Occupation Public Relations Website Official website | Name Phill Savidge | |
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Born July 14, 1963 (age 60) ( 1963-07-14 ) Derby, United Kingdom Known for Co-founder of Savage & Best PR | ||
Phill Savidge (born in Derby) is a British PR agent and writer.
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As co-founder and head of public relations company Savage & Best,Savidge is widely credited as being one of the main instigators of the Britpop musical movement that swept the UK in the mid 1990s. During this time Savage and Best represented many of the artists associated with the scene including Suede, Pulp, The Verve, Elastica, Longpigs, Menswear, Marion, Ultrasound, Echobelly, The Auteurs, Black Box Recorder, 60 Ft. Dolls and Kula Shaker. Savage & Best also started a record label, Parkway Records, in 1995 which released records by Powder (fronted by Pearl Lowe) and the all-girl punk band Fluffy.
Education and career
Savidge was educated at Nottingham High School and Sherborne School, an independent school in the Market town of Sherborne, Dorset, before obtaining a degree in Philosophy at the University of Nottingham. In 1987 after leaving university, Savidge began his PR career working at Mel Bell Publicity where he represented Danielle Dax, The Wonder Stuff, Gaye Bykers on Acid, Green On Red, The Rhythm Sisters, Daniel Johnston, Soul Asylum, Thin White Rope and US record label Homestead Records. In June 1988 Savidge started work as a press officer at Virgin Records where he began representing Roy Orbison, Youssou N'Dour, Gary Moore, Jim Steinman, Suicidal Tendencies, Mary Margaret O'Hara and Peter Gabriel’s Real World label amongst others. In 1990 Savidge left Virgin Records to join John Best at Best In Press and the company began managing publicity for bands such as Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Pale Saints, Dead Can Dance, The Farm, Moose, Lush, Curve, Suede and The Verve. The company was situated in the Camden Town area of London and many of the bands on its books were part of the shoegazing scene which Melody Maker later dubbed "The Scene That Celebrates Itself". Some members of this scene (Blur, Lush, Suede) would go on to play a leading part in Britpop but it was Savidge’s PR success with Suede – eighteen front covers of UK publications before their debut album was released - that led to the acquisition of three Music Week PR Awards and the company morphing into its Savage & Best incarnation. Savage & Best are often acknowledged as launching Britpop since the company represented many of the movement’s protagonists at the time including Suede, Pulp, The Auteurs, Black Box Recorder, Echobelly, Menswear, Elastica, Dubstar, Space, Kula Shaker, 60 Ft. Dolls, Ultrasound, Longpigs, Marion and The Verve. The latter were managed by Savage & Best for their first two albums.
Savidge was featured in the film Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop, a 2003 documentary film written and directed by John Dower.
Savage & Best represented many other artists and projects during the 1990s including Tank Girl (The Movie), The Jesus and Mary Chain, Spiritualized, Texas, The Fall, Nine Inch Nails, Erasure, The Charlatans, The Cranberries, Faithless. Fluke and Fat Les. Savage & Best also founded a record label, Parkway Records, and released records by Powder (fronted by Pearl Lowe) and the all-girl punk outfit Fluffy.
In December 1999 Savage & Best dissolved and Savidge formed Savidge & Savidge. The following year Savidge again represented Damien Hirst (who he had befriended through Fat Les) for his Art Tube project and for Keith Allen’s Glastonbury Play which featured Hirst’s stage designs. Savidge continued to represent Suede and Keith Allen amongst other artists but also diversified into club PR handling PR accounts for Soho House and Babington House as well as Home in Leicester Square. Around this time he also represented A.R. Rahman, multi-million selling composer of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams.
Savidge began representing David A. Stewart in 2001, and helped launch Stewart and Paul Allen’s £100 million Hospital Club project in Covent Garden. Savidge also set up The Hospital Committee responsible for Club membership. In recent years Savidge has launched PR initiatives for Digital Animal and MOJN whilst continuing to handle many of the artists he represented earlier in his career. Savidge’s recent representations include James, Prefab Sprout, Chris Rea, The Stranglers, Don Black, Michael Nyman, Tony Mortimer, Gang of Four, Unkle Bob, Gregory Darling, and Michael Des Barres.
Awards
Savidge has won several awards for PR in music. In 1991 Savidge won a Music Week award for Curve. In 1992 the Music Week Best PR Campaign went to Savage & Best for Suede. In 1995 and 1997 Savidge received 2nd place Music Week PR Campaign awards for Suede.
Writing
Savidge wrote sleeve notes to accompany all eight Eurythmics albums which were rereleased in 2005 and has written sleeve notes for other artists including Suede, James, Ride and Curve.