Thanks to the punk explosion, there were a plethora of indie labels that bypassed mainstream circuits and made their own via fanzines, word of mouth and tape trading. As it was cheaper and quicker to make cassettes than vinyl, the most violent, nasty and noisy music soon found a willing audience.
Gary Mundy’s Broken Flag label is one notable example.
Born from a young post-punk fan’s love of Whitehouse, retrospective listening shows that Broken Flag was actually much more diverse than similar labels at the time and also pioneering as well thanks to the likes of Skullflower, Maurizio Bianchi and Controlled Bleeding pushing the boundaries of noise and psych rock.
We got an excellent book documenting Ramleh, one of Mundy’s many projects. And now we get a reprint of the first book to look at his Broken Flag label.
Acting as a catalogue as opposed to a biography, it goes through each physical release on the label and interviews the members as well as Mundy.
With the interviews being very matter of fact, there is no room for the usual self-aggrandising that makes up most interviews that musicians do so they can come across as samey to those looking for something a little more salacious. But, for those who regularly interact with musicians of this ilk, the ‘down to earth’ approach they take when discussing their work is perfectly normal.
The revival of interest in the label is covered nearer the end, which coincides with new Ramleh material as well as acclaimed releases from the likes of Consumer Electronics and The New Blockaders, cementing the importance of the label.
Including scans of tape covers and fanzines, this is a love letter and a starter for those looking to go beyond the standard music narrative and into a world of extremities.
Steve Underwood, 2024, Even When It Makes No Sense – The Broken Flag Story. Korn Plastics Publishing. ISBN-13: N/A
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist and is the author of A Vortex of Securocrats and “dethrone god”.
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