Britt Randma x Night Tapes: How one show can open up a portal of success

By Tyler Damara

Picture this: you’re one of the lucky few standing shoulder-to-shoulder at Groningen’s De Machinefabriek venue. A buzz of excited chatter floats around the room in anticipation for Night Tapes – the London via-Estonia group formed through a series of jam sessions between housemates Iiris Vesik, Max Doohan, and Sam Richards.

As the venue turns to hues of blue and green, the band take to the stage, ignited by the knowledge that they’ve won the coveted Music Moves Europe Award. Waiting in the wings is their manager Britt Randma, holding back tears in celebration of the full-circle moment for fellow Estonian Vesik, who used to have a solo career in their native country before joining Night Tapes.

“It was a magnificent thing to see – the Estonian delegation saying how proud they are,” Randma laughs.”I had to hold back my tears, because as an Estonian, I can’t show my emotions publicly.”

Revealing how Night Tapes have been able to stand out amongst their peers, Randma says: “As a band, they’re constantly evolving, developing, and finding new ways to express themselves. The way they connect different genres is quite unique, but you can still recognise it's them. They have found their unique sound elements. But I think it’s also the visual world which has made them stand out.”

The group have been consistent with leaning into a blue-lit aesthetic, which ties into the name Night Tapes. They put a lot of effort into music videos – despite not always having the budget for it – having taught themselves to create visual worlds to accompany the music. “Videos have really impacted our career – YouTube is our biggest channel, and is growing the fastest,” Randma shares. “There are always discussions about whether music videos can serve us these days, and whether it is worth the investment. But I think you can actually do quite a lot with good ideas, even if you don’t have a crazy budget.”

For Randma, the self-sufficient nature of Night Tapes is what makes them special. “They are some of the most wonderful musicians I know,” she confesses. “They all play several instruments, and are amazing producers and songwriters. They’re capable of doing a lot of things by themselves, which is the unique perspective there.” She adds that it’s a magical thing for music to have the ability to touch different groups of people, and she has witnessed this first-hand over the half-decade that she’s worked with the group.

“It has been really nice to see the growth and support from different festivals, bookers and promoters,” Randma reflects. “We’re currently on tour in the US, with 20 different concerts, and we have an EU tour coming up with concerts in The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and the UK."

“We’ve definitely gained more attention from promoters and bookers, which was quite a necessary step. In a live setting, we're still a relatively new band,” Randma says of the “beautiful synchronicity” that came with their experiences post-ESNS. Due to the platform that ESNS provided, they secured five additional bookings on the European festival circuit via European Talent Exchange and have gained visibility in markets that were not available to them previously. Randma reveals that they have subsequently seen interest from Spain, Poland, Sweden and other Nordic countries.

“Being able to connect with different people who work in the industry is very necessary. ESNS is one of the biggest festivals in Europe and it’s a very valuable place to be,” she offers, in explanation of the band’s success story. “It was good timing for us – we had the album already planned and coming out, so this (experience) was the perfect build-up for that… you need great music and then you need a little bit of luck,” she laughs.

“It’s definitely proof that Night Tapes have tapped into something working for them; that makes them stand out,” Randma concludes with a smile. “It’s a warm feeling to be recognised – and that this decision has been made by industry professionals who see a lot of different performances – it’s a big, big compliment.”