New vinyl compilation Click-er celebrates Northampton’s past and present indie music scene

In recent years, Eight Limb Entertainment has released numerous EPs and singles by acts from across the town, but Click-er is their first compilation and the fruition of 18-months of planning.

Ian ‘Mig’ Smith from the label said: “We wanted to do something that reflected and celebrated the quality of the Northampton indie music scene over the last few years.

“The intention of the LP was to create, as we call it in the LP's advertising blurb - 'A Snapshot of Northampton's Sonic Brilliance', with the intention of, hopefully, not only spreading awareness of the band’s featured, but also generating interest in the scene and, vicariously, in the newer bands emerging to a wider audience.”

Mig is joined in Eight Limb by Zara Bradshaw, Paul Faulkner and Adrian Armishaw.

They have previously released records by acts including bloody/bath, The Barratts, Low Girl, Rolling Thunder, Phantom Isle and Megalashhh.

After deciding to commit to a compilation, they set about working out who would feature on it.

Mig said: “It came down to a lot of listening to a wide range of tracks, working out track lengths and what worked well together when played through.

“We wanted to include established acts including some of those that had achieved notice, for instance Sarpa Salpa's track Dreaming which had been one of the band's two Radio 1 tracks of the week and a track from thistle., who are one of the town's current rising stars achieving wider notice nationally, plus an example of the newer emerging acts.”

Joining Sarpa Salpa and thistle. on the compilation are Rolling Thunder, Beings, Utopia Development Corporation, The Barratts, The Vandervalls, Chargr, Phantom Isle and Litesleeper.

The accompanying artwork was done by Oscar Ewen with a full-sized version available to see in Northampton Museum.

Mig adds: “I think most prominent in our minds was to show to an audience, wider than just a local one, a town brimming with musical talent and worthy of notice.”

The title of the compilation is intended to have a double meaning.

Firstly, in the sense ‘to click’ with someone is to form a connection and the second is a reference to Northampton’s nickname ‘Shoetown’ - a clicker being the name given to one of those involved in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

Having experimented with different pressing plants for previous releases, the Eight Limb team turned to the north of England on this occasion.

“We are absolutely fanatical about ensuring the quality of records we produce and have spent a lot of time working out who we think are the best quality pressing plants,” explains Mig.

“We have come to the conclusion the UK seems to have some of the best available.

“Click-er was pressed in Middlesbrough by a plant we have started to regularly use and whose quality has always been exceptional and I'm sure anyone who has a copy of the record will agree.

Click-er is available in record stores including Spun Out and Abington Groove in Northampton but also nationally, via the likes of Rough Trade, Normon Records and Amazon.

Mig added: “The reaction has already been outstanding - it's a genuine piece of the Northampton music scene and a historical record of an extraordinary period over which musical talent from the town has, and is, flourishing.

Eight Limb Entertainment are taking part in the Independent Label Market at Coal Drops Yard in London on May 9 where Click-er and their other releases will be available.

Turning to the future, Eight Limb are already planning their next moves and hope to team up with Kooky>Too records to release a six-track EP around September, another early next year, and have already started to think about the potential for a second volume of their new compilation.

For more information, visit https://eightlimbentertainment.com