‘The usual faces are there by 6.30am’ - Darrell Warren, The Sound Machine, Reading
“I’m going tomorrow. It’ll be the fourth year at my local record shop. I’m hoping to get the T.Rex album Born to Boogie and Dr Feelgood’s Down By The Jetty. I’m also picking up some records for a friend who is working. He wants the Heaven 17, That Petrol Emotion and the Undertones singles.
The shop is really small so there’s no option for live performances but there’s always a good atmosphere. The usual faces are there by 6.30am and the owner Steve tries to open before 9am if everything is unpacked.
One of my favourite Record Store Day purchases must be Dirk Wears White Sox by Adam and the Ants. A brilliant debut album by a band that went rapidly downhill.”
‘I may still get up early for it as I usually do’ - Christopher Brown, Southsea’s Pie and Vinyl
“I haven’t yet decided whether to go tomorrow. I’ve been through the list of records. There are a number of records I would like, but they are quite expensive. I will probably do what I did last year and go along a bit later and see what I can pick up. It is fun though so I may still get up early for it as I usually do. Each year the queue gets bigger. My first Record Store Day was in 2012, just after Pie and Vinyl opened its doors for the first time. I got there for around 6 am, and there were 20 people in front of me in the queue. The next year there were about 50!
I just missed out on what I wanted two years ago. My most memorable purchase would be Dirk Wears White Sox in white vinyl in 2014, and the Arctic Monkeys R U Mine in purple vinyl four years ago. This year I am hoping to get Joe Strummer’s Gangsterville and The Libertines Live 2015. Pie and Vinyl have a whole weekend of events going on with live bands like Band of Skulls and Plastic Mermaids performing, and the road will be closed off.”
‘We’ve been promised free coffee and biscuits’ Wayne Flanagan, Turnstyle Records, Streatham
“My local record store will have live music later in the day from The Lone Groover and then a fully licensed bar until 6pm. In the morning we have been promised coffee and biscuits. My first Record Store Day was 2012 and I’ve been along every year since.
One of my favourite buys was the Smugglers Way FlexiDisc / Zine release from Domino back in 2012. A really unique product featuring some of my favourite artists like John Maus and Real Estate. Tomorrow, I’m hoping to grab James’ Greenpeace Palace Concert LP and Khruangbin’s People Everywhere (Still Alive) 12”
‘I always make the final decision in the queue’ Siobhan O’Driscoll, Resident, Brighton
I’ll be venturing out in the early hours for Record Store Day again this year. It’s always packed and the crowd are really friendly. They have stuff going on all day; Hannah Peel and her Music Box playing in the morning, DJ sets in the afternoon and a parallel event at Spectrum just down the road going on from lunchtime till late with loads of people playing, finishing with ace local bands Gang and Tigercub.
This will be my fourth year. I have an idea of what I want to pick up but always make the final decision in the queue. There’s plenty of time to kill! The highlight from last year was getting a copy of Johnny Marr’s version of I Feel You and then Demob Happy turning up to play outside the shop.”
‘This is our third Record Store Day since we opened’ Richard, South Records, Southend
“I work at South Records and we’re taking part tomorrow. The likes of Phil Jupitus, Gary Boniface, Chris Siviter and Asylums are doing DJ sets while local band Plantman are playing live. We also have a free entry after party at The Railway Hotel, Southend in the evening, with Dark Globes and Ghost Music playing live.
This is our third Record Store Day since we opened. I was very happy to get hold of the Alex Chilton 7” from last year. This year I’ve got my eye on a few things, but mainly The Shaggs’ Sweet Marie 7” on Light In The Attic.”
‘I’ll get there for 7.30 am and probably queue for around 4 hours’ - Mark Prestage Sister Ray, Berwick Street
“Unfortunately Sister Ray in Berwick Street do not have any events there this year, but I’ll be travelling up from Kent and plan to get there around 7.30 am and probably queue for around 4 hours. I’m hoping to get an Orb reissue, Requiem For A Dream OST, and the Nuggets psychedelic completion. My son is looking for the 21 Pilots vinyl. I’ve been going for the last couple of years , but I only get a couple of records I really want. By far the best was The Paean To Wilson by the Durutti Column from a couple of years ago.”
‘I normally go pretty crazy, but I’ll try and be a bit more reserved tomorrow.’ Steve Cook, Piccadilly Records, Manchester
“I normally visit Spillers Records in Cardiff in my home town but I’ve since moved up north to Nantwich so this year I’ll be at Piccadilly Records in Manchester. They’ll have musicians and DJs playing, including BBC 6Music’s Mary-Ann Hobbs, throughout the day and there’s an after party in the Deaf Institute later in the night. There will be a craft corner and David Bowie themed face-painting too.
This will be my third Record Store Day. I normally go pretty crazy but some of my favorite purchases have been the self-titled Nick Drake album from 2013 and The Doors’ Strange Days from last year. I’m going to try and be a bit more reserved tomorrow. I’ve got three on my ‘must have’ list, Ocean Colour Scene’s Moseley Shoals, The Go! Team’s Thunder, Lightening Strike and Ian Brown’s Solarised.
‘I hope to find some jazz’ Ed Terris, The LP Cafe, Watford
“This will be my third Record Store Day. I like the atmosphere at the LP Cafe. They play jazz every Wednesday and are also good at supporting local talent. Vinyl wise I hope to find some jazz: Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk are high on the wish list. I also want to replace my lost copy of Peggy Lee’s Black Coffee. There will probably some impulse buying as well.”
‘I’ll have to persuade my daughter to queue on my behalf’ Giles Pattison, Record Corner, Godalming
“I’m helping out at my local shop. There are no special plans that I’m aware of, although we’re hoping for a busy one as the last independent in Guildford closed it’s doors at the end of last year and we’re probably the closest one now. I’ve been to five Record Store Days. The Frightened Rabbit Midnight Organ Fight record from 2013 is my favourite purchase.
There’s really not much that grabs me this year and, as I’m working there, I’ll have to persuade my daughter to queue on my behalf. Lightning Strikes the Postman by The Flaming Lips, Blackbirds of Brittany by Bert Jansch, and Christy Moore’s Paddy on the Road would be nice. What I must not do is even think about the Giant Sand box set because that is going to be a bit pricey!”
You can share your own Record Store Day experiences this year here
