Breaking into the music industry is tough.
But a band from Hither Green had a clever plan to get noticed and now they are in the book of Guinness World Records.
Mum-of-three Danielle Quinn front trio Sugar Coat. The band’s other members are Billy Reeves and Pylon King. Sugar Coat released their first single called ‘Me Instead’ last year.
They wanted to release the single as a vinyl in the UK, but had difficulty finding a vinyl plant to make the record.
But then the band came across a man called Cameron Allen who runs a record plant in Helsinki, Finland.
With the help of Mr Allen, Sugar Coat made 35 totally unique vinyls. One record has a furry underside, another is a mirror and one is square.
One of the records is made from puzzle pieces and only plays if all the pieces are in place.
The NME found out about the puzzle vinyl and wrote an article on the band.
Then, one day, Danielle was sent a book in the post. It was a copy of the Guinness World Records 2018.
When Danielle turned to the music section she saw that her band’s puzzle vinyl was featured. She learnt that Sugar Coat had made the world’s first playable puzzle.
Danielle said: “I was so chuffed because I had no idea and it took me a long time to realise why the book had arrived.
“I thought I’d go straight to the music part and it was there on the first page I opened. It was there next to something about David Bowie! It was lovely. It really brightened up my week.”
Danielle’s ten-year-old daughter was also thrilled.
Danielle said: “She loved it because she was part of the process. She was in the post room and she wrote the address on the records and made sure they were sealed.
“She wanted to keep them because they were all so different.”
Music is very important to Danielle, but the pressures of normal life can get in the way of her passion.
“In some ways, it would be easier if I stopped doing music. But I know that if I stopped, there would be a massive void.
“Music is a way to articulate lots of things, it’s a way to communicate with people.
“I think music will always be part of our lives and we will always keep being creative.”
Sugar Coat has plans to release another record.
Danielle said: “We’re going to do something cool for the next one too.
“Anything you can think of to try and catch attention is worth doing, that way people can hear the music.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here