A Record Turnout

“I wish there could be more days like it!” So says Clive Brannigan, manager of Dublin’s Tower Records. And so say us all. He’s speaking from the Wicklow Street store, in the midst of the utterly joyous musical madness that is Record Store Day. It’s a bit like Christmas, but with better tunes.

Throngs of people will pass through the doors over the course of the afternoon, either to catch one of the stellar live sets taking place, or to bag some limited-edition vinyl from the likes of Villagers, Radiohead and Gorillaz. Gem Archer, late of Oasis, now in town with Beady Eye, is spotted in the queue with a massive Stone Roses box-set. This writer spends a good half-hour looking for one of the two phantom copies of Villagers’ live release that are supposedly still floating around, but to no avail. No matter, Enemies are plugging in their guitars, gearing up to offer consolation. Plainly put, it’s all a whole lot of fun.
Now in its fourth year, Record Store Day (an international celebration of everything that iTunes isn’t) still seems a very good idea indeed. And by all accounts, it’s never been bigger. Clive agrees.
“It’s fantastic, our best ever,” he beams. “The stock has been flying off the shelves. Outside of December it’s our busiest day of the year. Now with that, having huge crowds in the store can also affect business but for the day that’s in it… it’s not too bad!”

FUNKY PROPOSITION
Reflecting on his enthused words later that evening, as the always-impressive We Cut Corners duo work their magic in the Workman’s Club, it’s hard not to agree with him.
Things get underway in Tower at noon, with A Hawk & A Hacksaw setting the standard for the day. Their Eastern European-flavoured sound (by way of New Mexico) goes down a treat with the punters – apparently Clive has been trying to get them in for some time, and it’s no surprise that he later describes them as a “personal highlight”. Swedish indie starlet Lykke Li draws a massive crowd and keeps things eclectic. Melodic, enchanting and sultry stuff, a half-hour really isn’t enough. She was always going to be a tough pop act to follow, but Enemies are more than up to the task. One of the standout bands on the Richter Collective roster (the Wicklow-based bunch currently giving independent labels a good name), their brand of instrumental post-rock is quite simply sublime. A nice soundtrack to your shopping, at the very least.
Venturing upstairs, we find The Alex Mathias Quartet flying the flag for jazz. Mathias plays a mean sax, and there’s nothing like some cool, brushed jazz drumming on a sunny day. Somewhere up in the clouds, Chet Baker just put his record on. Back downstairs, and Galway’s Kanyu Tree are clearly enjoying themselves. The trio are a funky proposition, their sun-kissed riffs, bouncing beats and singer’s dancing being more than enough to endear them to all. The wonderfully-monikered Ham Sandwich are still as reliable as ever, with their between-song banter nearly as good as the music.
A quick straw poll of punters suggests The Answer are ‘the one’ everybody’s been waiting for – and, sure enough, they end the afternoon with a bang. Rocking the long hair and bell bottoms look, their hard blues is beamed straight in from 1971 and the crowd duly lap it up. They won’t be to everyone’s taste, but even AC/DC would be proud of ‘Under The Sky’.

A BEAUTIFUL THING
Of course, the day’s celebrations are not restricted to Tower alone. There’s a carnival atmosphere all over the city, particularly around Fade Street, which really should have an outdoor DJ stationed on it every day of the week. It helps when the weather is perfect.
Back at Tower, Clive is “definitely optimistic” regarding the future of the event.
“The guys who organised this across in the States are keen to keep it going and we’ve been talking internally about trying to do a more Irish-centric one,” he reveals. “Maybe have them throughout the year, so it’s not just one day that everybody celebrates and then it’s forgotten about next week. We’re going to try to keep in touch with bands and make this a more regular thing.”
On that positive note, it’s off to the Workman’s Club, where the party continues long into the night. Ollie Cole is first up, proving he’s doing just fine post-Turn thank you very much. Later, Sacred Animals’ achingly tender, chiming sound makes everyone swoon, whilst Cloud Castle Lake still refuse to climb into a pigeonhole. The evening doesn’t quite measure up to the afternoon’s events, but hey, it’s all for free, and We Cut Corners are a definite highlight on a day that’s full of them. We expect a Jack White endorsement any minute. He’s already deemed Record Store Day “a beautiful thing”. That about sums it up. Same time next year? How about next week?