Reckless Yes is an independent record label working ethically and collaboratively with artists to make great things for our membership and other music fans.
“a trusted source of consistently excellent new music” – Joyzine
“fast becoming a haven for bold, fun, original and constantly challenging musicians” – Cambridge Music Reviews
“Increasingly crucial” – For The Rabbits
Formed in 2016 by Pete Darrington and Sarah Lay, we have been on hiatus since Spring 2023. We will return as a label and creative entity in 2025.
The first chapter: 2016 – 2023
In our first chapter we put on live shows, and had a roster of more than 30 artists across the years. These included Chorusgirl, LIINES, Fightmilk, Nervous Twitch, Electric Pets, and Paper Birch.
We released internationally across all formats, and look for options which have the least negative impact on the environment. Our membership directly support our roster of artists through offsetting the costs of release, and in return get early access to all our releases plus a host of other benefits.
We supported our artists with an in-house promotion and marketing offer covering print, online, radio, TV and direct to fan marketing. Our artists have featured in Q, Record Collector, Loud&Quiet, Louder Than War magazine, LeftLion, and on Louder, The Quietus, The 405, Clash, Post Trash, XS Noize, and Drowned in Sound as well as been played on 6Music, Radio X, Absolute and Amazing.
Where we worked with partners we looked for those who are working in ethical ways and shared our values, as well as loved our roster as much as we do.
We believe in collaboration not competition and are actively seeking to bring other independent labels and organisations together for support and collective work.
The second chapter: 2025 onwards
We plan to return in 2025 as an ethical record label with a smaller, refreshed roster of artists with a DIT (Do It Together) approach.
Shop our records
You can shop our records here – we ship internationally through mail order but you can also buy from your local record shop in the UK and around the world. Many of our releases are sold out and sought after – but if we have it in stock we will ship it to you!
Reckless Yes in the press
Articles and interviews about Reckless Yes:
- mention in International Women’s Day piece on Get In Her Ears
- interview with Echoes and Dust
- interview with Pretend Online
- label profile on Joyzine
- behind the scenes profile on Sarah Lay on Get In Her Ears
- God Is In The TV podcast Show Me Magic! with Sarah Lay
Who are Reckless Yes?
Reckless Yes is Sarah Lay and Pete Darrington. Between them they have worked across most areas of the music industry over the last 3 decades.
They bring all this experience and their contacts together to support their artists. They are both committed to working ethically, creating a community where all are welcome and safe, making something from nothing, and finding ways to challenge the established industry.