We Are Horror Records - Interview with Dan Phillips

Ahead of Horror Punk Fest in October, I’ve had the chance to chat with Dan Phillips, founder of We Are Horror Records. 

Curating an event like Horror Punk Fest must be hard work, do you approach each band individually?

I do! Once you’ve put on a show or two, people and bands tend to be much more willing to enter into a dialogue with you. It’s very difficult in the beginning, but I’d say those difficult days are starting to get behind us now.

Hopefully, over the next five years, I can really start to level this thing up. Time will tell, but there’s potentially some very exciting stuff in the pipeline.

What is your connection to horror punk?

My immediate horror punk record is Black Sails on the Sunset…

Horror punk found me at a relatively early age. I was a huge Metallica fan as a youngster and first came across “Die, Die My Darling” on Garage Inc. I remember seeing the name “The Misfits” in the liner notes, but didn’t think much more about it.

Then, a year or two later, the Graves-era Misfits appeared on WCW Nitro alongside Vampiro. That sent me down the rabbit hole. I started digging into the Misfits - American Psycho, and Famous Monsters at first, which quickly led me to loads of other bands around at the time.

Fiendforce Records out of Germany appeared on my radar somewhere around that period too, opening the door to even more horror punk.

I’ve been hooked ever since.

The band Oracular is on my radar… “Dancing on My Grave” is actually in my top 3 played for October.. Can you tell me how you first heard them?

I’ve known the guys in Oracular for a few years, well before the band even existed. I remember seeing this new band popping up and following them with a bit of interest, before realising, hang on… these are my friends!

They had a different lineup in the beginning and recorded at least one track with that version of the band, which actually appeared on a compilation the label put out last year.

After a bit of a lineup shake-up, they were looking for a new vocalist. I believe it was me who suggested getting Danny from Siblings of Samhain involved, as I knew they weren’t doing much at the time. They got together, the stars aligned, and here we are today.

Things seem to be going really well for them, and it’s been great watching it all come together!

I get so much joy out of terrorizing my friends with songs that have less than 50 views on Youtube…. 

What inspired you to found your own record label?

I’ve never been a particularly skilled musician, but I’ve always adored music. I’m also a pretty OCD personality type and genuinely enjoy menial tasks like spreadsheets! So, when COVID locked the world down, I thought I’d try my hand at creating something I enjoyed, rather than just hoping other people would do it.

It started as a radio show called Horror Punk’s Not Dead!, which picked up a decent following. Inspired by the old Fiendforce Records This Is Horrorpunk compilations, along with all the Epitaph and Hellcat compilations I grew up on, I fancied having a go at the whole “compilation thing” myself. So I did!

I enjoyed the process so much that I started working with bands my friends were in, and from there it quickly grew into what it is today, four years later!

Who are you most excited to catch at the festival?

Bro, I’ll be manning the door at the back of the room haha! But honestly.. all of them. I selfishly don’t book bands I don’t enjoy..

Do you envisage more Horror Punk Fest in the future? Bigger venues, maybe moving around the UK?

I’d be happy selling the show out for a year or two and then, of course, moving on to a bigger venue. I already have a few places in mind. I just need to get the bands booked and, most importantly, get people through the door!

That’s probably the biggest problem facing the grassroots scene at the moment. Poor attendance is killing it, or at the very least making things incredibly difficult.

Hopefully, in five years’ time, I can look back at these humble beginnings and feel pretty content with how far it’s come.