Still kicking up a Reekus

INTERVIEW:Elvera Butler tells TONY CLAYTON-LEAabout her 30-year stewardship of one of Ireland's most-loved labels

ELVERA BUTLER IS that rarity in the music business: a woman who has remained at the helm of Reekus Records, a label that, for more than 30 years, has continued to sign, record and promote Irish music – on principles of enthusiasm rather than blatant commercial gain – through years of change and industry turmoil. Not bad going, it must be said, for a woman who, when diagnosed in the mid-1990s with the auto-immune liver disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, was given five years to live.

The 30-year-old roster, from the label’s early days to now, is hand-picked by her, and while she might not have the commercial Midas touch of some music industry moguls, she could never be accused of wanting to make a quick buck.

It started for her in 1977, when she was an Arts student in UCC and an opening for “Ents” officer came up. “I put myself forward for it, which isn’t quite my thing,” she admits. “I was running gigs at the college in the campus canteen, and that was limited because it meant you could run only gigs during term time. So when the Arcadia Ballroom became available it was suggested to me that it could be used as a venue for bands.”

Located opposite Cork’s main railway station, the Arcadia gradually transformed from a student gig space to a must-play venue on Ireland’s then burgeoning gig circuit. Eventually, Butler started organising what was effectively a college circuit where visiting bands would play Queen’s and Jordanstown, and then drive south to play at TCD and UCC.

“It was difficult to tour bands in the summer, because you didn’t have the college circuit to follow, which meant you had to use Irish acts, and there were only so many of those around at that time. Venues that work have a sense of community about them, and that was very much the case of the Arcadia in Cork.”

In the late 1970s, Butler worked with a wide range of Irish acts and music industry people, many of which would become little more than scrapbook memories. She does, however, recall asking a 17-year-old engineering student called Denis Desmond to hand out flyers for forthcoming attractions; and one of the many fledgling Irish bands she worked with was U2, who played at the Arcadia nine times between 1978 and 1980.

The idea for Reekus Records came about by accident. Noticing that Dublin bands were recording demo tapes and sending them to DJs such as Dave Fanning, Butler decided to record some of the gigs at the Arcadia.

“We hired a mobile recording studio, a state-of-the-art thing at the time, but looking back it was effectively a recording studio in a small caravan with loads of cables sticking out of it.”

Reekus Records made its debut in 1981 with the Kaught at the Kampus EP, which featured local Cork bands Nun Attax, Microdisney, Mean Features and Urban Blitz. Within a couple of years, however, Butler had moved herself and Reekus Records from Cork to London. Singles and albums were being released, but commercial prospects were still unrealised.

Gigs at the Arcadia dried up, recalls Butler, because after the tragedy at the Stardust venue in Artane in February 1981, “old ballrooms were viewed as difficult places to put bands in.” Also, she adds, “it was around the time of the hunger strikes, which meant fewer bands coming in for gigs. Insurance premiums even back then were sky high, and our audience capacity was reduced. I tried out gigs in another Cork venue, the Savoy, but the sense of community had drifted away.”

London, despite enjoying a period of post-punk fervour was, she recalls, “a lot more difficult – we had a run of bad luck.” Business mistakes were made, and various companies Reekus worked with went bust. It was around this time, in the mid-1980s, that Butler’s health took a turn for the worse.

At first it was thought she was suffering from ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) but later she was diagnosed with an auto-immune liver disease, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). “The problem with having something there is no apparent cure for is that uncertainty creeps in – you can’t plan for things because you’re not sure how healthy you’re going to be.”

With her life (and her business interests, including Reekus Records) put on hold in London, Butler returned to study again, gaining a degree in psychology, a part-time MA in film studies, and a keen interest in hypnosis. She moved back to Ireland in the mid-1990s. She was Irish representative on the European Board of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Psychotherapy, and founder of the Irish branch of the British Liver Trust. Butler still has PBC, but regards it as very manageable. She says she has beaten her life expectancy prognosis. “Years ago I was given the year 2000 as the time of my death, but here I am 12 years later.”

In 2000 Reekus Records was revitalised. The criteria for being on the label are the same as always — Butler must like the music.

Mention of the word legacy elicits a firm shake of the head. “Use of that word makes it sound as if we’re looking back, but we’re so much busier these days than we have ever been.” This hands-on label owner goes to gigs, travels with the acts, listens to MP3s and demo CDs, makes decisions, throws out opinions. It seems Elvera Butler has even more energy in her fifties than in her teens. “I enjoy the music, it’s as simple as that. Even more.”

Too Late To Stop Now, 1981-2011 is on release through Reekus Records. See reekus.com