“What’d You Get?" Bugging People on Record Store Day

Images: Ben Thomson

Record stores are some of the coolest places in the world, so we don’t really get why they need their own special day. Haberdashery stores, on the other hand, could do with some help. But Saturday marked the tenth anniversary of Record Store Day, a yearly event that celebrates the culture of the independently owned record store.

Located on Fitzroy’s bustling Brunswick Steet, Melbourne store Polyester Records threw a Record Store Day party that included a store wide sale, guest DJs and live performances from Ela Stiles, Summer Flake and garage rockers Hierophants. Plus they had a bar in the backyard! We’d happily visit the local haberdashery store if it served cold beer.

We headed down to see what all the fuss was about and to find out what people were jamming in their tote bags.

Nick
Summer Flake Hello Friends

Noisey: Good pick! Summer Flake is great. Have you seen Steph play before?
Yeah I have. I’m from Adelaide where she is from so I’ve seen her a couple of times. I just found out that she’s playing here in the store this afternoon so I’ll be back.

Are there many independent record stores in Adelaide?
My local store is a little store called Streetlight. Every time I come to Melbourne I stop in here and I guess the stores are pretty similar.

Are you doing any other stores today?
I’m pretty hung over. I’ll probably just stick here and see Steph play.

Denham
Dick Diver Melbourne, Florida

NOISEY: You are wearing a Chapter Music shirt and you are picking up a Dick Diver album!
Yeah I’m a big fan of the band and the label.

Are you doing any other stores today?
No this is my first one. I woke up this morning and someone posted that it was Record Store Day. I just live over the road. It would be stupid not to drop by.

You have three records in your hand. Will you have to make a selection or are you going to buy all of them?
I’m going through that process now. I will probably buy them all but I probably shouldn’t (ha) but it was my pay day the other day.

Dani
Grimes, Art Angels

NOISEY: Good selection. Why’d you pick this?
I have it on iTunes and I was going to buy it on vinyl but unfortunatley my turntable stopped working.

Bummer.

What do you think of Record Store Day?
I found out about it last year and I think it’s a really great thing. I didn’t know about half the record stores in Melbourne until I found out about them through Record Store Day.

How much vinyl do you have?
I don’t have a lot to be honest. It’s mainly my Dad’s old stuff but there’s a bit of Velvet Underground and stuff in there.

Jay
Ty Segall Band, Slaughterhouse

NOISEY: Do you have much Ty Segall in your collection?
No, I’ve just got into him but it sounds pretty cool.

Check out the track “I Bought My Eyes”. It’s like a perfect combination of psych and pop. Like if Led Zep were some surfer dude from California.
Cool. I'm keen to hear it.

Have you been to other stores today.
Yeah I was at Basement Discs earlier. I'm going to try to get to a few more but it depends on time.

Jose
Jay Reatard, Blood Visions

Noisey: Jay!
Jose: Yeah it’s his Blood Visions LP. I already have this on vinyl but this is the special Record Store Day edition.

What’s so special about it?
I’m not sure (laughs) I think it’s on coloured vinyl and comes with some bonus tracks. It’s Jay Reatard though, so that’s pretty special.

Tim
Whipper, Shit Love

NOISEY: Why this record?
Tim: Because it just came out today and it's one of the best local releases of the year.

Lucie, Ronnie and Michael
Death, Leprosy

Noisey: That cover is awesome!
Michael: Yeah it’s by Ed Repka, an American artist who is best known for his work doing art for metal albums.

This isn’t the same Death from Detroit is it?
No, these guys are death metal from Florida. I think the album was reissued by Relapse a few years ago.