One little indian

BRAND new Irish record label shocker the existing independent record companies, Blunt, Hunter S. and Dead Elvis have all done work over the last few years developing new acts and pushing them onwards to better things and now they're joined by the new moguls on the block, Lakota Records, who aim to be a sort of indigenous Creation Records.

Conor Brookes, who used to manage Power Of Dreams and Puppy Love Bomb, and journalist Jim Carroll are your men in the suits with the chequebooks and mobile phones. They've long since been planning this foray into the indie market and they've just inked a deal with LRD, the licensing repertoire division of Sony Music.

"From travelling over to the UK, I've seen a lot of credible independent labels in action and always wanted to do the same thing here," says Conor Brookes. "It's not that we're against the way major labels work they're the best ones to go on if the band is ready for it it's just that we're preparing ourselves to seek out new talent, develop it over a period of time and work closely with the bands we sign up.

The basic vibe about Lakota is that it is being funded by LRD, who will then license Lakota's records worldwide. LRD itself is a strange type of music biz beast in that it doesn't sign bands, it signs labels to its parent company, Sony. To date it has signed Creation (Oasis etc), Nude (Suede etc) Network (a dance label) and now Ireland's Lakota.

Lakota already has two bands on its roster, The Ultra Montanes and Jubilee, and is on the look out for a whole lot more. We're not offering big deals with huge advances," says Brookes, "we're offering the right level of investment, and we're also offering each band we sign the freedom to develop in their own time. Basically what we're now looking for are new bands who are original, quality acts and have the right attitude.

Describing Lakota as "an indie label with access to world markets", Brookes says that Lakota bands will also have access to independent marketing and distribution and sales forces.

News on its first two signings is that the Ultra Montanes will release their debut single, called Cells, in March and that Sean O'Hagen, ex of Microdisney and now with The High Lllamas, will be working on material with Jubilee in the very near future.

Whether you're punk, dance, techno, pop, grunge, lo fi or simply an Oasis sound alike, you can send off your tapes etc to Lakota at P.O. Box 4704, Dublin 4. It's also on the Internet (aren't we all) at Lakota iol.ie but don't be sending any sound files down the lines.

Almost forgot The Ultra Montanes play The Attic in Dublin tonight at 9 p.m.

BLINK continue their pre new album tour with a gig at The Mean Fiddler, Dublin, tomorrow night (9pm...)... The Strictly Handbag crowd have picked their belongings up off the floor and legged it across town to anew venues. Handbag Central is now located at Ri Ra every Monday night, starting next week. "Music with words for your dancing pleasure," as they say ... Along with hip hop, art rock (in the Sonic Youth vein) is one thing we don't have too much of in our humble little country. All this may be changing judging by advance tapes of Roller skate Skinny's new album, Horsedrawn Wishes, which goes on sale in a month or so. It's wonderful stuff and there'll be an interview/feature/profile or something coming up soon ... The "soon going to be so huge, you'll be saying you were at the gig even though you weren't, just like you did when Nirvana played Dublin" Rocket From The Crypt play The Fiddler on Monday night, 9 p.m. They're loud, they're American and they rawk like bastards. Do not miss.