Repeat Records (aka R*E*P*E*A*T Records) is a British

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 ...

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...

and

music promoter A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...

, based in Swansea,

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

and with links to its home of 24 years,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. R*E*P*E*A*T began as a

, started in 1994 by Cambridge schoolteacher Richard Rose under his stage name Rosey R*E*P*E*A*T. Originally a messy cut and paste homage to the literature and adrenaline fuelled genius of

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus Nic ...

, it grew in subsequent issues to include articles about the local and national music scene,

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

and anti-racist issues and other polemical rants, images, poems and opinions. After a few years the fanzine enjoyed one of the largest print runs in the country. Much of its content gradually became web based, with its sit
repeatfanzine.co.uk
reportedly attracting 4 million hits from 300,000 users in 2018. In 2011

compiling many of the articles and photos from the early printed issues, along with a compilation CD, was published. The fanzine quickly evolved into live music promotion and a label; this latter began in 1997 with the issue of a white label vinyl free with the fanzine. The track ‘Patrick’ by Cambridge band Freeboy was played on Radio One by

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music. Early life He attended The Ramsey Acade ...

, who has been a consistent supporter of the label ever since. Repeat Records has subsequently released records by such bands as

Miss Black America The Miss Black America beauty contest is a competition for young African-American women. The pageant has garnered the support of artists, activists and performers including Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Oprah Winfrey. After 40 years, in 20 ...

The Dawn Parade The Dawn Parade were a British rock band from Bury St Edmunds formed in 2000. Greg McDonald was the main songwriter, and also provided vocals and guitar. The band performed 200 gigs in the UK and received critical acclaim from ''Rolling Stone' ...

, Chris TT,

Attila the Stockbroker John Baine (born 21 October 1957), better known by his stage name Attila the Stockbroker,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 208 is an English punk poet, multi instrumentalist musician and songwriter. He p ...

, Johnny Panic, Horse Party and S*M*A*S*H as well as local groups including The Baby Seals, The Virgin Suicides, Deep City and Beverley Kills. The label works closely with like-minded allies in Bury St Edmunds ‘Rock City’, and has released a series of vinyl albums 'This is the Sound of Sugar Town' championing the scene, featuring the likes of Horse Party, Gaffa Tape Sandy and Tundra. In the mid 2000s the label established their own DIY Recording Space, the Big Badger Music Shack, and this has been used to record many of the tracks featured on the series of Flexi Discs ‘You Flexi Things’, which have been released for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

s and have been regularly played on national radio. The studio is also used to encourage young talent and has helped promote many of the acts featured at R*E*P*E*A*T’s series of Young Performer’s Gigs, a tradition reaching back to 2002 when R*E*P*E*A*T starlets, The Hammers, appeared live on ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Te ...

'', aged 10–12. In 2018 Rose and the label returned to hometown Swansea where they continue to promote gigs, encourage new writers, and release records.

References

External links

WebsiteBandcampDiscogs discography45Cat discography
{{Authority control British independent record labels Fanzines Zines Rock record labels Music in Cambridge Welsh_record_labels