OUR STORY
“We were sorted! We were going to make a record. We needed a name for the record label though. I suggested we use the nickname for Scott Asheton, the drummer from The Stooges - Rock Action.” - Stuart Braithwaite
The birth of Rock Action
And so, in 1996, Rock Action Records was born.
Rock Action Records is a fiercely independent Glasgow-based record label, owned and run by Mogwai. While it may have originally started as a way for the band to release their own music (ROCKACT1 released in March 1996 is Mogwai’s Tuner/Lower 7”), Rock Action has continued to grow and thrive - and has since become a successful home for a diverse range of artists.
From the very beginning the label has operated with an ethos that not only reflects the independent spirit of its owners but chimes with the DIY scene that has defined Glasgow through the eras, and made it one of the most celebrated musical cities in the world.
Rock Action has gone on to release more than 150 records from local and international artists, and supported notable Scottish independent acts including Mogwai, Arab Strap, The Twilight Sad, Kathryn Joseph, Cloth, Sacred Paws, Errors and Remember Remember.
“The people at that label have our best interests at heart, and want to keep us at the centre of things creatively.” - bdrmm
In the beginning...
In the 1990s, there was a culture and ethos in the Glasgow music scene to self-release. With the London industry not showing much interest in Scottish music, local bands such as Urusei Yatsura, The Yummy Fur, bis and The Delgados were instead putting out releases themselves. Mogwai followed suit and created Rock Action in order to put out their first release, the Tuner/Lower 7”.
After the release of ROCKACT1 in 1996, the label put out a few releases by both Mogwai and artists who were friends of the band - but, for the most part, Rock Action was more of a hobby for the band in its first few years.
However Mogwai soon realised that Rock Action was something that could be done properly and they focused on rejuvenating the label. A number of artists had now released material through Rock Action - including fellow Glaswegians and indie post-electronic band Errors, the Scottish-Brazilian folk of James Orr Complex, noise rock band Part Chimp, and experimental Kraut-punkers K**** K****.
In 2006, the label not only celebrated 10 years but reached its 30th catalogue number - ROCKACT30CD, US sludge metal band Torche’s self-titled album Torche.
Hardcore will never die…
Over the next few years, Rock Action’s roster started to expand. The label also got its first longlisted entry for the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award - Errors’ 2013 release Have Some Faith in Magic.
During this time Mogwai’s output included Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will, Rave Tapes and Every Country’s Son, as well as the soundtrack albums Atomic and Les Revenants, leading to two entries in the UK Album Charts Top 10 - Rave Tapes which got to number 10, and Every Country’s Sun which reached number 6.
In 2015, the up-and-coming duo of Sacred Paws signed to Rock Action and released their acclaimed debut Strike A Match in 2017 - which went on to win that year’s Scottish Album of the Year Award and is Rock Action’s first award-winning release.
By the time the 2010s are coming to a close, much-beloved artists Arab Strap and The Twilight Sad have put out highly acclaimed releases via the label, with The Twilight Sad’s IT WON/T BE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME reaching number 17 in the UK Album Charts.
Other notable releases for 2019 included Kathryn Joseph from when I wake the want is and Aidan Moffat & RM Hubbert Here Lies The Body, both of which were shortlisted for Scottish Album of the Year.
The love continues - the 2020s and beyond
Despite a global pandemic, Rock Action managed to continue with an exceptionally strong release schedule. As The Love Continues, Mogwai’s tenth studio album and released in February 2021, became the band’s first UK #1 Album - and the second Rock Action release to win the Scottish Album of the Year Award. It was also nominated for the Mercury Music Prize that same year.
There was also recognition for the incredible output of other Rock Action artists. In the Scottish Album of the Year Awards, Arab Strap’s As Days Get Dark (2021), Kathryn Joseph’s for you who are wronged (2022) and new signing Cloth’s Secret Measures (2023) were all shortlisted in their respective years, while Arab Strap also score a UK Top 20 Album, with As Days Get Dark reaching number 14.
Meanwhile Rock Action’s newest signing, Hull shoegaze quartet bdrmm, released their highly acclaimed second album I Don’t Know in 2023, and in 2024 Arab Strap unleash their second critically acclaimed album in three years, I'm totally fine with it 👍 don't give a fuck anymore.
Rock Action will reach its 30th birthday in 2026, and there are still incredible releases to look forward to in 2025 - including Mogwai’s The Bad Fire, Sacred Paws’ third album Jump Into Life, bdrmm’s highly anticipated album Microtonic, Cloth’s second long-player for Rock Action, Pink Silence, and Kathryn Joseph’s eagerly awaited fourth album WE WERE MADE PREY.
“We didn’t start the band or the label to get in to charts. That would have seemed insane. We were just kids that wanted to make an amazing noise and get our record played on John Peel. Amazingly John did play the record, and one thing led to another to get us to the point we’re at now…. None of us ever envisaged either the band or the label being in a position where having a number one record would be a possibility.” - Stuart Braithwaite
how we work
Rock Action are a small dedicated team, who look to offer an open, collaborative approach to release campaigns, with a view to delivering and facilitating as artist-friendly a process as possible. This has allowed the label to partner with award winning creatives and industry specialists that provide a bespoke, tailored approach for its artists.
Rock Action is currently distributed by PIAS/Integral in the UK, Europe and ROW; we also have an established distribution partnership with Redeye Worldwide covering North and South America.
We look to offer an open, collaborative approach to release campaigns, with a view to delivering and facilitating as artist-friendly a process as possible. In doing so this has allowed the label to partner with award winning creatives and industry specialists that provide a bespoke, tailored approach for its artists.
“It’s been amazing working with Rock Action! When we first started Cloth we looked up to the label so much. We loved the fact that each artist on the label was unique and fearlessly creative in their own way. There’s just no other band that sounds like Arab Strap, for example. To be welcomed into the fold with our own music is something we’re super proud of.” - Cloth