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It’s probably the best day of the year for music lovers … never more so than in Huddersfield.
This Saturday (April 22) is Record Store Day when 260 independent record shops across the UK celebrate their unique culture and the town is lucky to have Vinyl Tap which sends out tens of thousands of collectors’ items worldwide every year and also the coffee and record shop Turntable Coffee and Vinyl.
Both will have new release collectors’ items that will only go on sale on Saturday – they are already listed on their websites – and such will be the demand that people are expected to queue outside them for hours. Most of the special releases are strictly limited so will probably quickly go.
Adam Stroyan from Vinyl Tap said: “We’ve done this for years and have even been known to see people starting to queue as we’ve shut up shop on the Friday. It really is a special day for anyone who really loves their music.”
The shop is one of the UK’s biggest operators when it comes to sending vinyl records, CDs and cassettes worldwide.
It usually sends around 1,000 items a week to countries as diverse as Iceland, Australia and Kazakhstan.
It can also deal with some incredibly rare records. It had a 7-inch vinyl first edition of rock band Nirvana’s debut single Love Buzz which went for £2,500 within minutes of going for sale online.
Vinyl Tap owner Tony Boothroyd revealed the shop now has around 250,000 items both in the shop and easily accessible storage. If it’s on their website they can quickly find it for you.
“There are lots of records out there that can sell for hundreds or thousands of pounds,” he said. “If people are collectors they want everything they can get for a particular musician and every format, not just vinyl.
“If we get something rare and put it online it won’t last long. The demand is out there and because we sell through our own website and specialist music websites along with eBay and Amazon it’s quickly picked up by a worldwide audience.”
The shop, which now has a 15-strong staff to keep up with the high demand – was started by Tony on Huddersfield market in 1985 and after having shops in Leeds and Halifax returned to set up the current shop on John William Street in 2011.
Tony, of Almondbury, also sells memorabilia with people even wanting to buy old gig ticket stubs.
He added: “As everyone knows, the Sex Pistols played their last ever UK gig at Ivanhoe’s nightclub in Huddersfield on Christmas Day 1977 and apparently people who attended were able to take posters and other memorabilia away for free. One of those posters in good condition could now sell for around £1,000.”
On Saturday Vinyl Tap has organised free live music at the Northern Quarter music venue on Wood Street behind the store from 3pm featuring DJs and bands including post punk Top Hats, blues folk from Hazy Janes and indie acts Long Island and Alfie and the Avalon.
Turntable Coffee and Vinyl on New Street in Huddersfield town centre is also taking part in Record Store Day and has lots of rare releases for sale on Saturday.
They are also celebrating with free live music in store which starts with singer songwriter Ben Robinson at 11am, indie folk band Fishing For Compliments at 12.30pm and then singer Carol Hodge at 2pm.
Turntable Coffee and Vinyl is also holding a raffle to give away a Rega P1 turntable worth £300 on the day and raise money for Huddersfield Mission and the Yorkshire Children’s Centre.
They have around 3,000 vinyl records in stock and on the website and will be starting to sell CDs online and in store in the coming weeks.
Some of the special limited editions in Huddersfield on Saturday include:
Vinyl Tap (https://www.vinyltap.co.uk/)
The 1975 Live with the Philharmonic Orchestra on double LP, CD or cassette from £12.99 to £33.99.
Tori Amos Little Earthquakes Rarities LP £27.99.
Black Sabbath Never Say Die! LP £30.99
Blur Special Collectors Edition double blue vinyl £39.99.
The Turntable Vinyl Café (https://www.theturntable.uk/)
A limited edition, 4-track EP celebrating the 40th anniversary of U2’s third studio album War (1983) featuring Two Hearts Beat As One and Sunday Bloody Sunday, £21.
Sam Fender Wild Grey Ocean/Little Bull of Blithe 7inch, £15.
Ellie Goulding Halcyon Nights double LP, £31.
Elton John Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player double LP on coloured vinyl with an expansive bonus disc of the album’s session demos to mark 50 years since the album was originally released, £40.
Pearl Jam Give Way double 17-track LP gatefold released on vinyl for the first time, £28.
- Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.
