Inevitable Records was a British independent record label based in Liverpool, England. Active between 1979 and 1986, the label released early recordings by several Merseyside post-punk, new wave, and synth-pop acts, including Wah!, Dead or Alive, China Crisis, and It's Immaterial.
History Inevitable Records was founded in 1979 by musician and sound engineer Jeremy J. Lewis alongside Pete Fulwell, manager of the Liverpool music venue Eric's Club. Lewis had established Amazon Studios in Kirkby, which served as the recording facility for the label's releases before the studio was relocated to central Liverpool (later developing into Parr Street Studios).
The label's debut release was the 1979 single "Better Scream" / "Joe" by Pete Wylie's group Wah! Heat, followed by "Seven Minutes to Midnight" in 1980. That same year, Pete Burns's band Nightmares in Wax issued the Birth of a Nation EP (INEV 002) on the label. The group subsequently renamed themselves Dead or Alive and released the singles "Flowers", "I'm Falling", and "Number Eleven" on Inevitable before signing with Epic Records. Other early releases included the single "Euthenics" by post-punk band Modern Eon and tracks by Faction and It's Immaterial.
In 1981, Kirkby duo China Crisis released their debut single, "African and White", on Inevitable Records. The single gained indie chart success and led to the group signing with Virgin Records. As synth-pop and indie pop became more prominent in the label's output during the early 1980s, Inevitable entered a distribution agreement with RCA Ltd. Subsequent releases included singles by Freeze Frame, Box of Toys, and The Light (formed by Box of Toys' Brian Atherton), as well as a song by local performer Margox (Margi Clarke) written with Holly Johnson.
Several artists on the label recorded John Peel sessions for BBC Radio 1 between 1980 and 1983. In 1984, the label released the compilation album Small Hits and Near Misses... by Inevitable Records. In April 2019, Cherry Red Records issued a retrospective 3-CD box set, Birth Of A Nation: Inevitable Records An Independent Liverpool 1979–1986, containing the label's catalog and BBC Radio 1 sessions.
Selected roster Box of Toys China Crisis Dead or Alive (including Nightmares in Wax) Faction Freeze Frame It's Immaterial Margox Modern Eon The Light Wah! (as Wah! Heat)
Selected discography Catalog No. Artist Title Format Year INEV 001 Wah! Heat "Better Scream" / "Joe" 7" single 1979 INEV 002 Nightmares in Wax Birth of a Nation EP 7" EP 1980 INEV 003 Modern Eon "Euthenics" / "Waiting for the Cavalry" 7" single 1980 INEV 004 Wah! Heat "Seven Minutes to Midnight" 7" single 1980 INEV 005 Dead or Alive "I'm Falling" / "Flowers" 7" single 1980 INEV 006 Faction Faction LP album 1981 INEV 007 Faction "Faction" / "Wrong Again" 7" single 1981 INEV 008 Dead or Alive "Number Eleven" 7" single 1981 INEV 009 It's Immaterial "A Gigantic Raft in the Philippines" 7" single 1981 INEV 011 China Crisis "African and White" 7" single 1982 INEV 12 Freeze Frame "Your Voice" / "Conversation Piece" 7" single 1983 INEV 013 Box of Toys "I'm Thinking of You Now" 7" single 1983 INEV 14 Freeze Frame "Foxhole" / "Furnished Heart" 7" single 1984 INEV 015 Box of Toys "Precious Is the Pearl" 7" / 12" single 1984 INEV 17 Freeze Frame "Seeking Professional Advice" / "My 10,000 Mile Home" 7" single 1984 INEV 18 Freeze Frame "Touch" 7" single 1985 INEV LP 1 Various artists Small Hits and Near Misses... LP compilation 1984
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