Europe’s attitude to musicians is far healthier than it is in the UK. European booking agency Julie Tippex has been helping bands since 2004. Ten years on…
Friends who have only known me since I moved to Glasgow have recently expressed surprise about my love of a good pop song.
Helping to promote more obscure artists through this blog and social media must have masked this tendency! It runs counter to people who have known me much longer who would have joked that I only listen to REM and Jimmy Eat World. Yes, I’ve a weakness for melody alright. So this new accusation of being an elitist indie snob is new to me. C’mon peeps, I’ve not been living in Glasgow that long…
Online posturing is sad. Enjoy what you love and to hell with everything else. Just because I know less than nothing about hip hop for example doesn’t stop me from listening to the classics, or Ugly Duckling for that matter. It’s only by being on the lookout for music I’ve not heard before, that I find new things to get excited about. But discussing new albums from Scottish underground bands will have to wait for another day.
JULIE TIPPEX AND THE MAILERS
I’ve been on the Julie Tippex mailing list since email was invented. At least that’s what it feels like. And honestly, I don’t spend enough time investigating what acts they are booking tours for. In her own words taken from their website:
Julie Tippex is an unusual art and music agency. Run by a bunch of nice people based in Paris, Berlin and London, Julie Tippex is both the name of a character, and a singular artists collection.
Julie Tippex has been born twice : first in 2004 in Paris, through the activities of the non-profit organization Disco-Babel, and then in 2007 again in London, as an hommage to the singer Julie Driscoll who became, married to Keith, Julie Tippets.
There are few words as overused as the word ‘interesting’. However, that’s exactly why I’ve always stayed on her email list. There’s always something different and left-field that catches your eye. And even today in 2014 the emails keep coming. I wonder am I one of the oldest emails on their list!
Being a European based booker of all things curious, their latest mixtape listing goes like this:
TIPPEX MIXTAPE / WINTER 2014
Bob Dylan, Bleached, Mac DeMarco, The Babies, Woods, Empress Of, Philippe Sarde, Scott Walker, Trans Am, Disappears, Lee Ranaldo & The Dust, Cliff Martinez, Elliot Smith, Here We Go Magic, The Bad Plus, David Lynch, Romanthony, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto, The Knife, Lee Noble, Dustin Wong, Swans, Don Cherry, White Manna, William Basinski, Wire, The Green Mist, Moondog, Beat Happening, ATOM ™, Goat, Mykki Blanco, Blonde Redhead, Ennio Morricone, Hospitality, Bill Callahan
We’re in proper hipster territory now folks! Currently Tippex is booking for none other than Lee Ranaldo and The Dust. That’s Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth fame no less.
If it isn’t already one of your bookmarks, julietippex.com is a worthy addition. Expect regular updates with video and audio links on behalf of a group of people who care more about new and exciting music than media sites obsessed with clickbait headlines and ad impression volumes.
As music websites continue their race to shitsville, here’s one place that won’t let you down. And not a banner ad in sight.
Oh, and before I forget, get on the mailing list. It’ll remind you once a month to check in and see what’s happening in the land of the weird and the wonderful. There’s always the Facebook page too.
