Record Store Day is held in April every year with the aim of promoting independent music venues and artists. This is the first proper return of celebrations since Covid which has seen scaled back events take place. This year will mark the 15th annual global record store day.
Additional record fairs are taking place across the city starting this weekend with two independent events. As independent music stores and venues close across the UK, there has never been a better time to get collecting. The vinyl industry has been turning the tables on slow sales in recent years with more 5 million albums sold in the UK in 2021.
Record fairs offer a chance for fans to connect and collect with other enthusiasts as well as the chance to find that rare collectors item. Here are some of the best places to go 'crate digging' over the next week.
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VIP Record Fair at Clifton Leisure Centre
VIP record fairs will host a vinyl sale at Clifton Leisure Centre will host an event on Saturday April 2. VIP present traders from all over the UK to bring the best in Prog Rock, Punk Rock, Hard Rock and Hip Hop to Soul, Jazz, Reggae and Doo Wop to Nottingham. The event will open at 10am and has an admission fee of £3
The event will also give vinyl enthusiasts a chance to collect a rare records, speak to specialists and also bag a bargain or two. The event will start at 10am but there is a chance to get in there at 9 for early birds who want to avoid the crowds and get first pick.
VIP Record Fairs have been putting on events since the early 1980s in venues across London, the Midlands, Manchester and Norwich.
Tap and Tumbler
For metal and rock fans, Tap and Tumbler bar needs no introduction as it is well known for hosting live music events. The bar has announced they will be holding another AA Record event and making it 'a regular thing.'
The event takes place on Sunday April 3 at the pub on Wollaton Street with free entry from 12pm.
General Manager Alastair Brown said: "It's the second record fair we've put on with AA Record Fairs - last month's had a fantastic response from people from near and far. Every need is catered for, I don't think there was an under-represented genre. While we are a rock and metal centric venue, they have a truly eclectic selection, and helped introduce the pub to a number of people who may not have visited before. There are plans to turn it into a monthly event, long may it continue."
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Rough Trade
Its the first time that Record Store Day on Saturday April 23 will see the return of live music after Covid restrictions saw scaled back celebrations over the past two years. The line up for the day has yet to be announced but previous years have seen performances from popular bands such as The Orielles in 2018.
The store will be open from 8am until 7pm and the music will start at 3pm with rare bargains to be had on the day. Vinyl fans have been known to queue for hours to get into the Nottingham store.
Each year, the store offers a range of limited edition music, including titles from The Maccabees, Joni Mitchell, Frightened Rabbit, Sam Fender, Childish Gambino, Albert Ayler, Nick Cave, Cypress Hill, Taylor Swift and Blur.
Sam Heaton, bar and events manager at Rough Trade said: "It'll be all hands on deck here at Rough Trade. We have very limited releases on various formats. It'll be the first time since the pandemic that we will have live music back in our store on Record Store Day. It's one of our biggest days of the year so will be great to celebrate that."
He added: "Record Store Day 2021 was one of the biggest one for us yet. We had people queuing from 10pm the evening before where they camped out overnight to get first in the queue. We opened at 8am, greeting the customers with Record Store Day vinyl lists to pick from so we could pack up their orders for them. By 11am that day we had a queue call round the block, back into Hockley touching the other end of Broad Street again."
Vinyl collectors and beginners have reacted to the events with delight and are anticipating the bargains available on the day. Vinyl only DJ Sonia Hawkes who performs as Stiff Kittens highlighted the importance of supporting record shops.
“By going into a record shop you have the experience and knowledge and passion of those working there, making recommendations and finding records you might never have considered, it’s completely different to clicking basket on a screen.”
“As a vinyl only DJ, for me there’s a real buzz matching the tempo myself using the pitch slider on a set of 1210’s and my own inner timing ability which I’ve spent years tuning, there’s really something special and fulfilling for me about this, like a jigsaw puzzle of sound, she said.”
Vinyl fan Katie Adcock from Beeston is excited to be attending the fairs at the weekend. Her greatest bargain was a Kate Bush album, The Whole Story greatest hits, for £5 at one of the fairs in previous years.
"I started collecting vinyl about six years ago and I always get super excited when there’s a record sale on so I can look to grow my collection. I managed to snag Kate Bush’s greatest hits last time and I hope to find a couple more classics this weekend.
What I love most about it is being able to sit and listen to the whole album in the order it was intended without the temptation to skip tracks. It makes you appreciate the record on a whole new level."
