Originally conceived in 1984 and reborn under the astute stewardship of Creative Director James Nicholls in the early 00s, Fire Records recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in style with a full day of music at a sold out event at the EartH theatre in Hackney, presented by the celebrated comedian and long time friend of the label Stewart Lee who called Fire “One of the last great Indie Labels”
Fire Records has risen phoenix like from the ashes of its first archetype to become one of the independent music worlds leading labels of new releases, and deluxe reissues. Fiercely independent and equally as ambitious Fire has seen growth year on year, with over 1000 acclaimed releases in its catalogue, sub labels and successful ventures in publishing (Fire Songs) and film (Fire Films)
We specialise in enhancing and elevating underappreciated artists
“United by an individualistic bent, every band on the roster feels like a Fire band. Today the label is more robust and agile than ever, boasting the art pop world’s most exciting players while guiding legacy acts through their reissuing journeys” Bandcamp
“We could never have expected the change of perception and the resulting commercial response that James and his brilliant team brought to the challenge of our 50th anniversary relaunch; all we knew we wanted was to leave our small, reliable catalogue in a better place for posterity. What we got was total commitment, total sensitivity to our wishes, and a breadth of understanding which suggests that they know us better than we ever knew ourselves” David Costa, Trees
“Fire Records is the recording industry teammate I’ve searched for since I started my first band. They are by far our best hope for the future of real music” Kristin Hersh, Throwing Muses
“You have got to be doing something right if you can keep a label running successfully for 40 years – it needs great artists, classic albums, and just as importantly huge amounts of passion and enthusiasm. Fire have all these in abundance – an amazing history of signing new acts such as Vanishing Twin” Nigel House, Rough Trade
Fire has since grown into new premises at the heart of East London in Dalston, and Bushwick (New York) with satellite offices in the EU (Bologna, Italy) and in the heartland of sync and film (Los Angeles).
“A truly great label” BBC 6 Music
“The art pop world’s most exciting players” Bandcamp
“International guardians of wonky psychedelia” Uncut
“The world’s most elegant psychedelic pop label” Billboard
“Fire has been at the forefront of the evolving shape of psychedelia for four decade.” Treblezine
“United by an individualistic bent, every band on the roster feels like a Fire band. Boasting the art pop world’s most exciting players while guiding legacy acts through their reissue journey” Bandcamp
“Fire, even in its most recent version, has managed to transform its name into a hallmark for enthusiasts. Its logo printed on the back of a record represents an irresistible invitation to listen, an achievement that only a few record labels in the history of independent music can boast” Rumore
