Broken Records

Broken Records

Broken Records is an indie folk group from Edinburgh, United Kingdom, active from 2006. The band forms in 2007 in Edinburgh and uses members’ different musical backgrounds and a wide range of instruments to build an eclectic sound.

Early releases and label work

The group’s self-released debut gig EP appears in 2007 and draws strong industry attention. Their first 7-inch single, If the News Makes You Sad Don't Watch It, appears on London label Young Turks in 2008 and receives notice from NME, The Guardian, Drowned in Sound, The Sun and The Times. Radio 1’s Steve Lamacq names it his single of the week, and Huw Stephens invites the band to record a session at Maida Vale.

Albums and later releases

After limited releases of Slow Parade and Lies, the group signs to 4AD. Its debut album, Until The Earth Begins To Part, is recorded in January 2009 at Monnow Valley Studio in Monmouth with producer Ian Caple, whose credits include Tricky, Tindersticks and Yann Tiersen. The album is released in 2009 and is followed by praised live shows. The band’s second album, Let Me Come Home, is recorded in Glasgow with Tony Doogan, known for work with Mogwai, the Delgados and Belle & Sebastian, and appears in 2010. Singles from this period include A Darkness Rises Up and You Know You’re Not Dead. A third single, The Motorcycle Boy Reigns, follows in 2011.

Live activity and touring

Broken Records play widely across Scotland in 2007 and 2008, including support slots with Idlewild, Sons & Daughters and Editors. They also appear at the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party and are tipped for 2009 by several UK publications. In support of Until The Earth Begins To Part, they play major festivals including Glastonbury, T in the Park, Haldern Pop Festival and Latitude, and support The National at the Royal Festival Hall in London before a sold-out show at The Queens Hall in Edinburgh. The band tours Europe and the UK in autumn 2009, makes a live debut in the US at SXSW in Austin in 2010, supports The National again on the European High Violet tour, and later tours the US as a headline act. They also record sessions for WNYC in New York, The World Cafe in Philadelphia and Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW in Los Angeles.

Line-up and format changes

In August 2010 the band changes from a seven-piece to a six-piece after the departure of Arne and Gill, with Craig Ross joining on bass and guitar.

Media and radio

The group’s music features in episodes of the television dramas Skins and Lost. BBC 6 Music also playlists A Darkness Rises Up.