On the 7th of August, in the subterranean live room of Bannerman’s Bar, a crowd of denim jackets and scuffed-up trainers gathered for the second ever DIY or DIE show. DIY or DIE is Edinburgh’s new grassroots music night, put together by promoter Cameron McCord, featuring performances by Middle Class Guilt, Velvet, Sick Pay, Crab Stab, and most recently, Bullion Train and Stannington – all of them fuzzy, all of them raw, young, and loud.
The following interview was transcribed from an indistinct voice memo, our voices faint beneath the humming sound of Cowgate. I spoke to Cameron about his recent ventures in the Scottish underground, his local recommendations, and his dream line-up.
TAYLOR: Let’s start off simple – What made you decide to start doing DIY or DIE?
CAMERON: I started doing like a music business degree at college and I was always interested in live music, but for the course we kind of have to do something with a unique selling point, it can’t just be a live promotions company. So, I started trying to embrace aspects of DIY culture – we’ve made a little zine for our first gig and zines are traditionally of marginalized, outsider kind of culture. And so, we’re just trying to represent that and its going okay so far.
T: What was the process like for the zine? Is there a group of you?
C: Kind of. I’m really into digital art and stuff as a hobby. Joe Muncy is the guitar player for Stannington and he does the posters. He’s a very, very talented graphic designer. I don’t really have that eye for a graphic design, I more so do comic style art for the zine. We interviewed some bands too and did some random horror themed artwork, and I got a really cool collaborator Julia Zymek to work on it with me, she’s really talented graphic designer as well.
T: I would love if you could tell me a little bit about some of the artists that you’ve worked with. What has drawn you to them specifically, or vice versa?
C: I’ve done a few gigs in the past and I had this like Instagram account that had a few followers on it- not very many or anything, and after I took a wee break from music business at college I came back and used the same Instagram account as during my degree.I didn’t know anyone, I’m not in the scene or anything like that, and I just put a story up saying anyone interested playing grassroots music venues get in touch and really surprisingly 10 or 11 people got back to me. I got really lucky.
I don’t think it’s all luck though; the DIY or DIE atmosphere is gentle, despite it’s noisy soundtrack. There’s no mistaking the genuine affection with which Cameron speaks about the bands and other co-conspirators.
C: I booked people who I thought were kind of cool, and they turn out to be amazing! Sick Pay have gone on to do like some insane things recently, getting featured on BBC and stuff. They’re kind of my favourite band at the moment. They’re so cool, they’re the nicest guys on the planet. I’m really happy they played the gig.
T: They seem really happy to be here. Do you have like a dream line-up of people who you haven’t done a show with yet, but you’d like to put it out there that you’re hoping?
C: Sure, I ‘d love to do something with New Cross – I think they’re very cool. Big Girls too. I like NewCross because they’re kind of heavy. I’m very interested in bedroom pop, very into Howdy and Alex G. It’s also bedroom pop. I guess my dream line-up would be Big Girls Blouse, New Cross, (although those two wouldn’t work very well together) and Sick Pay to headline.
T: Thank you so much for the recommendations! I’ll have to do some listening.
The restless enthusiasm which radiates from Cameron and his musical friends is surmised by the ultimatum DIY or DIE poses – do it yourself, or let that spark burn out. At Bannerman’s Bar, it was fanned into a flame.
You can find out more about DIY or DIE on Cameron’s Instagram account @DIYORDIE
Images provided to The Student by DIY or DIE