*some delays in audio, so it sounds like it takes me ages to laugh at stuff, sorry!*
In this episode, I catch up with Ben, whose bands always play exactly the right covers to get me grabbing the mic. We chat about his latest project - Fanfare, which releases mixtapes created and curated by artists. These limited edition cassettes are designed as an accessible evolution of the photo and art books of his previous project Snöar Press. We chat about the Sheffield hardcore scene that Ben threw himself into in the mid-2000s, the influence of MySpace on the UK music scene as well as Dead and Gone Records' impact on the Sheffield scene and UK hardcore in general.
Ben's first band Grazes was influenced by a mixture of the local hardcore bands that popped up at the time, as well as tinges of screamo and punk. We met at a two-day festival booked by Hawkchild DIY in Stereo called Shortsfest. They covered No Spiritual Surrender by Inside Out and I was stoked (see cover image). After Grazes, The Pact went for a straight-up hardcore sound, emulating bands like American Nightmare and Carry On. Struggletown distributed releases by both bands, a split 7\" with Jackals and Grazes and a demo tape for The Pact.
Once those bands were out of his system Ben moved to London to study publishing, finding a gap in the local art scene for working-class northern voices. His DIY approach was heavily influenced by his time in bands and many of the artists he worked with are connected to hardcore, including his longtime collaborator and friend Luke Overin, who fronted Never Again. Snöar Press was a successful little DIY operation, releasing books from artists and exhibiting at book fairs in the US.
Ben has since launched Fanfare, which is an evolution of his involvement in art releases, aiming for greater accessibility, through the format of sound/music on limited edition cassettes by artists, Cali Dewitt, Luke Overin & Eddie Langham. Find out more about these releases at http://fanfare.world
Closing track - Breathing Fresh Air Through Rotten Lungs by The Pact from the demo/Everyday Struggle Vol.II
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