Vinyl countdown as town joins Record Store Day
BIKERS paid an emotional tribute to a dad-of-three who lost his life in a motorway tragedy on the M62 near Huddersfield.
Karl Chester, 36, died following a collision with a blue Nissan Qashqai near junction 22 at Rishworth Moor late on Good Friday morning. Sadly he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Karl’s wife Karen, landlady of a popular piano bar in Preston, said: “He was absolutely loved by many. He has only left our sight, he will always ride strong in our hearts.”
His funeral was held at Preston Crematorium on Friday.
Friends, family and those in the biking community joined together to say their farewells.
He was taken from Preston Docks to the crematorium in a motorbikedrawn hearse with the words ‘son’ and ‘brother’ in flowers.
Bikers lined the route into the Longridge Road crematorium and applauded Karl and his family’s
Events will be taking place across the town centre on Saturday, April 21, with The Parish taking over the stage at Vinyl Tap with bands playing live throughout the afternoon, as well as supplying a bar and food with both vegetarian and vegan options.
The line up so far includes Shambolic, 1919, Savvy Sav, Bad Knaves, Birds and Beasts and Robert Sharp.
Later in the day from 3pm until late, Magic Rock Tap will host DJ sets, including a set from Hookworms.
The main event of the day is the release of exclusive limited editions only available at independent record shops across the country.
Vinyl Tap will be opening its doors at 8am with many customers expected to queue from the early hours to try to get hold of the exclusive items that are available on a first-comefirst-served basis.
Record Store Day came about in America in 2007 following a meeting between some record shop owners in Baltimore. The idea was to get participating shops to throw a party to celebrate the individuality of independent music retailers.
Due to its success, record labels joined the party and began to release special limited editions to be sold exclusively in participating stores, starting with 10 special releases in 2008 to over 400 exclusive releases in 2017. It was brought to the UK in 2008 with the involvement of record shops such as Rough Trade East in London, who held a live music event with acts including Billy Bragg, a big supporter of independent stores, performing in their shop. Today the UK sees around 200 shops take part, run by the ERA (Entertainment Retailers Association). It is the biggest day on the calendar for record shops and a lot of work goes in to it behind the scenes. It has had a big impact on record sales, helping to drive the so called ‘vinyl revival.’
Adam Stroyan from Vinyl Tap said: “It’s fantastic to see the shop full and buzzing from the start of the day to the finish and, of course, it is a fantastic profile opportunity for us too.
“Last year we had Lauren Laverne host her BBC 6 Music radio show live from the shop which was a brilliant experience for us and great for the town and everyone Enjoy a guided tour of HRH The Prince of Wales’ cherished gardens at his country estate in the heart of Gloucestershire together with a visit to the beautiful riverside city of Worcester. A ‘must see’ for garden lovers and a rare horticultural treat! Entrance to Highgrove Gardens A two-hour walking tour with one of HRH The Prince of Wales’ expert garden guides A visit to Worcester A scenic drive through the Cotswolds One night’s dinner, bed and English breakfast accommodation at a three-star standard hotel in the West Midlands/Bromsgrove area Coach travel from the local area Escorted by a friendly tour manager These holidays are organised & operated by Newmarket Holidays Ltd. ABTA V7812. Subject to availability. Single supplements apply. Standard phone charges. who came down to watch.
“For this one day of the year we try and make ourselves the hub of Huddersfield’s music scene to bring us all together. We have plans this year to produce a free promo CD compilation of bands who have played in our shop as a gift to our customers and to help get the music of the fantastic bands who have played in the shop out there for people to hear. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the town, not just the shop.”
Adam added: “In the modern retail world it is so important to diversify and offer something else which is why we are always open to new ideas and utilise the space we have in the shop to host various types of events from ukulele festivals and poetry readings to film showings, as well as the regular live music events we host, usually on Saturday afternoons.
“You only need to see some of the big high street giants that are struggling to show that being a shop is not enough, you need more strings to your bow if you are going to lure people away from online shopping and back out on to the high street.”
For more information on events taking place on Record Store Day in Huddersfield,