The fateful celebration of love and trust in independent Record Stores across the globe is with us again. From the panic and dismay in trying to nab limited and randomly distributed 7″s down to gauntlets of in store performances that litter the shops throughout the day, all in the name of supporting your local indie.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are cities speckled with music venues of various capacities and tastes, but between them boast only FIVE independents participating in Record Store Day 2011. Nevertheless, this concentration of distribution should make it much easier to squeeze as much from the day as possible – and our wee guide should make it even easier…

All in all, whatever you get your hands on and wherever you end up, remember the spirit of the day – to support your indie. If we see any of you flogging the Beady Eye 7″ boxset on eBay for pure hunners “in protest”, your maw will be warmin’ yer ear before she’s warmin’ yer Sunday dinner.

Edinburgh (view map)

With Avalanche relocating to The Grassmarket, this years tour will cover a little bit more than the previous piroret from Bank Street for Coda and up Cockburn Street from Underground Solushn’ to the famous store on top of the hill.

Avalanche

Opening at 0930 and as with previous years, will be dishing out a cloak room ticket to space out entry. 200 records will be shielded behind the counter, with limited releases getting limited purchases per head – and a ballot for the most in demand numbers. In stores will feature…

Coda

Offering it’s usual mixture of confused tourists, wine supping folkists and eager Limited Edition fiends (hi!) jostling around the in store performances. Open from 9am this is traditionally The Wee Review’s first stop-shop, with the free vino tempting us back for the in stores after lunch, from 1pm…

Underground Solu’shn

Consistently a deft choice, taking deliveries of vinyl not akin to most of the hard hitting antics on the wall racks – Blur’s extremely saught after 7″ nestling under the counter last year. Doors blast open at 9am and performances from the turntable will include:

  • Fudge Fingas
  • Found (DJ Set fae Tommy) @ 11am
  • Nasty P
  • Eclair Fifi & The Blessing (Lucky Me)
  • DJ G-Mas, EH1 & Spectrum

Glasgow (view map)

With only two, lovingly contrasted, record stores involved in Ra Weej nipping up and down Buchanan Street shouldn’t prove as difficult as jaunt as the Capital cousins…

Rubadub

With their inaugural involvement in Record Store Day, the Howard St outfit are promising top quality patter and will be pushing the boat out from 10am, featuring DJs from 1430.

  • Stephen Brown (Transmat, Djax etc) @ 1430
  • Instra:Mental (Nonplus Recordings, Autonomic, Apple Pips) @ 1600
  • The Blessings (LuckyMe)
  • Koreless (Pictures Music) – Live

They’ve an idea of the releases available to tempt you already:

  • Floating Points – Seis Dub (Eglo)
  • Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma Outakes (Warp)
  • Clark / Bibio – Willenhall (Warp)
  • Jamie XX & Gil Scot Heron – We’re New Here Box Set (XL)
  • Franz Ferdinand – Covers EP (Domino)
  • Athur Russell – World Of Echo – Reissue
  • Earth – Angels Of Darkness Demons Of Light 1
  • Spark (w/ Ramadanman Remix)

and if that’s not enough, deluxe vinly reissues of these no hopers:

  • New Order – Low Life
  • New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies
  • New Order – Brotherhood
  • New Order – Movement


Monorail

Busting their wee baws to get their haw maws on as many of the exclusive releases as possible and will be dishing them out from 9am. Baking and ‘family activities’ will be among the celebrations, on top of some great instores:

  • The Membranes
  • Frightened Rabbit
  • Palms
  • Iain Shaw
and DJing from these vagabonds:
  • Gerard Love (Teenage Fanclub)
  • Paul Thomson (Franz Ferdinand)
  • Russell Elder (Monorail)