MUMMY WHERES THE MILKMAN RECORDS

Mummy Where's The Milkman Records, a tale of music, love and debauchery from 2001 – 2006.

Mummy Where's The Milkman Records was a fine city record label from the minds of two Norwich promoters Shane Olinski/ O'Connor and Sean O'Neill. Two individuals at polar opposites of the social spectrum, but musical soulmates who consistently placed quality and innovation over popularity and professionalism.

The story begins around 1999 when Shane, the older of the pair, began the legendary HowlBackHum (HBH). HBH nights were held across the city in anything from pubs and fields, or clubs and bars. "Fundamentally the nights acted as a platform for local bands to get out and play. Our aims were often small and hard to achieve but were special none the less," explained Shane. It was his desire to give people a chance to get heard that led to Shane contemplating a Norwich compilation which showcased the collective talents of our fine city scene.

It was also around this time that Sean relocated to Norwich and began working in the scene. “I came from rural Suffolk where we cut our teeth at high school village hall shows, but Norwich has always had such a great scene and I couldn't wait to get involved.” He began with stints of artist and tour management for the legendary The Sickroom Gramophonic Collective, before the labels sad closure around 2001. However shortly after Sean released his first ever record on what would become Mummy Where's The Milkman Records. The labels initial release was Why so Grrrl by Postalowa, a 7” record released in early 2002. The record received some excellent reviews and was played by John Peel.

Later that year Shane would approach Sean and ask him if he would like to release his compilation 'We're from Norwich,' which Sean agreed to do. What followed was a series of recordings released from 2002 – 2006 featuring some of the finest talent of the time including Magoo, Le Tetsuo, Rory McVicar and many, many more.

During this time the label went from strength to strength, with numerous features on local, national and internation radio, television and musical press. The pair also hosted a regular evening at Norwich Arts Centre alongside WombatWombat, and numerous shows elsewhere. “I think we were doing about 47 events annually” recalls Sean.

Unfortunately the pair would drift apart during 2007 which led to the label closing down; “2007 was a tricky year for Shane and I. I won't go into details but a lot happened to us personally and the scene as a whole, I think it was a transitional year.” Shane continued to promote and record in various capacities while Sean took an extended break from music before returning around 2012 with Ideal Surreal. The pair can often be found at the others events and they occasionally duo-host shows at the Playhouse and Karma Kafe.

“We had a great few years of parties, performances and a catalogue of releases which I believe capture a slice of the scene. The city had some great venues, labels, bands and promoters and it was great to be a part of it.”  Sean & Shane 06/05/2020

Releases
Release Cover	Band	Title	Studio	YoR
	LE TETSUO	I UNDERSTAND YOU IF YOU SPEAK SLOWLY		2004
	THE BELLS, THE BELLS	THE BELLS THE BELLS		2006
	GIANT ROBOT AND THE CITY OF TOKYO	BEST	SICKROOM RECORDING STUDIO	UNDATED

Compilations
Cover	Title	YoR
	WHERE FROM NORWICH VOL1	2004
	COLD FRONT / HOOFUS	UNDATED
	RORY MCVICAR / HOOFUS	2006