Damnably is an independent record label based in Stratford, East London. It was founded by George Gargan and Janice Li. Primarily created to promote a John Peel night at The Brixton Windmill in 2006, Damnably then undertook tour booking and evolved into a record label. It has since grown, adding a roster of artists from all around the world including USA, Canada, Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, France and the UK.
History The label was founded in 2006 by George Gargan, of the band Former Utopia. He was later joined by filmmaker Janice Li. Together, the label was formed on a shoestring budget, incorporating a DIY approach which still remains an integral part of their ethos today.
The label's first release was a single by Former Utopia, and its first high-profile signing was Shonen Knife. After booking Shonen Knife for their first UK tour in 16 years, Damnably released their album, Super Group, which including additional live bonus tracks.
Successful London gigs led to more gigs nationwide as well as shows at SXSW in Austin, TX. Tours were booked for Julie Dorion, Dick Dale, Shonen Knife, Codeine, Come, Bitch Magnet, Wussy, Geoff Farina (of Karate) & Chris Brokaw (Come/Codeine/The New Year). Golden Week tours were booked for Otoboke Beaver as the Japanese band often did not share the same holidays as western workers, meaning this national holiday was the only time they could tour. Say Sue Me, Leggy and Drinking Boys and Girls Choir joined them as support.
Damnably hosted a series of World International The Fall, Smog and Sonic Youth nights featuring bands from out of London covering a song or two, in additional to playing their own set. Bar sales went towards bands who struggled to get London shows that were not pay-to-play. This led to a large triple stage World International John Peel Day event for two years, raising money for charities and with a large number of acts.
In April 2017, Damnably put on a show with Jon Fine (of Bitch Magnet) chatting to comedian Stewart Lee, followed by a performance with Jon and members from .
Say Sue Me toured extensively in 2018 playing all across the globe. They were the first ever Korean band to record a KEXP session, with Drinking Boys and Girls Choir being the third. In 2019, Say Sue Me won two Korean Music awards.
Damnably's acts performed as showcasing artists at SXSW for several years. In 2018, Otoboke Beaver, Say Sue Me, American werewolf academy, Leggy and didi performed. In 2019, Otoboke Beaver, Say Sue Me, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, David Boring, Construction and Destruction, American Werewolf Academy performed. And in 2021, Otoboke Beaver, Say Sue Me, DBGC, Hazy Sour Cherry and Grrrl Gang performed in their online showcase.
Damnably acts have additionally performed at festivals like Coachella, Green Man, Fuji Rock, Primavera, Roskilde and Pohoda.
Damnably artists have performed sessions for BBC Radio, KEXP, XFM and even Vans. They have recorded songs for Netflix/JTBC shows, Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown, Japan's NHK documentary on SXSW.
Gargan and Li were married in the late 2010s, Say Sue Me and Otoboke Beaver both wrote songs titled George & Janice to commemorate their label bosses' wedding.
Damnably has been very vocal about gender representation in the music industry, with festival line-ups and agency rosters in the UK being dominated by white male acts, while Damnably's roster, invariably featuring women, is often ignored.
As Damnably's success grew, they quickly ran out of space operating out of their flats, opting to invest in a proper office space. As of 2019, Damnably are now based in a studio at Trampery on the Gantry.
Artists List of artists represented.
Otoboke Beaver Say Sue Me Drinking Boys and Girls Choir Grrrl Gang Wussy Hazy Sour Cherry Bananach David Boring Hiperson
ODDLY Dogstar The Magic Words American Werewolf Academy
Leggy Shonen Knife
Former Utopia Lazarus Clamp Chris Brokaw Geoff Farina Chris Brokaw & Geoff Farina Glorytellers Exit Verse Yuki Kawana Yucca Bruja Joel RL Phelps Capt. Lovelace Golden Gurls
Professional Bodies Damnably is a member of the BPI, PRS for Music Limited, MCPS and Association of Independent Promoters (AIP).
Discography List of releases including the artist, title, medium and release year.
DAMNABLY001 - Former Utopia, Michael L. Clamp, The Philanthropists - Tiptoe Through The Tulips / Don't Fence Me In / I Love Micky - 7" - 2010 DAMNABLY002 - Shonen Knife - Super Group - CD - 2010 DAMNABLY003 - Chris Brokaw and Geoff Farina - The Angel's Message To Me - CD - 2010 DAMNABLY004 - Chris Brokaw and Geoff Farina - The Boarder's Door - CD - 2010 DAMNABLY005 - Shonen Knife - Free Time - CD - 2011 DAMNABLY006 - - Trespasses - CD - 2011 DAMNABLY007 - American Werewolf Academy - The Hop / The Kid Stays In The Picture - 7" - 2011 DAMNABLY008 - American Werewolf Academy - Everything Is Alright So Far - CD - 2011 DAMNABLY010 - Shonen Knife - Osaka Ramones - CD - 2011 DAMNABLY016 - Shonen Knife - Sweet Christmas - 7" - 2011 DAMNABLY015 - Geoff Farina - The Wishes of the Dead - CD - 2012 DAMNABLY018 - Wussy - Buckeye - CD - 2012 DAMNABLY019 - Shonen Knife - Pop Tune - CD - 2012 DAMNABLY020 - Chris Brokaw - Gambler's Ecstasy - CD - 2012 DAMNABLY021 - Former Utopia - FU - CD, EP - 2013 DAMNABLY022 - Golden Gurls - Typo Magic - CD - 2013 DAMNABLY023 - Bored Spies - Summer720 - CD, 7" - 2013 DAMNABLY024 - Glorytellers - Current Resident - CD - 2013 DAMNABLY025 - - No Pain Whatsoever - CD - 2013 DAMNABLY026 - American Werewolf Academy - Out Of Place All The Time - CD - 2013 DAMNABLY027 - American Werewolf Academy - Edge of the Bed / Pray a Lie - 7" - 2013 DAMNABLY028 - Joel RL Phelps & The Downer Trio - Gala - CD - 2013 DAMNABLY030 - Shonen Knife - Overdrive - CD, LP - 2014 DAMNABLY031 - Wussy - Attica! - CD - 2014 DAMNABLY032 - smallgang - san - CD - 2014 DAMNABLY033 - Exit Verse - Exit Verse - CD, LP - 2014 DAMN29LP - Lazarus Clamp - The Bird is Not The Metaphor - LP - 2015 DAMNABLY034 - American Werewolf Academy - I Can't Lose - 7" - 2015 DAMNABLY035 - WOMPS - Live A Little Less - 7", CD - 2015 DAMNABLY035 - Captain Lovelace - /* Preview Pane */ - Cass - 2015 DAMNABLY038 - Wussy - Dropping Houses / Folk Night at Fucky's - CD - 2016 DAMNABLY038 - Wussy - Forever Sounds - CD - 2016 DAMNABLY039 - Otoboke Beaver - Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver - CD, LP - 2016 DAMNABLY040 - Shonen Knife - Adventure - CD, LP - 2016 DAMNABLY043 - Bruja - Tori / Sculie - 7" - 2016 DAMNABLY044 - Leggy - Leggy - CD, LP - 2016 DAMNABLY045 - Wussy - Ceremony / Days and Hours - 7" - 2016 DAMNABLY047 - American Werewolf Academy - Dead Without Dying & Gleefully Detached - CD, LP - 2017 DAMNABLY048 - Say Sue Me - Say Sue Me - CD - 2017 DAMNABLY049 - Say Sue Me - Semin - 7" - 2017 DAMNABLY050 - Otoboke Beaver - Love is Short!! - CD, EP - 2017 DAMNABLY055 - The Magic Words - The Magic Words - Cass - 2017 DAMNABLY058 - Say Sue Me, Otoboke Beaver - Split 7" - 7" - 2017 DAMNABLY064 - Say Sue Me - It's Just a Short Walk - EP - 2018 DAMNABLY067 - Say Sue Me - Where We Were Together - CD, LP - 2018 DAMNABLY068 - Wussy - Getting Better - EP - 2018 DAMNABLY069 - Wussy - What Heaven is Like - CD, LP - 2018 DAMNABLY071 - Say Sue Me - Just Joking Around / B Lover - 7" - 2018 DAMNABLY072 - - Like Memory Foam - CD - 2018 DAMNABLY079 - Say Sue Me - Christmas, It's Not a Biggie - EP - 2018 DAMNABLY074 - Say Sue Me - Big Summer Night - EP - 2019 DAMNABLY075 - Say Sue Me - We've Sobered Up - LP - 2019 DAMNABLY078 - Drinking Boys and Girls Choir - Keep Drinking - CD, LP - 2019 DAMNABLY080 - Otoboke Beaver - Itekoma Hits - CD, LP - 2019 DAMNABLY090 - Say Sue Me - Your Book / Good People - 7" - 2019 DAMNABLY093 - Otoboke Beaver - Yobantoite Mojo - 5" - 2019 DAMNABLY096 - Hiperson - Four Seasons - EP - 2019 DAMNABLY098 - Hazy Sour Cherry - Tour De Tokyo - LP - 2019 Say Sue Me - George & Janice - 7" - 2019 DAMNABLY099 - Grrrl Gang - Here To Stay! - LP - 2020 DAMNABLY073 - David Boring - Unnatural Objects and Their Humans - LP - 2020 DAMNABLY092 - Former Utopia - Magnetar - LP - 2020 DAMNABLY097 - Dogstar - Dogstar - LP - 2020 DAMNABLY100 - Otoboke Beaver - I am Not Maternal - Digital - 2020 DAMNABLY124 - - Wicked Heart - LP - 2021 DAMNABLY126 - Grrrl Gang - Honey, Baby - 7" - 2021 DAMNABLY151 - Say Sue Me - 10 - Cass, EP - 2022 DAMNABLY123 - Drinking Boys and Girls Choir - Marriage License - LP - 2022 DAMNABLY140 - Say Sue Me - The Last Thing Left - CD, LP - 2022 DAMNABLY145 - Hazy Sour Cherry - Strange World - CD, LP - 2022 DAMNABLY150 - Otoboke Beaver - Super Champon - CD, LP - 2022
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