Gimme 5 – Gavin Facey of Dirty Carrot Records

24 August 2024 66 6 5

Gavin was a guest on Pure Local Extra. Here are 5 extra things you should know about him!

What is your role at Dirty Carrot Records and what do you love most about it?

A bit of everything really! Liaising with venues and promoters, ordering merchandise, social media, a sounding board for artists…occasional driver. And then the really tedious but necessary bits like accounting and invoicing. It’s an all-encompassing role that requires you to be permanently ‘logged on’.

The best part of the role is helping our artists realise ambitions such as having their music released via vinyl. I love seeing people having a great time at gigs and festivals we put on, too. On a more personal basis it’s often something as simple as people telling us how much they love what we’re doing.

What music were you listening to growing up?

When I was very young, maybe 5/6 I remember having Phil Collins and Kylie cassettes. I’m not sure how that happened! Up until my mid teens it was really bad pop music which no-one needs to know about, but I then started listening to guitar based bands like Stereophonics, the Manics and britpop illuminati such as Oasis, Blur and Pulp, although by then the movement had started to wane.

My late teens/early twenties coincided with garage rock revival and the birth of The Libertines, The Strokes, The Hives and The White Stripes. I consider myself lucky to be able to call this “my era” growing up. Guitar music had gotten a little dull and these bands made it cool again. Whatever cool is!

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to… Why? Tell us a memory from it.

Tough one! I’ve been to so many that it’s hard to put a finger on one. My traditional answer is The White Stripes in The Empress Ballroom, 2004. Being half of my lifetime ago the actual memories of the gig have faded somewhat. As a 19 year old I was blown away by the grandiose and rather salubrious venue, but I also remember Jack and Meg disappearing from the main stage and then playing an acoustic set to the side of the stage.

Who in the music industry, artist/producer/or other would you most like to meet? Why?

As someone who runs a record label and once ran a venue, it would be great to meet Tony Wilson, not that I can compare Dirty Carrot Records or The Westgate to Factory Records of The Hacienda!

Seeing that Tony Wilson is dead, I would be more than happy to meet Steve Coogan reprising the role of Wilson in 24 Hour Party People. That would be pretty surreal!

Out of the living, I’d enjoy a crate of red wine with Matt Berninger from The National. It might get a little heavy though! I’d also have Nigel Blackwell from Half Man Half Biscuit there to lighten the mood!

Tell us a good piece of advice for young people who want to make a career of music.

Immerse yourself in the scene and make friends with people in the industry. Chat to promoters, musicians, venues radio stations. Go to gigs and don’t be shy as regardless of what you want to do within the business you’re going to have to speak with people. It helps that the majority of people you will meet will be welcoming and willing to help you.

It’s never going to be easy, but if you put in the hard work and have fun the success will come! The music industry is full of ups and downs so don’t let any disappointments detract you!