- What: Scottish indie record label 53rd and 3rd.
- Where: Glasgow, Scotland
- Founded by: Stephen Pastel, Sandy McLean, David Keegan
- Founded: 1985
- Closed: 1989 (ish)
Much like Sarah Records, it's impossible to talk about 53rd and 3rd without talking about "C86." C86 was a cassette sold with British music weekly NME, and although it was only one cassette in a series, it really struck a chord with listeners. The music featured on the cassette was entirely new and unique at the time - jangly guitars, a bit shambolic, slightly fey - music inspired by the C86 comp has since been called things like twee, shoegaze and so on. It was intensely indie and borrowed the DIY aesthetic of punk. 53rd and 3rd Records became one of the homes for "C86" style bands.
Former NME writer Andrew Collins said that C86 was "the most indie thing to have ever existed" and while that may be a debatable point, the ultra indie nature of the label makes the story of 53rd and 3rd not an entirely easy one to tell. There's scant information out there about the label history and it was essentially an informal label, run by musicians and music fans for other musicians and music fans.
Despite the general lack of label history, however, the music 53rd and 3rd released speaks for itself. The label put out some of the most influential bands ever, and they continue to shape the sound of music today.
The following bands released albums on 53rd and 3rd:
