What do pizzas and records have in common? Their circular shape, certainly. But for Stephen McCaffrey it’s much more than that. His latest independent record label, Errol’s Hot Wax, owes its very existence to a pizza shop in Glasgow’s Southside. ‘My version of the story is that a good friend of mine runs Errol’s Hot Pizza on Victoria Road. I convinced him to start a record label that I would help run in order to promote our other friend’s band. He was up for it but then didn’t really have the time to commit so I ended up doing it myself.’

Glasgow-associated musicians reign supreme on his roster: Jacob Yates And The Pearly Gate Lockpickers and guitarist Christopher Haddow’s solo project formed the first releases before US-based Herald completed the trio. ‘I have a lot of enthusiasm for the Glasgow music scene and I would like to keep the focus of the label there,’ McCaffrey reflects. 

A loose thread of alternative folk ties acts together, but their overall approach and sound varies hugely. ‘The label isn’t going to have one sonic identity. I release music that’s in the style of my record collection at home,’ he explains. ‘This spans Tom Waits, Mogwai and a brilliant new band called Dancer.’

Imagining McCaffrey working on these releases while pizza dough is thrown around and hungry customers wait outside may be tempting, but a corner of his home living room is Errol’s Hot Wax HQ. ‘I do love the pizza-shop association,’ he says. ‘But this is a labour of love, not my full-time job. So keeping the costs down allows me to put more albums out.’ Meanwhile an original wooden unit behind the bar at Errol’s Hot Pizza proudly displays the label’s paraphernalia, including all of their releases to date. ‘Euan owns Errol’s and his partners John and Claire are really nice people and great friends. There’s definitely potential to do some releases together in the future. But for now I’m happy in the little corner of my living room.’

Visit Errol’s Hot Wax’s official site or Instagram page.