In the midst of the constant barrage of economic doom and gloom, it’s always nice to hear of people taking a chance in their respective creative fields. That’s what Martin Burns is doing. The Dubliner has just started a record label called Flaming June, and plans to use it to release a series of 7-inch singles by Irish artists in the coming months. Acts already signed up to the project include The Lost Brothers, Heritage Centre and Vyvienne Long.

“I wanted to find a way of promoting Irish bands that’s a little different from the norm,” Burns told The Ticket. “Everyone has access to Pro-Tools these days, and everyone is making music, which is great – but that means people working in music are inundated with CDs, so there’s a lot of competition to get noticed. If a beautifully put-together vinyl 7-inch lands on the desk of a DJ or a journalist, it sets you out from the norm.”

The artwork for all records will be designed by up-and-coming Belfast artist Gemma Gallagher, and the first release will be Lemonade Man by The Popgun Plot, a loose musical collective that features Burns himself, as well as several other creative types including videomaker and former Juno Falls frontman Myles O’Reilly. An album by Laura Sheeran is also in the works for early 2011.