A new independent record label hopes to put on more shows and encourage more people to start bands in central Scotland.

Cruel Minded HC was founded by Ross Wilson, 25, from Glasgow and Andrew Wilson, 21, from Stirling in February - and they already have high profile gigs in the running with further plans to release music. The pair are already well known in the local scene: Andrew is the vocalist of Revulsion, and Ross only recently disbanded his old record label Thanks For Nothing Records last month after four years - which originally started as a college project. Thanks For Nothing released records and tapes for bands from both the UK and the United States, put on showcase shows to promote their roster, and gave younger talent like Set Astray and Snake Eyes their first breaks with opening spots on each bill. Speaking about his old label, Ross admitted: "It ran its course. "More than anything, I don't think we had a direction anymore. "Some hardcore bands were not wanting to work with TFN because it was getting a bit broader in terms of genre and losing sight of its roots - we were putting out death metal releases, for example - and Cruel Minded is way more focused."

Ross and Andrew work with five other people in Cruel Minded, aiming to organise more shows with smaller punk bands that were previously missed out by bigger promoters. Glasgow's hardcore scene has experienced the occasional lull in the past - with many arguing that it reached its prime in the early to mid 00s with heavyweight acts like Broken Oath and By My Hands - but Ross and Andrew think it has grown from strength to strength in recent years. They believe that one of the reasons is Glasgow's role as a central music hub in the north - with a lot of younger bands, regular shows and a strong, networked community in the city and surrounding areas that keep it alive. Between 200 and 300 people came from Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh to Thanks For Nothing's final show in Classic Grand on April 26, which had an exclusively Scottish line-up; a testament to the love of hardcore across the regions. "We've probably got one of the best scenes in the UK right now, arguably," Ross said.

He continued: "We want to nurture what we have here. There are some cities that have so many great bands that don't play many shows locally, and they forget about their hometown." "If you go to an all-dayer in Leeds, sometimes they only pull around 100 people - and you'll get folk travelling from Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and London to come to it," Andrew said. Ross added: "We don't have that luxury, so we have to make sure that the shows we put on are great to get people to come - but with an all day show and the number it can attract, we won't worry about breaking even."

They explained that there are many more younger people in their mid-teens going to gigs than in other cities in England, where there tends to be an older crowd. Andrew, who grew an interest in hardcore when he was a teenager, said that more gigs were held in 18 plus venues back then - which meant he and his friends frequently got kicked out. "It put a lot of kids off and pushed them away, but I'm glad I stuck it out," he said. Andrew explained that that they intend to build on what they've got by hiring 14+ venues and encouraging young people to start bands. He said: "The problem is that if there's a quiet spell with no shows, they go a few months without seeing bands and they discover something new - and a lot of them leave by the time they hit 18 or 19. "We hope to stop them dropping out by putting on more bands: if there's something on regularly, it will remind them how good it is." Ross agreed, saying: "If you give younger talent a chance, they stick around. You've got bands like Set Astray and Offender now touring Europe - they started playing TFN shows when they were about 15." He added: "Three people involved in Cruel Minded are under 20 as well."​

There is little sense of rivalry between Cruel Minded and existing promoters; instead, they support fellow labels like Struggletown Records and Bromotions by attending each other's shows and offering them space in the gig venue to set up distro stands - Struggletown's founder Steven Hill even designed Cruel Minded's artwork. Ross described it as an informal collective, saying: "We all have a mutual respect for each other. "The other promoters put in so much hard work, a lot of time, money and effort for what they do, and we know what that's like." He added, laughing: "I never used to like Steven a few years ago, but we joke about it now." The founders work on the label alongside full-time jobs, playing in bands part-time and risk hundreds of pounds in financial loss with every show or record release: So why is Cruel Minded HC such a labour of love for them? "Hardcore has given me a different friendship to anything I've ever had in my life. I don't know anybody that I hold close to me that I wouldn't have known through this kind of music," Ross admitted, adding: "I've even found myself drifting away from people i've known for years and years because i've found people that I have a common bond with." Andrew said: "When I was younger I loved metal, cliche bands like Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium, but you realise that they're just pop. They're good with instruments, but ultimately they're about making money and making a living.

"There's no better feeling than playing in a hardcore band or watching them smash it onstage - getting sweaty in a small room. "Half the time, these bands can't play their own instruments... They'll play fifteen minutes, get paid fifty quid which goes towards half their van hire, and try and make the petrol money from merch sales - but they do it because they're passionate." He added: "Hardcore might be heavier and adapted, but mentally it's still 100 per cent punk. It's real, and everyone's in it for the music." Twitching Tongues are playing at Audio on June 23 with Disgrace aand Merauder are playing Broadcast with Divide and War Charge on July 5. Tickets can be bought at www.cruelminded.limitedrun.com or www.ticketline.co.uk

Photo credits: Toni Piacentini