Limited edition vinyl fiends rejoice! Record Store Day 2014 is coming this Saturday, and here’s our guide to just some of what’s happening and where Sure there’s more to celebrating independent record shops than getting your mitts on a super-rare 7-inch, and Tower Records in Dublin will have you well served (provided you’re in the capital, that is), promising a “MASSIVE RECORD STORE DAY PARTY” – all-caps theirs, not ours – at their newly relocated shop on Dawson Street with exclusive releases by Villagers, John Grant, the Pixies, Gil Scott Heron, Damon Albarn and Oasis.
Early birds will be rewarded for their efforts with shots of espresso among other little treats before doors open at 8am, while later in the day the live music gets going in the upstairs café with performances by Lisa Hannigan, indie supergroup Little Matador, Join Me In The Pines and SOAK.
Patrons at Tower’s other branch above Eason’s on O’Connell Street won’t be hard done by, either, with all RSD releases available there from 8am.
As you’ve probably heard, Elastic Witch at the Twisted Pepper on Dublin’s Middle Abbey Street is shutting up shop after nearly three years helping fill the void left by the late, lamented Road Records. EW proprietor (and former Road staffer) Gib Cassidy laid out his reasons for the decision which, while completely understandable, is still a blow to discerning music shoppers in the city.
But the shop will also see out its final day of trading on a high, starting with an afternoon of live acts at the Twisted Pepper that kicks off at 3pm with a line-up featuring the likes of Jape, I Am The Cosmos, Twinkranes, Girls Names, Diamond Dagger and more.
Then later on, you can bust out your best moves to DJ sets by Forza Italo, Apartment Records, Skinny Wolves and Elastic Witch. More details can be found at the EW event page on Facebook.
Up at The Outhouse on Capel Street, the third Record Store Gay, with performances from Le Galaxie, Kate’s Party, I Heart The Monster Hero, Patrick Kelleher, French Bird, The Late David Turpin, Gar Cox, Sleep Thieves, Lo Fires & more, will run from noon until 6pm. The bands will then move the party to PantiBar from 6pm-10:30pm.
Outside the capital, Wingnut Records have plans for their biggest and busiest RSD yet, with music giveaways, free merch and surprises promised across the business’ five outlets in Galway, Waterford, Limerick and Athlone (and Dublin, too).
In-store performances are also in store (sorry) with Clare hip-hip duo Mynameisj0hn and God Knows playing the Moviedrome outlet on Limerick’s Henry Street at 2pm before winging it to the Galway branch at Bell, Book & Candle at 4.30pm.
Limerick bands Windings and Fox Jaw will also grace the Moviedrome shop with their presence, and come evening attention turns to the Bello Bar in Dublin’s Portobello for a special gig launching the latest Wingnut outlet at Musicmaker on Exchequer Street. No Spill Blood top the bill with The River Fane, Bouts and Bitch Falcon for just €6 at the door.
In Belfast, Good Vibrations are having no part of the RSD “capitalist con”, but will be having a party of their own regardless with live performances from 2:30pm.
Down in Cork the Community Print Shop will have DJ’s, a pop up cafe and vegan cakes in the Art for Blind space.
Delorentos have been busy making the hand-stamped packaging for 147 copies (they broke two and lost one) of Unbroken, Untied a collection of four new songs, plus acoustic versions of some of their others which will be available on the day at Tower, Freebird, Rollercoaster, Zhivago & Plugd.
Meanwhile, even the revived HMV Ireland chain is getting in on the action, timing the opening of its new Grafton Street store at 8am on Saturday with what it dubs a ‘Record Store Celebration’, complete with “exclusive offers available throughout the day”.
That means limited one-day-only deals on music, movies, games and gadgets – like €100 off Xbox One and PS4 consoles, and Blu-ray players for less than a tenner – not to mention 40% off all vinyl across every Irish store. (Bar Newry, for some reason. Poor Newry.)
The new Grafton Street store will also keep the live music buzz going, with performances by “some of Ireland’s top acts” plus live sets by Ministry of Sound DJs, if you like that sort of thing.
