Citylife in Lichfield September 2023

Spotlight On…
Kikimora Records
Brand new independent
record label, Kikimora
Records, was co-founded
by Rosie Tee and Emily Doyle.
We find out more prior to
upcoming Lichfield show, In
The Bellows, to be held at the
iconic Sandfields Pumping
Station.
• To begin with, could you tell
us a little bit about yourself. For
example, are you a local lady? If
not, when did you move to the
area?
Rosie Tee is very much a local
lass - she grew up in Burntwood,
but spent most weekends and
evenings of her teenage years in Lichfield playing in bands with friends,
whether that be in the 20+ youth ensemble Wildfire Folk founded by
Lichfield Arts, or indie-folk quartet The Offbeat.
When Rosie moved down the road to Birmingham in 2015 to study
Music Composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, she ended
up meeting multimedia creative Emily Doyle through the thriving local
music scene. After working together to deliver Supersonic Festival in
2022, Kikimora Records was born!
• Can you tell us, in your own words, what it is you do?
We founded Kikimora Records as a way of championing excellent
artists across many fields in our growing ecosystem of musicians,
videographers, sound engineers, DJs, photographers, visual artists and
more.
We produce enchanting events that showcase performers and inspire
audiences, including the co-production of Nightgarden Festival
(audiovisual delights in Manchester’s hinterland) and our upcoming
Lichfield show, In The Bellows. In The Bellows will take place in the
historic Sandfields Pumping Station. A collaboration with Lichfield Arts,
the programme explores the imaginative spaces between folk, jazz,
electronic and ambient music.
When not cultivating the Kikimora community we’re both busy
creatives in our own right. Rosie writes and performs with her four-piece
band and creates atmospheric music for sound installations (if you’re
ever in Coventry War Memorial Park, check out Sound Seat!). Emily
makes visual art under the moniker of Old Bort, and plays bass and
synthesisers in various bands around Birmingham, from spaghettifuturists
The Devil and Saint Joseph to angry post-punks Luxury Nan
Smell and Exotic Pets.
• How did you get into the industry? Has music always been a passion
of yours?
Music has been a huge part of both of our lives. Rosie’s parents are
both musicians, so there was always music playing in her childhood
home. After realising she’d rather write her own music than play other
peoples’, Rosie went to study Composition and never looked back. Rosie
has always been quite visually led and interested in how art forms
crossover, so producing events is a natural fit. Not long ago her band
performed an atmospheric set at Sandfields Pumping Station
themselves, and went on to take the show to Moseley Road Baths.
Emily grew up in deepest darkest Somerset on a diet of Deep Purple,
Queen, and Led Zeppelin from her parents’ collection, saving up her
pocket money to buy the cheapest electric guitar she could find online.
When she finally made it to the bright lights of Birmingham as an
eighteen-year-old she wasted no time in getting to every gig possible.
After a fair few years either on stage or in the front row of shows, she’s
got a finely honed sense of what makes for a good event.
• Which artists inspire and influence you the most, both growing up
and now?
We’re both huge fans of Bjork, which will be no surprise to anyone
that’s seen us DJ together. Her musical identity is so distinctive but so
fluid - she’s managed to create so many different sounds over the years
but still always sound like Bjork. We love how ecologically grounded her
work is, while still sitting at the forefront of innovation and with striking,
considered visuals. All that, and she can still drop an absolute banger
when she wants to.
Neither of us like to sit in a box with our own music making so as
individuals our influences are pretty broad. Rosie takes inspiration from
the orchestral compositions of Laura Mvula and the psychedelic synths
of Broadcast, while Emily’s influenced by the garage attitude of The
Cramps, the lush textures employed by Wendy Carlos and Isao Tomita,
and the unbridled heaviness of doom bands like Electric Wizard and
Sleep.
• What motivates you to create your music?
We’re both hugely motivated by collaboration - either with other
musicians, or the interplay between performer, space and audience. We
founded Kikimora Records as a framework for collaboration, so our goal
is to build an ecosystem not just for musicians but for everyone involved
in producing great live music events - sound engineers, photographers,
designers, curators, DJs…putting on a great show is a bit like a barn
raising. If you get all the right parties in a room together, magic can
happen.
• How important do you feel that music as an art form is to society?
Music is one of the most immediate and accessible art forms - even if
they haven’t sought it out, most people hear music at some point during
their day. It can be a tool for expression, for connection, for celebration
and for building community.
• What are your favourite, and least favourite, parts of the profession?
At the end of the day we’re doing this because we love seeing
innovative, immersive live events happen. When you’ve got an incredible
artist, a magical space, a beautiful crowd and an electric atmosphere,
and you can just stop and breathe it all in…that’s what we’re in it for.
When the show’s over and it’s time to pack down can be less fun. It’s
all hands on deck, and with ambitious artists there often comes
ambitious instruments; showing up to a venue with a ten piece post-rock
band to find the goods lift was broken wasn’t our finest moment. On the
plus side, we save on gym membership!
• And finally, what does Lichfield mean to you?
Rosie in particular sees Lichfield as the place that shaped much of
who she is as an artist. It’s where she met Nightgarden producer Bryony
Simcox, who’s created all the Rosie Tee EP covers music videos. She was
gigging from a young age with the support of Lichfield arts, busking
outside the Guildhall, and even singing in the cathedral. For Kikimora
Records, Lichfield’s community and history are full of opportunity. We
can’t wait to bring In The Bellows to Sandfields Pumping Station on 7th
October, and introduce our artists Alys Rain, Zyggurat, and Me Lost Me
to the city.
To find out more, or purchase tickets for In The
Bellows, visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/whatson/lichfield/sandfields-pumping-station.
You can also
search for @kikimorarecords on Instagram.
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