TNS Records Interview
So, Iâve heard a lot of stories about the early days of TNS, but I donât think Iâve ever been told how and why you decided to start it. I think Iâm right in saying it started out as just the zine? How did it develop from there? What made you want to branch out as much as you have over the last ten years?
Andy:Â It did start as a fanzine in 2003. We liked the idea of using the fanzine to tell people about underground music we liked and also using it to build interest in the gigs, in addition to just flyering. The first gig was in April 2004. When I first moved to Manchester my old band struggled to find decent, vaguely coherent gig lineups to play on, and the vast majority of promotors were asking you to sell a certain amount of tickets to get a gig, with them taking the majority of the money off you. We saw that as paying to play. As weâd put on gigs ourselves when living in the midlands, we just decided that DIY gigs were the best solution to this.
Bev: TNS branched out from there naturally. The label started to help get the great bands playing TNS gigs to be heard by more people. We wanted to support bands, that seemed to be the natural way to do it. The podcast and distro then went on to help both the label and the bands. We just keep attempting to improve what we do, any progression comes from there.
Ten years is a long time to keep doing something that isnât even your day job. Whatâs made you want to keep at it for so long?
Andy:Â I have always said if I donât enjoy it any more Iâll stop. But whilst itâs fun I canât see any reason not to carry on. It was actually getting a bit overwhelming for me about 6 months ago and I was considering having a bit of a break, but then I came to my senses and just carried on. Iâm glad I did that. As long as we are still excited by new music, I canât really see any reason to stop. It would be good if I worked out a way of managing it better though, as at times it is all consuming.
Bev:Â Good question. I think I would be lost without TNS to be honest. It is a glorified hobby that takes up an incredible amount of our time, which can be very stressful, but when you stand back to look at some of the things we achieve it is very special. Each new achievement, or milestone, always seems to creep up and surprise us. Luckily, we always seem to have a new release or gig that keeps us excited and interested.
You must have had a lot of proud moments over the years, I know itâs a question a lot of people hate to be asked, but do you have any highlights? Anything that stands out in your memory more than most?
Andy:Â Itâs very hard to pick highlights really as there are so many. The all-dayers are always fun. This years was just unbelievable, so I guess that would be the obvious thing to pick. The attendance, the cakes, the film they made for us and just the general atmosphere were all just mind blowing. I nearly cried when I saw that film haha.
Bev:Â As Andy says, it is hard to pick one highlight. The first compilation arriving has always been one of the best and the all-dayers are really rewarding. But I think the 10 year gigs must be close to the top spot now. The weekend was literally awesome. Just watching the crowd in Sound Control blew my mind. Good times.
Do you think the underground punk scene has changed much in the decade you guys have been doing this? If so, for the better or otherwise?
Andy:Â I think the punk scene will always change and evolve and itâs important it does so. There were places we used to play ten years ago, that had thriving scenes, that are less so now, and vice versa. In general, I think that there are a lot of people who understand how much you can do if everyone gets involved and supports the gigs and bands, and that collective attitude is making some very positive things happen.
Bev:Â The underground punk scene is constantly changing, but I think that makes it interesting and is needed. But at the centre of it there is a common thread with certain principles and a community. This seems to allow the scene to evolve, moving forward, but keeping the same spirit. People come and go, but the community and support remains.
Youâve created something that has resulted in a lot of amazing things for other people. Youâve helped out tons of bands, inspired fanzines, given people a million nights to remember. How does it make you feel that people tell you how influential youâve been in this scene and to them? I know Iâm one of them.
Andy:Â Iâd be lying if I didnât say it made me proud and Iâm always very appreciative of the kind words. It really means a lot. But none of this is about individuals and we couldnât do what we do without the help of many other people and there are lots of others all over the world doing similar things. I think the community spirit is incredible. It is amazing to know that people are excited by underground music and are being proactive, so if weâve had some part in influencing a small part of that, then that is a good thing.
Bev:Â Awesome. We have been influenced and supported by so many people. If we can pass that on to others, who then inspire and influence, it is fantastic. One big beautiful chain in the underground community. Lovely stuff.
We all celebrated a decade of TNS with an absolutely amazing pair of gigs and an after party. I know you poured a lot into it and it definitely paid off. Were you surprised at how many people actually turned up for it? It must have been amazing to see the amount of people there and know they were there to celebrate something youâd achieved.
Andy:Â We were overwhelmed by the attendance and how amazing the atmosphere was at all the gigs. It was an incredible party and it was very nice seeing so many people having such a nice time. It was a lot of work and it couldnât have happened without the help of lots of people. There is an extensive thanks list at www.tnsrecords.co.uk I donât think Iâll ever forget that weekend, it was amazing.
Bev:Â I don't think we ever dared to dream that it would go anywhere near as well as it did. Even the day before. I forced myself to stand back and try an take it all in. It will definitely stay with me. As Andy said, the weekend was a culmination of so many peoples hard work and support. With out them TNS would be nothing. Mind. Blown.
What was different for you about the anniversary gig as opposed to a regular gig/night?
Andy:Â We always get more people traveling for the all-dayers, so they always tend to be our best attended. There were nearly 250 people (plus bands on top) in 2013. But with bands included, this year there were around 450 people, which is just amazing for a DIY weekend. I think a few extra people made the effort because of the 10 years and I think the line up was so strong that people didnât want to miss out.
Bev:Â In a way it was a natural progression from previous all-dayers with the 10 year party being the cherry on top. That helped encourage us to try to make it extra special and also for more people to make an extra effort. To come. So many people travelled from across the country, which is very humbling. At the end of the day, everyone likes a party. Especially if you have a three tiered awesome Kim made CAKE!
I think I speak for everyone when I say weâd all love to be doing this again in another ten years. Do you want to try and reach another milestone like this? It seems like TNS still has a hell of a lot to offer.
Andy:Â Iâm going to be 44 in ten years so not sure Iâll be pulling off that stage dive. That said, I had major surgery on my knee quite recently and that didnât stop me, so I probably will. But yeah, like I say, as long as we are still excited by all of this, we will carry on. We have lots of good things planned.
Bev:Â Who knows. We will work on our awesome plans for the rest of the year then go from there. We have never really planned that far ahead, everything has developed one step at a time, which probably shows. Who knows what the future holds. We will probably keep going for as long as people support what we do.
And lastly I think I speak for myself and everyone I know when I say thank you. Thanks for giving us all this and letting us be a part of it.Â
Andy:Â Thanks so much for all your kind words and the support youâve given us. Itâs much appreciated.
Bev:Â Thank you for being part of it. It means a lot.















