Beth Ray Writes

Record Store Day 2024 is complete!
Yesterday I queued up in the very early hours and finally got my purchases for this year. I really enjoyed queueing despite the nearly freezing temperatures and I’m already excited to do it all again next time!

For anyone who doesn’t quite understand why Record Store Day is a big deal, it is a day where independent record stores all over the UK (& in other countries too) have limited releases from hundreds of different artists from The 1975 to Steps, Pearl Jam to David Bowie, Noel Kahan to Maisie Peters, the list goes on so that there is guaranteed to be something for all music fans. Some vinyls are re-releases of albums with alternative artwork or bonus tracks or special releases. My favourite type are the live albums that aren’t available on streaming platforms. Many of the releases can be rare and they’re exciting for fans of the artists participating. The independent record shops involved are given only a select few copies of the vinyls they order in, so music fans queue early as it isn’t possible to reserve the albums prior to the day. It is first come first served and only one copy of each vinyl per customer. So it adds to the excitement of not knowing if the vinyl you’d like will be there or not.

I love watching social media on both instagram and TikTok to see when other music fans line up and to see what everyone is hoping to buy. The day is huge for the music community and it’s brilliant talking to other music fans and discussing your favourite band or artist.

So here is a little diary entry of my RSD experience!

01:46 – Me & my mum are wrapped up! Time to head to the queue!

01:48 – It is sooooo early. Are we crazy?

01:58- We have made it! 9th & 10th in the queue.

02:30 – It is so cold outside, time for some hand warmers!

02:45 – Still smiling despite the cold!

06:00 – Finally the sun is out and there are lots more people in the queue now. We are only two hours away from the doors opening.

07:15 – Free coffee from Tilted Coffee and a free bacon bap! It was very much needed to get me through the last hour of queueing.

08:15 – We are inside!! Steve and the team picked out our copies for me and my mum when we got to the front of the queue.

08:20 – Absolutely buzzing with my purchases.

09:00 – Time to sleep after a long but very exciting night!

Last year I went to Record Store Day on my own so it was fun having my mum along to keep me company and to see what vinyls she wanted to buy. I’d highly recommend everyone who loves music to do it! I had such a lovely time chatting to those who were next to me in the queue (shoutout to Tom & Josh!), talking about vinyls we have, vinyls we want, gigs we’ve been to and gigs we’re going to . The time went so quickly and despite the cold I had a lot of fun.

Big shoutout goes to Steve & his team at Applestump Records who helped run the show! They did such a brilliant job and they make the whole event so much fun for everyone. If you weren’t able to attend RSD then Applestump will be posting the stock they have left on their website at 8pm tomorrow, Monday 22nd April.

A huge thank you again to all of the record stores who participated in my interview series in anticipation of Record Store Day. You made the whole experience more magical for me and I hope those who read the blog enjoyed reading all the different stories from the day.

Until next year,

Beth x

Vinyls I bought on Record Store Day 2024:
Olivia Dean – Live at the Jazz Cafe
Fleet Foxes – Live on Boston Harbour
English Teacher – Live At The Brudenell Social Club
Paramore/ David Byrne – Hard Times / Burning Down the House
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Magic Secrets #2