Label Boss Rob Piper Talks About Lockjaw Records’ Re-Launch

There have been some exciting changes here at Lockjaw Records recently: we’re launched a new logo, a new website and announced that we’re working with a brand new, bigger team!

Rob Piper, head honcho here at Lockjaw, spoke to Sarah W at Shout Louder about the expansion. You can read the full article here, but we’ve included the highlights below.

Lockjaw has been going since 1997, however Rob took it over in 2011. He’s been working with Lesley-Anne O’Brien since 2014, but we recently announced that we’d be expanding to a more community-oriented team of five.

“Lesley and I were doing good stuff for Lockjaw, but with a bigger community more would be possible,” Rob said, on the recent expansion. “We needed to talk to people who were on our level and were fully invested in the scene like we were. People who do it for the love of punk.”

The team now includes Cedric Degruyter (The Affect Heuristic, A Hero Build), Sarah Williams (Shout Louder) and Joëlle Laes (Less Talk, More Records). Each of us is involved with different projects, but we’re united by a mutual love of punk rock. You can get to know the team a bit better by reading our profiles.

So what’s in the future for Lockjaw Records?

“We’ve been talking to a lot of bands about future things and there will be some great records from great bands coming out,” Rob says, “We will be more actively introducing people to who’s running it and how it works, encouraging people to come and say hello and be part of the gigs.”

“The benefits of having a bigger team are that you get more ideas and you get feedback instantly, so expect more exciting things to happen. We’ll be sharing more with you. The useability is going to be improved on the website. It’s going to be easier to get hold of the music you like.”

Is Lockjaw Records going to grow?

“I think we should be able to grow, but I want it to grow in an organic way that’s a comfortable and happy place for people to be. There’s no doubt that it will be more visible for people, because it’s going to be much more active. Essentially we’re a group of friends sharing music. It’s not like we’re going into this as a career, it’s for the love of punk.”

What can you do to support independent labels like Lockjaw Records?

“The main thing is going to shows and seeing the bands. Go to see live music, go to watch all the bands and, when you’re at the show, buy the record.”

Want to read more? You can read the full history of Lockjaw Records over at Shout Louder.

To celebrate the new blood in the team, we’ve launched a fresh new logo, a fresh new website and a fresh new line of merchandise. You can be part of the #lockjawcrew too with one of our Lockjaw logo t-shirts, sunglasses or toothbrushes (yep, toothbrushes!). We’ve even gone the extra mile to get organic, Fair Trade and environmentally friendly shirts and printing.

Article by: Sarah Williams