Having dipped in and out of Record Store Day over the years, I have always dreamed that one day, while supplementing a collection founded on records I’d nicked from my dad’s garage, I’d track down the one and only 7-inch release by his 1960s band – called Sunny and the Cloudbursts – for a few pennies rather than a big wedge of notes.
So, to a soundtrack of screeching seagulls, I have come to Brighton, to continue searching for my vinyl holy grail and partake in a warm-up, my own bargain basement alternative to RSD, which falls this Saturday, bringing a dizzying avalanche of picture discs, rarities and Blur zoetrope reissues – albeit at a price. I want to see if there’s still joy and value to be found digging through the dusty secondhand crates. With Brighton home to upwards of a dozen record stores and 20 charity shops – which are increasingly wise to the true value of secondhand records – will today be the day I strike gold?
