Saul Galpern has a message for the music industry: I’m back, baby. We’re paraphrasing, sure, but that’s very much the impression the wily Glaswegian label boss exudes when we meet in a quiet café in London Bridge.

Smartly dressed and swigging coffee, he shoots from the hip from the get go, his opinions carrying the full weight of a lifetime in the industry.

“You know, I still very much believe in the traditional idea of a band that can change ...