Rob's Records Nottingham

 On a recent drinking trip to the Midlands, my Nottingham based (but Stockport born) mate was trying to paint a picture of what Notts most famous record store was like. I didn't believe him. I put it down to the fact we'd had one or three, and he was exaggerating...

Fast forward, from Friday night to Saturday afternoon, and he certainly was not. Never seen anything like it. Floor to ceiling of untidily stacked boxes and bags of records. Half the shop unstoppable, a wall of vinyl. On the floor snapped pieces of unloved LPs. 

There's hardly any space to shop, COVID rules need not apply. One chap tried to find a bargain in the unsorted bags, as he dug he dislodged and was buried under unknown tunes. 

That's Rob's Records, apparently. Come for the vinyl, stay because you've been crushed to death...

And I loved it.

Plenty to flick through and bargain prices. Between us we left with Beautiful South, The Farm, Paris Angels, The Smiths, Bryan Ferry, Inspiral Carpets, Roxy Music, Simple Minds and Erasure. A Wonderland indeed.

Can't wait to go back.

Stone Valley Festival North

 Last time I saw the Mondays live, little did I know the next time I would be nearly a decade later - in a field round the corner from my mams.

SVF do festivals up and down the country, and for the last seven years the North version has been up in the Durham dales. This year though they decided to relocate to the former priest seminary of Ushaw College. Myself originally coming from the local pit village Ushaw Moor, the prospect of seeing some top bands literally on home soil was appealing.

Saturday, post Exeter City (H), me and the kids took in the sights, sounds, funny smells and fire eaters of SVF. As we were settling in some lad with no pupils gave Seth a plastic AK-47. 

We were all Spartacus for The Farm, Hootons firm performing some classic 90s tunes - Groovy Train and Stepping Stone amongst others, cumulating with a sing along All Together (Now). Seth took this opportunity during a pro peace song to machine gun down the lead singer. 

The Undertones next up. Jimmy Jimmy got the boys dancing and my favourite My Perfect Cousin up shortly after. Tiredness was creeping in for the youngest Seth so we called for mam to pick us up - the pre teens had had their kicks for one night, we left as the crowd bounced along to Sharkey's hit.

Following night just myself and the eldest Jacob ventured along, couldn't risk being pulled away before Sunday's Mondays. We also came armed with blankets, Berghaus, camping chairs and cans.

Arrived a bit later due to work, From The Jam already mid set but caught the Tube (Station), That's Entertainment and a few others before an encore of Going Underground.

Cast were a Britpop band quite frankly I'd forgotten all about, but soon recalled after plenty of energy and hit after hit. I guess they were Alright, guess they were fine. 

Finally Happy Mondays. Jayboy could barely contain his excitement bless him - up late on a school night to see a bunch of ramshackle lunatics he'd only heard from dad's records before. Out they came to Kinky before a bit banter with the crowd, X asking Bez the MasterChef to cook 'im sumfin' up. Plenty baggy classics followed, mainly consisting of Pills Thrills tunes.

The bairn announced early that he was going to sit down if he didn't know the song. He didn't sit down once, and drew some approving comments from festival goers - "he's got the moves hasn't he?" and "You've taught him well" as he grooved round like Dennis and Lois.

Fairly short set of one hour, finishing of course with Step On. Shaun apologized for not being able to do WFL due to timings but it mattered not - I'd seen the Mondays basically at my home with my eldest son. Hallelujah.

Mondays Set list

Kinky Afro

God's Cop

Donovan

Loose Fit

Dennis & Lois

Clap your Hands

Bob's Yer Uncle

Twenty Four Hour Party People

Hallelujah

Step On

Performance

 

Loose Fit (Other Mondays collaborations)

 As promised here's the (not so much) good, the bad and the ugly of some of Happy Mondays other designer collaborations.

I wrote once upon a time on this blog about 1999's surprising link up with Admiral. The 1970s football shirt supremos had been bust for about a decade and hoped their big come back would be boosted by Mondays reformation in 99. I can't really say that worked for them as the last time I saw any Admiral gear was in the TU section of Sainsbury's. 

That said they made some smart tour tees, plus back stage crew specials, in a Mondays yellow. And also they stuck to what they knew, producing an awesome red football shirt sold at gigs - a few years ago I spied one on eBay for 40 quid and passed on it. The one I found on Google images was over £300. Sigh.

Next up was last year's Palarse effort. The skateboarding crew went a long way to beat the competition, namely COVID19, to be the worst thing to come out of 2020. Perhaps slightly unfair, the overpriced tees are ok, using central stations design but changing the P for Palaces slant. And there's a crazed Bez.

But the hats, shirts and jacket? Dam, kuff. Decent on a record sleeve but on your person? Yes please? No thanks.

Loose Fix (Happy Mondays x Levi Clothing)

 Posted about bands x brands collabs once upon a time on this blog. With a great deal of suspicion and contempt.

The latest one involves one of my favourite bands - The Mondays - who have had one or two questionable collabs in the past, Admiral and Palace spring to mind (stay tuned for more on these..)

This collaboration seems a bit more on point as the designers are actually Central Station, who worked with Factory Records creating artwork for the Mondays early work. And it's these late 80s iconic designs that are emblazoned on Levi gear.

The t shirts are the pick of the bunch. Clean, crisp, white long sleeved tee coming in a Loose Fit, obviously, with one of four LP covers on the front - singles Freaky Dancin' or Tart Tart and albums Squirrel & Gman or Bummed. If that wasn't cool enough, they come folded up in its own record sleeve box.

Double double good.

Electronic

 Proper 90s band. Proper 90s gear...

Blue Monday Deciphered

 Cult classic picked up yesterday in Durham. Blue Monday's sleeve, die cut floppy disc style designed by Peter Saville, was that expensive to produce Factory Records lost 5p on every record sold. They weren't bothered as they didn't think it would shift that many. It went on to sell approx 1.5 million copies.

The sleeve itself featured no words or labels (bar Factory Record 73 down spine) and the colour coded shapes down the side had to be deciphered using a guide on the Power Corruption & Lies album...

A New Record

Due a record player for Xmas from the old dear, so I've started picking up the odd vinyl. Just so happens Durham market has just got a new record stall in the form of the excellent Record Shed, so searching that and the other long established stall has proved quite fruitful. Here's some recent picks ups pop pickers...