ''Astronaut Meets Applem ...
. Fence Records released records by
James Yorkston,
Rozi Plain,
Lone Pigeon,
U.N.P.O.C.,
Kid Canaveral,
eagleowl
eagleowl are a Scottish lo-fi, indie folk band from Edinburgh, Scotland.
History
eagleowl are Bartholomew Owl (guitar, vocals, glockenspiel), Clarissa Cheong (double bass, vocals), Malcolm Benzie (violin, guitar, vocals), Rob St John (harmoni ...
,
Randolph's Leap
Randolph's Leap is an SSSI and area of countryside in Moray, Scotland. The area surrounds the River Findhorn and is actually named after the point at the river where the sheer rock banks are closest, where according to legend Thomas Randolph, ...
, Deaf Mutes,
Withered Hand
Dan Willson (born 23 July 1974), also known by his stage name Withered Hand, is an Edinburgh-based indie rock musician. He lived in Bishops Stortford during the 1990s and played guitar for local band Tin Foil Circus.
His first studio album, ' ...
, Delifinger,
Barbarossa, The Shivers and
FOUND amongst others. The Fence Collective is the name given to artists on or associated with the label.
History
Fence was founded in 1997 by
Kenny Anderson, who performs under the name
King Creosote
Kenny Anderson (born January 1967), known primarily by his stage name King Creosote, is an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland. To date, Anderson has released over forty albums, with his latest full length, ''Astronaut Meets Applem ...
, who, after the record shop he was working in went bust, began to record and sell the music of his friends. The label side of Fence grew steadily in size, in terms of audience and artist roster, boasting a variety of musical styles beyond its initial folk slant and geographical focus. Fence organised a number of festivals including Homegame, Haarfest, Hott Loggz and Eye o' the Dug which took place in Anstruther, Cellardyke and
St. Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...
, and Away Game which took place on the
Isle of Eigg. Various festivals have also hosted Fence Nights/showcases including
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
and Glasgow's
West End Festival.
The label became a limited company during 2012, but Kenny Anderson increasingly distanced himself from the label early in the partnership, feeling that the label and collective had strayed into territory where he was less comfortable. The limited company ceased operations in August 2013, due to differences between Kenny Anderson and The Pictish Trail who had been handling most of the organisation of releases and events since 2003. The announcement that the limited company would cease operations was followed by a statement from Anderson, saying that he will continue to use the Fence Records name with new projects to be announced in January 2014.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Official website
Record labels established in 1997
British independent record labels
Indie rock record labels
Alternative rock record labels
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