Beggars Banquet is an English
independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by
Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the
Beggars Group of labels. In 1977, spurred by the prevailing
DIY aesthetics of the British
punk rock movement (then at the height of its popularity), they decided to join the fray as an independent label and release records under the Beggars Banquet imprint. The first band on the label was English punk group
The Lurkers; the first ever release on the label was The Lurkers' punk classic
Shadow/
Love Story 7" single. Later in the decade and into the early 1980s, hits with
Tubeway Army and
Gary Numan secured the label's future. They have since released music by
Biffy Clyro,
Buffalo Tom,
The Charlatans,
The Cult,
The Go-Betweens,
The National and
Tindersticks. In 2008, Beggars Banquet became a catalog label only, closed to new signings. Artists that remained on their roster were shifted over to affiliate label,
4AD.
The label became the start point for what is now The
Beggars Group, an umbrella group of iconic indie record labels. It is the largest and most influential independent group of labels in Europe and
4AD,
Matador Records,
Rough Trade Records and
XL Recordings are the four main labels that now form the group. The group is managed by
Martin Mills, Managing Director Paul Redding and non-executive......
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