Badger's sett for great things?

CAMBRIDGE has a new record label, set up to showcase some of the best "underground sounds".

The brilliantly named Big Badger Recording Co is an offshoot of the city's long-running R*E*P*E*A*T stable, a set-up which has produced a barrage of highly successful CDs and records from up and coming talent.

But in these digital times, new technology is there waiting to be given a warm embrace. So, what does the badger have to offer?

Well, a selection of new bands and some of their songs for free download, that's what.

Big Badger head-honcho Richard Rose says: "The label is designed to introduce the discerning public to some underground sounds they might not otherwise hear. These are likely to be very carefully selected demos or fundraising CDs that we believe deserve a bigger audience.

"These releases will not be for sale in the shops, but will be available to download for free.

Although the roots of the label go back a few years and include demos releases by Foxy Ramone, The Hammers and The Virgin Suicides, it's only recently that we've started to take this side of our work seriously.

"The depth of winter has already been brightened up by recordings by the pensive acoustic genius of The Horse and His Boy (featuring Tom and Dickon, ex Virgin Suicides) and what Drowned in Sound described as the "indie terrorism of AD/HD", whose tracks are already online and whose CD aims to raise money for music equipment at Histon and Impington Junior School."

The next band to get released by this mighty badger is Pilots of the Sixth - a city band described as a "toe tapping, pop powered mix of sleazy blues and effortlessly catchy melodies."

Look out for a gig at Cambridge's Man on the Moon on February 20 to celebrate their first download release. For more, check out www.bigbadgerrecordingco.co.uk and www.repeatfanzine.co.uk

David Williams, Cambridge Evening News

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