We sat down for a chat with Johnny, the creative force behind Pictish Trail and the founder of Lost Map, a label and collective he runs from his home on the Isle of Eigg.
Humbug sounds like an amazing festive celebration of music! What’s the vibe you’re hoping to create with this all-day extravaganza, and can you tease any surprises in store?
Cheers! Aye, it’s a regular event for us, and always a merry one!
We’ve had a Christmas bash every year since the label started, back in 2013 – and in 2021 we rechristened it with the name HUMBUG!. It’s a showcase of acts from the label, with a few special guests here and there, spread out over a whole day. One of the most important aspects of Lost Map has been hanging out with the folks that have supported us, our audience – and events like this are a big part of that. It’s a fun way for us to catch up with the label roster, too.
In recent years we’ve started putting on an all-ages element, in the afternoon, so that folks who have young children can come along to the show. As a parent myself, I know how tricky it can be to see gigs – often childcare is too expensive or not easily available, and so we wanted to find a way to involve folks that otherwise might not have the opportunity to see live music that often. All under-12s get in free.
In the evening, we’ve got another show – it’s over 18s only, that one. It goes on until 1am and is definitely a bit boozier!
Since Humbug is a festive gathering, do you sneak in any holiday tunes, or is it more about celebrating the season in your own unconventional way?
There’s usually a few Christmassy songs sung over the day, but it’s not a requirement! It’s more of an end-of-year celebration of some of the music we’ve released. During 2024, we put out vinyl and CD releases with Afterlands, Blind Yeo, Painting, Susan Bear and myself – and we’re all playing at HUMBUG! this year. We’ve got other Lost Map acts on the bill, too including Alabaster dePlume, Gordon McIntyre as well as a special performance from Rozi Plain (which was a secret up until now!). Another member of our roster, L.T. Leif, is putting on a series of sets with their Cozytown Collective, and Afterlands’ member, Jill Lorean, is gonna be doing a full band set of her own songs too.
Lost Map Records started in a caravan on the remote island of Eigg. How has that unique setting influenced the label’s ethos and the music you create as Pictish Trail?
Eigg is a really inspiring place, inhabited by a close-knit community of people with a “can do” attitude. I like living in a remote place, where you have to make your own fun. That DIY spirit is really what fuels Lost Map more than anything else. Over the years I’ve been here, in addition to writing my own Pictish Trail albums, I’ve been able to put on multiple all-weekend festival events, as well as three series of a residency programme, and a collaborative collective album.
With such an eclectic roster of artists on Lost Map, how do you go about curating such a diverse mix of folky dreamscapes, indie rock, and mind-warping psychedelia?
I don’t have a specific set of criteria for what we release on the label, other than it being music that I love, made by people I find easy to talk to. A big part is knowing whether or not Lost Map can help the artist reach a wider audience than they are already doing themselves; if the answer to that is no, we usually pass, and instead try to offer advice on how best to release. I’m more likely to say yes to something if it feels exciting and a bit different to what we’ve released previously, and voices are a big part of that – I like collecting different voices. When I think about any 6 acts from the roster – let’s take Rozi Plain, Callum Easter, Ed Dowie, Alabaster dePlume, Alexia Avina, Susan Bear – I immediately think about how distinct their vocals are, and how recognisably “them” they are. I don’t want to release music that sounds like a carbon copy of somebody else.
Your own music spans so many genres and moods. When you’re writing, do you aim for a particular vibe, or does the Pictish Trail magic happen spontaneously?
I’m not a purist, I’m a fairly limited musician, and I like listening to loads of different stuff – all of which feeds into the music I make myself. I’m lucky in that I’ve been able to make a career out of releasing my own music, being supported by a relatively small-but-loyal audience – so there’s no pressure of expectation, really. So, when I’m writing, it’s mostly about finding sounds I like (a certain drum machine, or a distortion effect, etc), and building songs within that sonic world. It means the songs themselves can be different stylistically, but feel like they are coming from the same place – the instrumentation, and my voice will be the through-line. On my last album, for example, I demo’d the entire thing using the same synth, a bass guitar, my acoustic guitar and a sampler. I’ll take these demos to a producer, and we’ll collaborate to expand upon that sound – I find that part of the process to be really exciting, songs will often transform into something else entirely.
Lost Map has been on the go for over a decade. What’s next for the label? Any big dreams or wild ideas you’re itching to make happen?
We’ve got a membership club called PostMap Club, where folks pay a monthly subscription and receive new music from the label. We’ve been running it for almost 6 years now, and I’d like to expand it somehow, so we could have the budget to take more risks on things, and support our roster of artists more. I’d like to put on more regular events, too – I’m working on a few ideas for 2025.