It's with a heavy heart we pay respect to another member of
the SFT family, Edd Billig; followers of the label will know
that in our early days we released 3 records with Pop Will
Prevail records, one was a double a-side by The Hidden
Messages. Edd was one of four very talented young men who
created very beautiful music (you can hear 'Over' and 'Elephant Graveyard' in the SFT compilation on Spotify which is linked above).
When you release a new record you hope
that you can get on with the band in question, sometimes
they disappear and you never hear from them again but often
you forge a friendship that stands the test of time. 52
Teenagers, Stations and Headlines (Dutch Uncles) are just
some of the bands we've worked with that we will know
forever. Kenny and Edd from The Hidden Messages can be added
to that list. I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with
these guys and I always knew we could count on each other
for a hug, a smile and fun times. Whether it was simply
meeting up for a gig or one of the many times I kipped on
their couch in London (shared with Jed and Tom) I knew I was
always welcome and they were always welcome at mine in
return. Edd was a big part of what made those trips and
visits so enjoyable - he was such a smart guy, I mean, who
else could claim to be World Champion at anything let alone
something so brain teasing as Sudoku?
I remember our single launch in London so
well, I had had a bad day but that night was so special, it
became one of my favourite memories with the label. When I
was given the chance to go on a trip to Vegas and Coachella
music festival with Edd, Kenny, Tom and Jed, myself and our
mutual friend Adam jumped at it. I remember sitting by our
pool very late one night while Edd enthused about the new
Hidden Messages tracks, 'listen to this!' I didn't hesitate,
and it was fantastic, just as I had come to expect.
So here we are, another update I never
wanted to write. Another life taken too soon. Our love goes
out to Jed, Tom, Kenny, Edd's band mates and his family and
friends whose lives were made better by this lovely young
man.
Rest in peace Edd, I'm gonna miss you a lot.
Michael SFT