Opinion
09 Jun 21

Record Store Day: Golden Discs Dundrum say it's "first come, first served" on the big day

To celebrate Record Store Day 2021, Hot Press is chatting to some of the country's favourite music shops, in anticipation of the big day.

As one of Ireland's biggest music retailers, Golden Discs is gearing up for a major Record Store Day – with Drop 1 taking place this Saturday, June 12.

Although COVID-19 has prevented some of the usual in-store performances that most of their stores have had in the past, the recent reopening has given some sense of normality to the 2021 edition. The event has those at their flagship Dundrum shop "very excited."

"Customers have been coming in for weeks asking us what we're getting in," says Brendan McDermott, manager of the branch.

"One thing we can't do though is keep anything at the side for customers – and not even for ourselves! So it's first come first served, 8 o'clock Saturday morning."

In the past, the shop would have had many local acts playing in-store on the day – giving many up-and-coming musicians a platform to showcase their talents to vinyl enthusiasts. However, with current restrictions, Golden Discs Dundrum will still feature a DJ spinning classic records throughout the day in-store.

One of the key features of the day is the unique vinyl releases available for diehard fans and casual music purveyors a like.

"We get special, very limited edition things in this one pressing only, and that's it," Brendan tells us. "When it's gone, it's gone.

"There's a great buzz around with everyone talking about it for weeks beforehand. Then we normally get a lot of feedback for weeks afterwards from customers saying that it was great!"

Brendan says that his favourite part of the day is simply the excitement of customers buying records from their favourite artists:

"It's one of those days that we can all let our hair down a bit, and just enjoy the day fully.

"U2 is always one of the hottest releases for customers. I always buy U2 [on Record Store Day] – that's tradition."

He also stresses that Record Store Day is for all music fans, and not just rock 'n' roll diehards.

"There's a little bit of stuff for everyone – even a limited edition Little Mix vinyl coming out!"

Hot Press is also celebrating Record Store Day by offering you the chance to win a spectacular Pro-Ject Audio T1 BT turntable from Henley Audio (exclusive ROI and UK distributor of ProJect Audio Systems) worth €399.

Plus – we're also throwing in a €100 voucher from Golden Discs to spend on new albums for your record player!

To be in with a chance of winning a Audio T1 BT turntable and a €100 Golden Discs voucher, head over to the competition post on Hot Press' Instagram page (@hotpressmagazine), tag a friend in the comments, and share the post on your story!