Record Store Day 2015 A Full Report & Meet & Greet
@Dig Vinyl Liverpool
18.04.2015
Today is a very important day in any music fans calendar for it happens just once a year and its very exciting , I am of course talking about 'Record Store Day' or #RSD2015 to be exact.
It's a day when you can get a new release on vinyl of your favourite artist that has never been recorded or never released in a special limited sleeve in limited quantities, like when you await a new album but more exciting cos you have queue for it , when I say queue I mean you have to queue very early before the shop even opens, some people even like to queue the day before everyone else usually Beatles, Floyd, Stones and Psychedelia fans searching for that collectable coloured vinyl , 7" Pic Disc reissue ...that rare mix ...that item missing for the collection that makes your life complete once it's in your hands !!
Over the years Record Store Day has got bigger and better and more younger people are into it that ever before which has made it exciting for them too , TheAmbassador for the event have included 'Jack White' being the creator of 'Third Man Records' and a huge endorser of vinyl, this year the Ambassador is 'Dave Grohl' of 'Foo Fighters' fame.
Amongst the collectable vinyl this year a 'Donna Summer' boxset, Noel Gallagher 12" Single, Adam Ant Kings Of The Wild Frontier/ Ant Music 7" Gold Vinyl, 5 Early Era Pulp Albums, a Suede Dog Man Star Live LP from Royal Albert Hall London , an A-ha Take On Me 7" Pic Disc marking the 30 year anniversary of 'Hunting High & Low', A Prodigy 7" Vinyl for new song 'Ibiza', a reissue on clear Vinyl of Placebo Debut Album and a Bright Yellow Vinyl Lp of 'Happy Mondays' Pills Thrills & Bellyaches from 1990 to name but a few of the hundreds of titles available for one day until they sell out, oh the disappointment when you've queued for 7 hours to find the item you wanted is not there after all , it's bittersweet.
Today I'm not at Piccadilly Records in Manchester I'm missing it and longing to be in the longest queues once again , as I'm also checking out out a Meet & Greet in 'Dig Vinyl' in Liverpool with my childhood musical hero and the guy whose 1981 album was the first choice in my music taste, he is of course the legendary icon 'Adam Ant' , and he's coming here to meet me lol after all this time finally I get to meet the man who made me discover 'Real Music' !!
To start with the queue hadn't started much but by 12.30pm it gets longer with people queuing some who were lucky to get the 7" Gold Vinyl and then there's me who f's it up and ends buying a specially made T-shirt of the 'Prince Charming' Album and Vive Le Rock Vinyl LP last minute because I never brought anything from home thinking there would be loads of the single on sale with an Live signing event being on I was wrong , the promotional organisers brought boxes of 'Dirk Wears White Sox' vinyls but at over £30.00 I could not manage it as I'd spent up.
My moment was almost upon me as we were allowed into the shop at nearly 3pm ( he was delayed in transit apparently he was in a Hotel in Birkenhead ???? ) he was ready to meet his fans as we all chatted nervously, and as I got up to the table where he signed the items I placed my T-shirt in front of him (the t-shirt I had printed not my top .. keep up ) and said 'Hi Adam', (I know his name is Stuart but didn't know what to say and wanted to be sure my speech came out right) so anyway
I said ....
" Its really great to meet you ,I used to have your poster on my door when I was 8 and my parents wanted me to take it down , and my uncle got me into your album 'Prince Charming' and you were the first person who got me into music so Thank you" he asked if my name was spelt with a Z and I said yes so he was really polite and I got my pic taken which I'll treasure forever, and that was it after all the time waiting to meet 'Adam Ant' 2015 I achieved it Hurraah!! So My 'Record Store Day' was unusual than normal and the most fun.
Liverpool wasn't the only place that had a special musical guests, in Manchester 'Tim Burgess' of 'The Charlatans' was DJing and there was more going on all around the country so celebrating MUSIC as a whole , so if you missed it this year make sure you're in that queue for the BIG Party next year for #RSD2016 !!
LMI xo
People's History Museum Manchester
'Marion' Acoustic Gig 28.03.2015
Tonight's show is a special 'Acoustic Night' of talented musicians and Poets all coming together to raise money for a good cause 'Keeping Manchester's People's History Museum Open' due to lack of government funding and the recent cuts the museum is at risk ,and it's essential to keep this open as it is all about the people of Manchester /Lancashire the struggles the triumphs, the important changes forged through the years to services and lifestyle, It's essential for children to understand their heritage and to pass on to future generations, and so how could I not go and support this.
As I arrive I notice it's all unreserved seating it will fit around 150 people, so as I'm early I take my seat at the front on the right so I can watch the show close up.
There is no stage, just a platform for a drumkit so it is quite intimate, to start with lighting is quite dimmed, and the surrounding buildings outside can be seen in the windows looking out, I almost feel like I'm in a church.
As acoustic guitarist 'Tracy Brown' gets up with her accompanying musician to play an acoustic set for us,one of the songs she played was a 'Kirsty Mccoll' cover I didn't know it but a song that did stand out for me was 'I'm Gonna Get Myself In Trouble' a song written for me surely lol !!
We had a break in between each set so we could get drinks and snacks and the next performer on was 'Steve 'Longfella' Walsh' he is a poet and he steps up to the mic with his journal and tells us he's going to do 2 poems, the first is all about 'Manchester' which I related to instantly and the whole room joined in when Icons,Musicians and Landmarks were mentioned, I counted a few from 'Tony Wilson',Stone Roses,Hilda & Stan from 'Coronation St','George Best', 'Man UTD 'and 'City', to the 'Rave Scene', 'Mondays' and the trademark rain everything we all know and love about 'Manchester',the second was more political and the changes we have seen and hope for the future ,it was enlightening to hear in a poem.
It was then time to see some familiar faces from my past when I was an indie chick , 'Anthony 'Beard' Grantham' and 'Jaime Harding' the founding members of 'Marion', 'Anthony' was wearing casual clothes with cool 'Grietsch Guitar t-shirt' on an acoustic guitar, and 'Jaime' emerges wearing a brimmed Black Hat, jacket with badges pinned to them and jeans , the last time 'Marion' as a band played any gigs was in 2012 with 'Phil Cunningham' who also plays guitar for 'New Order'.
They start with 'Wait' a song from 'This World & Body' their '1996 'debut album,and another from the second album 'The Program' which followed in '1998' called 'Sparkle' followed by an unreleased song 'Hurricane' and 'Lets All Go Together' where at the end of it 'Jaime' tells us that he got a little bit carried away on one of the high notes and didn't stop, he giggles a lot, excited to to be playing to an audience .
They go on to play 'Powder Room Plan' and 'The Program', and I take a break as my throat was dry and I felt like coughing so left to get a glass of water composed myself and came back just in time for 'Vanessa' another album track from 'This World and Body', 'Jaime' was by then drinking a few cheeky 'Gin & Tonic's that the organiser gave him, there was quite a lot of social drinking on but I was completey happy with my glass of water.
'Jaime' went on to say he always wanted to be a 'Rockstar' because when he was born in 'Manchester' he could see the golden lights across 'Rusholme' signalling the curry mile, I laughed,the crowd laughed, he refers to himself as a 3rd generation 'Manc' his roots in Belfast Ireland, and was brought up in 'Macclesfield' Cheshire.
They ended with my two fav 'Marion' songs 'Time' which I whooped at accidentally forgetting I was under his nose he noticed raised his eyes up in appreciation looked straight on and smiled at me ( well it was my most played choice back then I'd go to pubs and seek it out and play it on repeat),then he got his harmonica out for the classic finale 'Sleep' which really uplifting as that ended the set 'Anthony & Jaime' took a bow and the applause the organiser thanked them for their support.
It was a great extended set hadn't expected that much material so it was great surprise, I caught up with 'Jaime' and 'Anthony' after the show to say I'd supported them for so long 'Jaime' was polite and although he didn't remember me I didn't say my name too loudly (I'm not going through what happened in the bands past Google it, basically I got stuck in middle of it all 'The Chaos' of it all) back when I was a rebellious teen, we've all grown up a bit now thank god,so I kept it simple and said goodnight 'Anthony and J' friends were lovely met some nice people great night out let's hope 'Anthony' can get 'J' to write some new 'Marion' material soon and really good to see them back in some form.
LMi x
