MUSICAL SANCTUARIES: LIVERPOOL’S INDIE RECORD SHOPS
With the current resurgence of interest around Liverpool’s record stores thanks to Rough Trade’s new Liverpool store, there’s no time like the present to celebrate the incredible community of music our city has bred.
The indies that set the stage for such a huge name in the industry to join our community. The places you lose yourself in. Where our pocket money would spill out, purchasing records that sit in our collections to this day. Songs that take you back to that moment in your life, of crushes and best friends, issues that seemed unmanageable that you can’t even remember now, a time where the little things mattered and adulthood seemed so far away. Funnily enough, now it’s here, you’re still taking what little money you have to these musical meccas. They’re the places you gifted your first wage slip to and the places the next one will end up at as well. And yes, they’re institutions you often overlook, comforted by the fact they’ve always been there and ignorant to the fact that someday they may not be. So what better time than the present to explore the heartbeat of this city?
Smells of the stuffy storage sheds fill your nostrils in the rehoming centre of carefully curated collections of yesteryear. New to us, but having lived an entire lifetime before you even set eyes on their tarnished sleeves. They’re brandished with bright red stickers denoting low prices. It’s a place where you can explore genres and artists you’ll come to love, without the price tag that usually comes with record collecting. Of course, there are those that will set you back a pretty penny, hung on the walls, untouched until that one person comes along and finds the record they’ve been searching for. With DJs behind the counter, you can be certain that you’ll be steered in the right direction by a mountain of knowledge and a world of connections at their fingertips.
Jacaranda Records, 21-23 Slater Street and Cains Brewery, Baltic Triangle
Filled with potential and adaptability, Jacaranda Records’ Slater Street space nods back to the heyday whilst their Baltic location propels them into the future. Grab a pint in the former and experience the beauty of the Voice-O-Graph, grab a record listening booth and absorb the beauty of the space that surrounds you. Head to the latter for an album launch, record in hand, surrounded by fellow obsessives, sure to bump into someone you know. Having the likes of The Libertines, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes and Shed Seven grace their stage, their push for records to exist alongside live music has not only increased sales, but increased the value of every record that leaves their space. Each one is infused with the memories of singing along to your favourite song, scrawled with illegible signatures and displayed proudly, a reminder of that night.
Like most locations in Liverpool, 81 Renshaw is a part of The Beatles story. Once home to famed music magazine Mersey Beat, the very roots of this place are intertwined with musical history. Posters cover the walls, celebrating what has been and what’s yet to come, a representation of the shop itself. Flooded with natural light and filled to the brim with new records and releases, the front room couldn’t be more different from the back. A retired venue, the stage now sits unused, surrounded by an audience of used records. You’re transported to a time unknown, where every element of the space had a different function and journey. What comes next is anybody’s guess.
Defend Vinyl, 395 Smithdown Road
What was once the yellow calling card that marked the start of something new, of the potential that Smithdown Road held, Defend Vinyl is now a piece of the puzzle. Surrounded by Michelin-recommended restaurants, cafés filled with live music and some of the best coffee around, they were one of the first to remind the community of the potential the road held. Launched as part of a Crowdfunding campaign, Defend is (as its logo connotes) a love letter to vinyl and those who collect it. Focusing on the alternative, they’re the go-to for Indie, Emo and Punk. And the best bit? When you step out, you’re not faced with the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Defend is a fine example of the place-making capability of music and the humans that love it.
Historical for all the wrong reasons, Probe bags are a sign of bravery and knowledge. Probe is where you go if you know your stuff, or perhaps it was when the likes of Pete Burns and Julian Cope were behind the counter. Despite not being based in their original Clarence Street location, or their most famous Button Street residence, the shop still carries its legacy. It’s where you can trust you’ll leave with the best recommendations, and where you’ll find the record that will stay with you. It’s arguably one of the most important names on this list, inspiring the next generations to try it themselves, open a record shop and see what happens.
The best bit about these homegrown institutions? We’ve not named them all. Liverpool is brimming with record shops, each with their own specialties and quirks, their own loyal following. From Matsuri Records’ storage container home in the heart of Baltic’s breweries, to Dead Air Records, awash with light and brimming with new business potential. They sit along every street in this city, weaving genres, people and histories together. The tapestry of your life is made up of the 12” that sit on your bookshelves.
Maybe it’s about time we all start paying these stores their dues.
Written by Megan Walder
Photos by Gary Lambert