Crash Records – Leeds
This visit to Leeds started as with many other previous gig visits to Leeds, Neil and I ‘discussing’ the numerous possible routes into the city and then negotiating the ring road within, after watching Brian Cox’s last series on the infinite wonders of time and space, maybe he should seriously consider a feature on the Leeds City central traffic system as it offers far more complexities than our solar system.
Half a tank of petrol later and emboldened by our relative success of navigating the Leeds one waysystem we arrive at our parking spot behind the Wardrobe where we will attend an album launch later (thanks to Aaron from Futuresounds for providing the parking space).
We will now attempt to seek out Crash Records on foot.
Crash Records was established in 1985 when it’s first shop opened in the vicinity of the university before eventually moving to the shop’s current location on the Headrow, slap bang in the centre of the Leeds shopping scene.
On entering the store, you are confronted to your left and right by crammed racks of records and some cd’s leading up to the counter at the far end of the shop.
Behind the counter Neil and I met the affable Jed Mountain (Ticketing Titan) who gave us the lowdown on the business and staff.
The Boss Man is one Ian De-Whytell, a former Sony music rep and HMV branch manager who took over ownership of the business over twenty years ago but now remains mostly in the background leaving the day to day running of the shop to a team of seven all to be found on their website.
Unfortunately Scott Gamble (The Facilitator) wasn’t in the store he was organising the album launch we would be attending later at the aforementioned Wardrobe (more of this in our next blog).
As you can see all the staff have quirky titles including The Director General, Mail Order Master, Social Slayer and Counter Queen plus someone you can ask about Space Spiders, all I can say is if they are all as friendly as Jed then you’ll always get a warm welcome here.
On browsing through the store, we found a large amount of the latest releases and re-releases stocked in the racks. All genres are covered with a particular focus on indie, punk, metal, and a very impressive soundtrack section.
Crash rents out the basement area to Wall of Sounds Records this is a second hand crate diggers paradise and we are hoping to return and do a deep dive into this place at a later date.
When speaking with Jed, he very much seemed to encompass the spirit of the store as his music tastes were right across the board with no bias or ‘guilty pleasures’ (I am constantly been accused by Neil of having an aversion to any melody within my musical tastes probably a result of too much exposure to Jazz and Nick Cave, anyhow I digress), not many music fans can claim to have attended a Taylor Swift gig and the download festival with equal enthusiasm inside a week.
Jed’s Five Vinyl Records I Can’t Live Without
1. Midnight Marauders – A Tribe Called Quest
2. Daft Punk – Alive 2007
3. Con Todo El Mundo – Khruangbin
4. Pixies – Surfer Rosa
5. Silk Sonic – An Evening With Silk Sonic
Jed Mountain’s selection for Press On Vinyl’s collection
Los Bitchos – Let The Festivities Begin
Steve’s selection – Midnight Marauders – A Tribe Called Quest
Neil’s selection – Taylor Swift – Evermore
The shop also acts as a major ticket agency for the majority of Leeds many music venues and regularly hosts album launches and in-store performances.
This place is the hub for everything that is good for the thriving Leeds music scene give them a visit at the very least you’ll find out about Space Spiders
P.S. We are now off to see Kodaline for the album launch where Steve’s aversion to melody will be severely tested.
P.P.S. If you think you haven’t heard Kodaline but have watched Channel Four’s Gogglebox…..you’ve heard them.
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