Record Store Day 2022: When is the event and what is happening to celebrate across the North East?
The chance to celebrate the independent stores behind the vinyl resurgence is back for another year.
Record Store Day in the UK is coming up, and it is a great opportunity to support local music shops which are vital to the scenes of towns and cities across the UK, but what is Record Store Day and how is it being celebrated by those in the North East?
What is Record Store Day?
Used as a way to celebrate the independence and culture of record stores across the world, the day is celebrated on a Saturday every April and brings together music fans, artists, sellers and promoters.
Although it originally began in the USA, the day has become a global event with organisers across three continents.
Record Store Day in the UK this year falls on Saturday April 23.
Which North East shops are getting involved in Record Store Day 2022?
The only store in Sunderland which will be stocking special releases for the day will be Hot Rats record on Stockton Road.
The shop also sells CDs, T-shirts, merchandise and tickets for concerts in Sunderland, Newcastle and Durham and is always worth a look around for music fans in the city.
Elsewhere in the North East, there are six stores in Newcastle which are set to host limited edition releases with RPM Music, JG Windows, Reflex, Vinyl Guru, Beatdown Records and Beyond Vinyl in the city centre all preparing their shelves for the big day.
What are North East Artists releasing this Record Store Day?
The largest artist in the region at the moment, Sam Fender, will be releasing a special seven inch single of his tracks Alright and The Kitchen. Both tracks were originally released as B sides to the singles from the highly successful Seventeen Going Under album.
Sunderland band Field Music are also using the occasion as a way to re-release their fourth studio album Plumb.
The album is ten years old in 2022 and will be a limited edition release with just 2,000 pressings made. Due to manufacturing delays, the album will be available in participating stores on June 18.
South Shields born Ginger Wildheart will also be releasing a remastered version of Potatoes And You, an acoustic live album which was previously only available at live shows.