Creation Records

They were big in the UK.

They're actually on Creation Records.

So with all the Oasis type stuff.

So pretty cool band.

They released their, what was to be their last album before they reformed in 97 called King Size.

Beautiful album, brilliant album.

They're on Creation Records as well.

Anyway, got to the UK in 98 and... they're definitely going to tour.

Anyways, they went down to... to the UK, they recorded at a place called Shepperton Studios, which is where Anjali Dutt was working.

I'm not sure how the connection happened, but the subsequent history is that Anjali Dutt actually, because Creation Records was the label that Loveless was released on, Creation Records was then also the label that kind of fostered early Oasis.

And there was a point during the recording of Definitely Maybe where they were reaching kind of like Noel and Liam were, as they often do, reaching a boiling point in terms of not achieving anything with the recordings.

And Anjali Dutt kind of swooped in and rescued the recordings up until that point that they made for Definitely Maybe.

I was joined by core band members, Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, as well as the original bassist, A.D. Vines, who played on this album and compiled the liner notes for the new anniversary edition.

Swerve Driver formed in Oxford in 1989, and they released a handful of EPs ahead of their debut full-length in 1991, which came out on Creation Records.

The band's sound would evolve over the years, and the term shoegaze doesn't always sit comfortably with band members, as you'll hear from our conversation.

But Raze, I think, is generally considered a shoegaze landmark.

Youth, I introduced him to Roz, his agent, and he produced The Verve and, I mean, everyone.

And he's remixed my song with Peter Hook, which is coming out on Alan McGee's Creation Records.

Oh, great.

How did that happen? Yeah.

There was a load of heat on them, and they for reasons best known to them, decided to get the ferry.

Literally meant to be playing that night, and I get a call from Richard Green, who was Alan McGee's partner at Creation Records.

Nicest guy you'll ever meet.

Quite what he was doing, you know, running an independent record label-

And also, um, Johnny Hopkins.

So Johnny Hopkins, who was head of press at Creation Records all throughout the Oasis years.

So, um, so yeah, and I've...

And that's someone I've never interviewed.

And I still really love that.

They were on the Creation Records label, Alan McGee's label, which everyone kind of remembers now for Oasis.

But, you know, they were kind of part of a shoegaze scene with like My Buddy Valentine.

And yeah, I think it's just like really great indie music.

Yeah.

Um- It shows you how ridiculously flush with cash Creation Records was-

[laughs]

... and the industry in general was-

And here's a band called Swerve Driver from Oxford.

and uh and so yeah and that's what got us signed and then eventually blast first sent us a message like we love the we love the demo we'd love to put your records out and we were kind of like really sorry we've already signed to creation records but i think that is one of those you know what they call sliding door moments from whatever you know because you know, I think the perception of the band could have been different because I think when we did sign to creation, you know, and we didn't think of ourselves as a kind of creation records type sounding band, but there was so much good music coming out around that time from our label mates.

And I think we ended up sort of leaning into the shoegaze thing a bit more than maybe we would have done otherwise, you know.

And, you know, I remember like our kind of manager coming back to the, our flat in Camden town with a new record.

Really, I remember going, this would have been either November, December 99 or early 2000.

Adam had prompted He definitely had sort of encouraged a discussion and going up to the old Regent's Park Road, old Creation Records building where Channel Fly was, Barfly, Channel Fly, Supervision.

And he was like, oh, we've got a management company.

Yeah, you should come and do it in here.