Record Store Day is an annual celebration of the unique culture of independent record shops in the UK. This year, the event will be taking place on the 21st of April and will see over 500 exclusive Record Store Day releases from the likes of Albert Hammond Jr, Abba, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and many, many more in over 200 independent record shops across the country.

To help all you Bristol crate diggers out there, we thought we’d tell you a little bit about the record stores in Bristol that are participating in this annual celebration of all things vinyl.

Rough Trade

Rough Trade is an old name in vinyl, but is a new addition to the Bristol record scene. Founded in 1976 by Geoff Travis, Rough Trade opened its first store off Ladbroke Grove in London. Since then, Rough Trade has become a record label and has expanded to have stores in East and West London, Nottingham, New York, and, since December 2017, Bristol.

Located on Nelson Street in the heart of Bristol, Rough Trade will play host to a many bands and DJs across the day as well as having over 500 exclusive Record Store Day releases available in store.

Their lineup consists of Laish, Drahla, Red River Dialect, Poisonous Birds, Mastersystem, Roni Size, Elder Island, Wych Elm and Turbowolf.

It's free entry, so head down for a day of excellent music!

Specialist Subject Records

Specialist Subject Records is another newcomer to Bristol. Originally opened in Leeds in 2007 by Andrew Horne and Kay Stanley, Specialist Subject has built a name for itself as the “powerhouse” of indie and punk releasing records from such artists as Doe, Muncie Girls and Fresh to name a few. They moved to Bristol in 2017, opening a record store on the first floor of EXCHANGE on Old Market Street.

On the 21st they’ll be stocking the more punk-oriented Record Store Day releases, as well as serving vegan food, cake, coffee and beers.

There will also be live music starting at 5pm from Muncie Girls, Guerilla Poubelle, Pale Kids, Good Friend and Fresh.

Friendly Records

Friendly Records is an independent record shop based in Bedminster which opened back in 2016. Sitting on North Street, the shop is run by Tom Friend and Michael William. It’s a cosy and, as the name may suggest, friendly spot for music lovers to come and discover music together.

This year for Record Store Day, Friendly Records have decided that one day isn’t enough. Instead, they’re celebrating a Record Store Weekend. They’ve teamed up with their neighbours Old Bookshop and The Old Butchers for a weekend of records, music, food & drink.

There’ll be live music performances from Snails, Alex Lipinski, Olive Haigh and Toby Hay and DJ sets from Boca 45, Geoff Barrow, Billy Fuller and Big Jeff.

So this Saturday head on down to your local record store, grab a drink, enjoy some live music and celebrate Record Store 2018 with your fellow music lovers of Bristol.