If you haven’t heard of French imprint Kuskus, it might be because you’re like me, and you’re a sad old anorak that hangs around record shops, checks the spine of albums to see who they’re on, and could name you their favourite labels based on their physical collection. Kuskus are somewhat different – they sign young acts to a hybrid recording/publishing contract, and allow them to work on music for films/ads/corporates whilst building them up, experience and confidence-wise to get to the LP recording stage.

Whilst this may sound like anathema to those of us who believe music shouldn’t be sullied by using it to promote product; I guess now that LP sales yield NO MONEY to artists, and the majors will drop acts after (or even before) single 1, then this business model may show a way forward. If a band make a royalty from an ad, they can use that to buy new kit, or get a tour on the road that’ll get them in front of us, and hopefully yield more money, hopefully start a career. We’re down to our last few pioneering indies (Chemikal, Warp, Ninja, Hyperdub) that’ll sign, promote and grow an artist simply because they believe in them. While this was the norm 20 years ago, if we take Creation as an example – they could recoup the vast sums My Bloody Valentine spunked in the studio thru the sales of more commercial acts like Ride, Teenage Fanclub, and then McGee’s cash cow to end all cash cows, Oasis. Has anyone heard a peep out of Rawkus since their hugely-fanfared relaunch?

 Whether we like it or not, the industry has changed so much that for new bands to launch and become the bands we pick up on and take to our hearts is harder than ever, given the lack of resources (read cold hard cash) to do it. Peely’s not here any more, and if we have to entrust talent-spotting to goons like Zane Lowe, then, to use a Scottish football-ism, then ‘the ba’s oan the slates’. (trans; ‘Our football has got stuck upon the roof of this building. Our game is effectively fucked.’)  If we leave the last word to Bill Hicks – which we always should because he got it spot on every time – he did opine that ‘if you’re a struggling young actor, I’ll let it go’, in the skit where he fantasised about Jay Leno turning an Uzi on his own head after ‘$3 million to hawk Doritos? You don’t have enough money that you need to hawk snacks to bovine fucking America?’ 

And isn’t Jay Leno turning an Uzi on his own head a lovely image? ‘Blood sprinkler’.

One thing indisputable, is that by following this blueprint, Kuskus are chucking some fantastic new acts out there – Housse De Racket (who have turned down more lucrative offers from Universal and SonyBMG), Rhythm Droid, DJ Tonka and now You!. There’s been an acoustic cut of their first single ‘To Disappear’ knocking round t’internet for a wee while now, and it’s lovely. Classic melancholy electro-pop in the New Order mould, with a guitar line that won’t come out of your head for weeks, no matter how hard you try. A&R’d for the label by Jamie Harley (who directs videos for Memory Tapes, so his taste can’t be questioned), the studio cut is now on its way out, and you can watch the accompanying video just as soon as you’ve lost patience reading this. It’s lovely. And hopefully, the first of many….and you can hope that with more confidence than you could anything on a major.

Following a short set at Sunday afternoon music & comedy showcase, ‘The Electric Sound Cafe’, Marcus Erridge caught up with Foxes’ songsmith Nigel Thomas at The Bedford, Balham, for a quick chat.

The set itself was a tightly formed collection of well polished tunes. From the strong EP ‘Depression, Joy And A Moment Of Fame’  came the first of their work to be produced by John Cornfield; ‘Get Me’, ‘No Reply’ and the cracking indie fizzer ‘Something About You’. The intimate setting of the Bedford saw The Foxes re-jig a couple of  tracks to a more acoustic, stripped back form, which Thomas described as “less punky than our earlier stuff, with a more relaxed feel that helps bring the vocals out”. This worked especially well on the unreleased gem ‘Sweet Little Wonder’.

The Foxes came sharp-toothed from rehearsals at the remote Sawmill Studios in Cornwall, which is set amidst woodlands in an old sawmill, next to a deserted train track and only accessible by boat.  This special setting has clearly had an effect on the band: “It’s extremely secluded” says Thomas “and it really helps you focus on the music”. Having released their own singles on DIY label ‘Room 10 Records’, Thomas added that the band learned a lot in setting up their own record label:  “it acted as a helpful stepping stone”. The Foxes are now looking to work with a bigger label to help with “one big push” for the album.

The earlier, spikier Foxes sound is still alive and Thomas spoke of the story behind their ‘Bill Hicks’ single of 2009. The song was inspired by the classic Hicks skit on music, in which he compared the relative merits of New Kids On The Block to Jimi Hendrix, and extolled with visceral bombast, that bands should “Play from the fucking heart!”. In order to gain permission to use Bill Hicks’ name, the band wrote to his family to ask permission. Little did they expect the response they received. A reply came back from Bill Hicks’ family saying that they enjoyed hearing the song, and thought Bill would have liked it too. In London, for the Movie premiere earlier this year, the band even met up with the Hicks family, who continue to keep in touch. “It was a massive compliment” added Thomas.

After being invited to play a couple of benefit gigs in South Carolina and Hawaii, the Foxes decided to hire a van and equipment and set up their own mini US tour, hitting New York, Dallas and New Orleans along the road, and appealing for a free place to crash at the end of each gig. “Everyone was so warm and friendly…we found somewhere to sleep every night, with one band in Austin even handing us their fee!”

Having worked their socks off for the last couple of years, and meeting Richie Havens, swapping CDs with The Zombies and playing the Isle of Wight festival along the way, the Foxes seem to be riding on a wave of good karma.  Recording the debut album is heading towards an autumn completion, and judging on the strength of their live set and the EP, The Foxes seem to have a bountiful collection of upbeat melodies and purposeful blues-rock riffs to choose from. If it’s negative karma you’re after, then try arranging a fox hunt on the London underground at rush hour. Bad juju.