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The inner workings and complex beer mathematics behind the sensational Leeds label/promotions imprint. |
| Normal Village by Henry Wright | Words: Hazel Blacher |
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Our ‘Backstage with…’ series aims to shine a light on the people working tirelessly behind the scenes to uphold our vibrant grassroots music community throughout the UK. Beaming our spotlight towards the flourishing DIY music scene in Leeds, rising label and promoter Private Regcords sits at the heart of some of the northern city’s most exciting new musical exports. Headed up by the one and only Reg Vardy – beer enthusiast, bingo ringleader, local celeb and friend to all – the label has launched the likes of Bathing Suits, Rhiannon Hope, Kiosk and Normal Village. |
Committed to supporting local emerging talent by whatever means possible – whether that be via extensive tour support, vinyl pressing or providing tinnies of Aldi’s finest Galahad beer – the consistent quality, integrity and openness fostered by Private Regcords has ignited a rare and genuinely special excitement extending to audiences up and down the country. We caught up with Reg and label colleague Ludo Ray to pick their brains and take an exclusive peek behind the Regcords curtain. |
Tell us a bit about the origins of Private Regcords. |
Reg: The why of it all comes down to beer, but the how is a long story. I’ve always loved putting on nights where as many people can come and have as fun a time as possible. As a young guy in a band in Sheffield, I couldn’t stand sharky promoters ripping us off all the time and putting together bad nights. |
We had a small group of bands that were pretty much killed off by lockdown, when we all took to Ableton and Garageband. When we finally wanted to release these bedroom productions, our friend Stokesy (from April Tapes, 60s Nightclub) jokingly suggested we put them all out under a record label called Private Regcords. |
The label in its current form really started on Mar 15, 2024. Clem (from Mince) had put together a Gaza fundraiser at Mabgate Bleach with lineup of Normal Village, Kiosk (a completely different lineup to the Kiosk we know today), Static Caravan and Bathing Suits (their first ever gig – the drum machine broke just before the set and they totally improvised but still blew the house down). I’ve always really loved doing everything DIY and showing artists they can do amazing things independently while retaining full ownership of their art and work. When I was younger, I really looked up to Leeds’ Clue Records who I discovered through Trash, a great band from Chesterfield. Evan Martin, who played guitar in Trash, has now taken over production duties for most of the bands on Regcords, and plays live in plenty of them. |
Why do you think the grassroots scene in Leeds is popping off so much right now? |
Reg: There’s genuinely so many top quality bands right now, and so many characters. Between all the bands, promoters, labels, and regular Leeds crowd, there is the craziest set of nicknames too, and every weekend feels like an episode of a sitcom to me. There are also a lot more good people who, like me, really believe in the Leeds DIY scene right now, and are just as invested in capturing it – Contact Buzz (a lo-fi recording blog), Esco Romanesco (record label), Field Work (record label), and Shooting Tzars (tape label) are just a few examples. |
Ludo: Also, there’s no ill will or competition, just people who really care about great music and great events. If anyone even tangentially related to music has an idea for something cool, people will bend over backwards to help them out and make it happen. |
Tell us about five up and coming bands that you are excited about right now? |
Reg: For political reasons I’m keeping this to my roster and Leeds-based: |
Normal Village – Watching these guys feels like you’re watching a bomb that could explode at any moment, and hidden beneath the noise is some of the most beautiful songwriting I’ve ever heard. Their set is so dynamic and I’ve loved these guys since we first met. They were the first band I took on tour from Leeds – I booked the full tour, drove ’em all about and put out their EP. |
Bathing Suits – There’s too much to say about Bathing Suits. Each of the four members means so much to me and they have had such an overwhelmingly positive contribution to my life, our record label and Leeds. The band are really stepping it up this year with a massive EP and tour – I’m incredibly excited to see them play on the huge stages they deserve to be on. We’re pressing a limited run of their EP to 12” vinyl, so don’t miss out. |
Rhiannon Hope – Rhiannon’s debut EP is genuinely a masterpiece, and it’s just a fraction of a beautiful live set with an incredibly dynamic band. This was the first label production we pressed to vinyl, and it sounds amazing. She’s got a huge year ahead with a new single and a headline at the legendary Brudenell Social Club. |
Drury Hill – Beautiful sweetheart soft-rockers who recently moved from Nottingham to Leeds. Their first EP is a Bandcamp-only release, but it’s absolutely mega. Super sweet catchy tunes and lovely dual vocals, produced by Cam at The Grove – Nottingham’s latest and smallest DIY venue/studio. I’m putting their next single out in early May, so watch out for it. |
Kiosk – Kiosk are going from strength to strength this year. They make crazy good electronica, and perform live with various drum machines, synths, and bass through the biggest pedalboard you’ll ever see. The label recently organised their first big release and tour with a record featuring Leeds remixes from producer DJ Subaru, legends Bug Teeth, and TURNSPIT. |
| Bathing Suits at Regtown 2026 by Tom White |
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Regfest was a roaring success, and it seemed like a logistically complex undertaking – do you have any funny stories related to that or any other events you have put on since starting out? |
Reg: Regtown was logistically terrifying. In total there were thirty-four bands playing over two days, split between a medium basement room and a small upstairs room. Luckily, as previous editions had gone well, a lot of bands reached out to me to play or had heard about the festival via word of mouth. |
Ludo: Between us, we probably sent enough follow up emails to fill ten books, many of which still go unanswered to this day. It’s so easy to put in hard work though, because you know the payoff will be crazy. |
Every Regtown, we get a bit more ambitious. We had so many ideas for the first one in 2025 that we’re still working through them (and still working on getting a RegBeer brewed). Most of it is way too unrealistic, but in my heart, I believe that one day we will take over every venue in Leeds and have a city-wide Northern Soul night. |
One non-negotiable for Regcords events is the gargantuan rider that Reg insists on, even for the smallest gigs. Buying hundreds of beers is a responsibility that we take very seriously – Aldi’s cheapest lager is the sweet nectar that fuels the Leeds grassroots scene. I remember a Substandards gig held in the band’s living room, to which I arrived empty handed and with a vicious thirst. Without even making it to the front door, a lukewarm can was pressed into my hand. Vardy made sure to get 250+ beers even for that house gig. Needless to say, the evening got a bit out of hand – not sure if they ever got round to patching up that hole in the ceiling… |
Did you drink all the Galahads you bought for the festival? |
Reg: The beer maths at this festival was crazy. I bought about 350 cans to split between the 34 bands that were playing and friends that were helping run the event across two days. I kept them in my car outside and stage manager/label staff Masha would periodically refill the green room fridge. |
At around 11pm on day 1, Bathing Suits landed back at Book Club after travelling from a show in Edinburgh. They were scheduled to play at 1am and were understandably thirsty. It turned out all the rider beers had already gone! Despite this, we still hit an all-time record number of beer sales at the bar at Book Club, which may be my proudest achievement of the festival. |
We went through another few hundred cans on the Sunday too, after Cal went on a quick morning beer run. |
What has been your biggest achievement with the label? |
Reg: I feel immensely proud of the two records we’ve put out on vinyl so far. I feel a desperate need to capture and archive such a talented group of people making crazy good music, and I think committing things to wax really solidifies it. It’s a big financial risk and a lot of work to make an amazing final record, but sitting and listening to the test pressings of Rhiannon’s EP was a really big moment for me. |
Fuck marry kill: Beers, Bands, Bingo |
Ludo: Fuck, marry and kill all three in one wild night (Regtown Summer 2026). |
Reg: Fuck – Bingo. Bingo is a one-night stand, it gets your heart racing. It’s risky, and it can pay off in a big way. At Mecca in Chesterfield, my mum once bagged a £7000 win on a national game. At my Book Club version, the jackpot is poor in comparison at only £100, but you can also win some records and tapes from local legends, which is priceless in my world. |
Marry – Beers. A marriage takes work, and hard commitment. I’ve got a lifelong commitment to drinking beers at independent venues. I can’t remember what came first, music or beer, but for me they go hand in hand. If you’ve ever run nights at a small venue, you know the economics. Grassroots gigs rely on beer sales. The legendary Tim from The Windmill once told me that we are not music salesmen, we’re beer salesmen at the end of the day. |
Kill – Bands. I’m obviously killing bands. They’re so much work. Driving them about, sorting their releases. If I didn’t fall in love with so many bands, this label would be easier: I’d be releasing new beers every other month, and doing bingo nights to promote them. |
What are your plans for the future / any exciting things coming up you can share? |
Reg: The next Regtown Festival will be on the 20th of June, and it’s a collaboration between us and a great London promoter, Our Mutual Friend. They’ve been putting on awesome nights at The Dublin Castle in Camden and I can’t wait to bring them to Leeds. We’ve collaborated to put together an amazing 15+ band lineup – early bird tickets are a steal at only £15 too. |
Ludo: There are so many exciting things coming up all the time, I couldn’t even begin to list them all. But Vardy’s right, Regtown x OMF is a really good place to start! |
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