Tomorrow is International Record Store Day.
Your annual reminder that music is available for sale as chunky spherical objects in sexy gatefold sleeves in real-world geographical locations staffed by actual living humans… Crazy, right?!!
Yes, once upon a time there was no such thing as YouTube, Soundcloud, BandCamp… all music was offline.
As a teenager growing up in the 1980s in Dublin, record shops like Golden Discs, Dolphin Discs, Freebird, Sound Cellar and Comet were like lighthouses dotted around the city, offering a sacred place to hear new music and maybe meet like-minded souls.Then the UK chain stores Virgin, HMV and Our Price Records came to town. We never had it so good.
My favourite store, however, was Tower Records on Wicklow Street, Dublin 2 (above) – its hallowed aisles contained an eye-popping amount of records. Fancy an obscure green coloured vinyl Japanese import of the latest Smiths single? No problem.
Many shops are hosting live in-store gigs for the day that’s in it and offering special discounts and selling exclusive bespoke releases.
Nick Says: Support your local record store – you’ll miss it when it’s gone. Consider this your vinyl warning.
Record Store Day
Meanwhile…
We have a Golden Discs voucher worth TWENTY FIVE EUROS to giveaway to one platter-cherishing Broadsheet reader.
What is your favourite record store EVER in Ireland or ‘abroad’?
To enter, please complete this sentence.
‘My favourite record store ever is__________ because________________’
Lines MUST close at 5.15pm extended until MIDNIGHT!
Golden Discs