ABOUT REVEAL RECORDS
It all started with a gig. When Reveal Records’ founder Tom Rose saw Joan As Police Woman supporting Rufus Wainwright he was so instantly connected to her music he purchased her EP at the gig. Seeing the potential for the EP to sell through his record store he contacted Joan and purchased some for sale. With the EP selling out quickly, Tom saw Kris Drever sing just one song during a Kate Rusby concert a few weeks later and on the strength of that performance approached Kris to see if he’d like to make a record and the idea of an independent label became reality.
Drever’s debut solo album Black Water and Joan As A Police Woman’s Real Life found critical and commercial success in 2006, and shortly after avant-folk trio Lau signed to the label. Lau quickly became a cornerstone act at the cutting edge of the folk music revival, winning the prestigious Radio BBC2 Folk Awards for ‘Best Group’ three years in a row. By fostering the talents of such acts, Reveal Records has played a small yet significant part in nurturing the burgeoning scene, which continues to grow.
The promotion work of Reveal drew the attention of English singer-songwriter Chris Wood, who asked Tom to work on the marketing of his upcoming album Trespasser (Ruf Records, 2007). This album established Chris as one of the leading folk artists in the UK, winning several awards. As part of the campaign, Reveal issued a deluxe triple vinyl package of Wood’s acclaimed debut The Lark Descending and Trespasser. You can learn more about Chris’ wonderful music by clicking the links section.
In 2008, Tom formed a new label, Navigator Records, in association with Proper Music. Working as MD for Navigator he signed and managed releases for artists such as Jon Boden, Chris Wood, John McCusker, Roddy Woomble, Heidi Talbot, Bellowhead, Boo Hewerdine and many others.
Meanwhile Reveal signed A Camp, featuring The Cardigans’ Nina Persson. Their second album, Colonia, garnered widespread critical acclaim and mainstream exposure, including a cover feature in The Independent on Sunday’s magazine supplement. A Camp scored two U.K radio hits the same year with ‘Stronger Than Jesus’ and ‘Love Has Left The Room’. In Sweden, where the band are signed to Universal, A Camp were nominated for two Grammis Awards (Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards) for ‘Best Album’ and ‘Best Group’.
Following another successful promotional campaign in 2010 working for Chris Wood on his album Handmade Life, Reveal released Kris Drever’s second album Mark The Hard Earth (featuring Tim O’Brien), whilst Lau released limited edition collaborative EPs with Karine Polwart and Adem, and Reveal issued Lau’s Arc Light CD album in a deluxe digi pack format.
In late 2011, Reveal welcomed two new artists to the roster in Simone Felice (The Duke & The King, The Felice Brothers) and UK-based Americana duo State Of The Union, featuring Boo Hewerdine and Brooks Williams.
With 2012 set to feature new releases from several of our artists, be sure to check back regularly for news and updates.