Rock A Boom is my favourite independent music shop in Leicester. It is located in ST. Martin's…read moresquare which is about 5 minutes away from Highcross shopping centre - Firebug bar and McDonalds are nearby. Rock A Boom is only a small shop and can't compete with HMV for sheer physical space. What it can offer though is very good value on cd's and a small selection of vinyl. They cater to alternative music fans, so you can find some right gems searching through the racks on everything from punk rock to drum 'n' bass. The reason I come back here is because the staff are incredibly friendly and chatty. I don't just come here to buy a record, I come here to have a natter. The attendant will often talk to me about what he's been listening to and recommend things to try. This is the sort of banter and experience you just can't get at bigger corporate record stores.

A Leicester institution, and rightly so. For those looking away from the mainstream for their…read moremusical thrills, this is the best little shop in the city, jam packed with musical obscurities and latest releases. The staff know their stuff, and you can get gig tickets for anything that's going on in Leicester, which is extremely handy. Prices were a little on the steep side before, but I have been informed that they're now extremely competitive. Plus, with certain albums, they occasionally give away free posters and stuff too. Lovely.

With an unparalleled selection of vinyl and DJ toys, Seismic has grown to become one of the best…read morerecord shops in the whole country - even the Observer says so! Situated sneakily above Kong, a lovely fashion store in its own right, staff are always friendly and extremely knowledgeable. As it is mail order too there is an almost exhaustive selection of DnB, Breaks, House, Hip Hop etc vinyl with loads of rareties and white labels to discover! The shop itself is bright, comfortable and the perfect way to waste away an afternoon. Unmissable for DJ's

Fantastic selection of records, the owner is extremely friendly and helpful. If there is a record…read moreyou want that isn't in stock, he will order it in for you. Pricing is also very competitive.

Amazing store with amazing selections! You never know what you're gonna find! The staff are…read morefriendly, knowledgeable and know exactly what they're talking about if you ask for help! Love bunch of people and the store is always in top shape! Amazing prices too! Their collection of vinyl is vast and spans across so many genres! Overall an amazing store and worth stopping by!

From the owner: Independent vinyl store at FarGo village Coventry. Buys and…read moreSells Vinyl.

I do love vinyls and it`s a shame I never was able to bring any of mine to this country and because…read moreI grew up in a city, São Paulo, where in every corner was possible to find a nice vinyl shop, It is most like compulsory to stop by every time I see a nice record shop. Luckily, Birmingham has excellent ones and Custard factory just got a brand new one as well: Left for Dead. And my visit to the place couldn't be better. From having a nice chatting about the concept of the record shop to finding a truly wonderful book with Bob Dylan's painting for only 6 pounds, it is my kind of shop. It's very selective as well. You are going to find loads of independent music. From Metal to jazz and classic records. No mainstream stuff but a great source for those who like nice music. There is an impressive collection of vintage magazines other great book titles. Everything with a very personal touch. That's always good to find a shop where it's sold what the owner believe is a good product. What is also impressive is the price in this shop. really nice items for collectors, for really cheap prices. As an independent business placed in Digbeth, Left For Dead also supports the local music and events and in 2014, there are many more to come.

There are Charity Shops and then there's Oxfam Book & Music!…read more Dedicated entirely to Books, CD's and DVD's, the shop is inviting and is well laid out with some fantastic stock which is regularly updated. While not a big store, it genuinely has a book shop feel to it with classical music playing in the background and a small area for sitting and reading. While the books aren't as cheap as other charity shops, you're much more likely to find a gem here. Recommended!

The Oxfam book and music shop in Knowle came up trumps today. I'd been experimenting with the…read morekindle i-pad app for my current read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and it hadn't been going too well if I am honest. With my next book club meeting looming I was in desperate need of a traditional copy of this work. So, as I was passing, I popped into this store on the off chance. Not for the first time my prayers were answered by an Oxfam shop. Sitting waiting for me was just the book I needed, in paperback and in excellent condition for a mere £2.99. I quickly browsed the rest of the store and it was in perfect condition. There is a nice reading area at the front of the store if you want to take your book purchasing a bit slower than mine. They also have a small but good selection of DVDs, CDs and vinyl. Thanks once again Oxfam!

In the age of digital music, internet shopping and supermarkets undercutting everybody there will…read morealways be a place for an independent record store where you can guarantee the staff know there stuff, can make recommendations, get you hard to find Record Store Day vinyl without the need to trek to Rough Trade in London. If you like your Punk, Metal, Emo, Screamo, Hardcore and any other sub-genre of this ilk you can think of then you need to visit this little store tucked away in the Oasis centre. Rich at Ignite has been a long time face on the music scene in Brum. He champions local bands and puts out his own releases through his own indie label Speedowax. As a long time customer from his days working at Tempest before embarking on his own little operation he can soon help you part with your money as he soon gets to know your musical tastes and he caters to his customers. Support your local independent sellers, and sometimes it may cost you a pound more but its a shiny, actual object you can touch and read the lyrics and see pretty artwork and have in your hands there and then, knowing its been stocked with love and attention just for you.

Dropping in to ignite is always a pleasure to have a catch up with Rich and check for any new…read morestock. Having been a regular for many years of both tempest and ignite dealing with Rich is always great, he learns your taste in music and the specific bands you like, from which he will always find a new recommendation for you, specialising in all forms of alternative music. Rich is always happy to try and order those rare to find, limited editions and imports you can't get on the high street. Anything he does have in stock he will happily play for you to get an idea if it's up your street! Vinyl is a speciality at ignite with promising stock for every record day as well, he even recently took part in the first tape day stocking a limited number of new and re-release tape albums and EPs. Rich also runs a local record label Speedowax with which he helps promote and sell new and upcoming talent! I would always recommend shopping here for music over highstreet stores (support your local businesses!) even though some purchases may cost an extra pound or two, you may find some real talent you would otherwise never be exposed to...

It's really big and has massive sections devoted to music, games and dvds. Split over a couple of…read morefloors, there's bound to be something that interests you. In addition to the normal categories they have a good range of accessories, band t shirts, music books and biographies and so forth. The staff are pretty knowledgeable and usually quite eager to help. I've always found the most useful staff are in the computer games section, they seem to know what they're talking about the most. Catch the sale and you can get some real bargains - CDs at £2.99 and so forth. Either way this is a great shop to browse, you're bound to pick up a CD of a new band or a DVD you've always fancied watching at a reasonable price. We all hear the call of his master's voice from time to time.

This is the only HMV 'superstore' in Leicester, though there are a couple of smaller shops within…read morethe city. It has three floors, with each one being dedicated to either music, dvd/blu-ray and compuer games. The layout is excellent and it is easy to navigate between titles and genres which are categorised well. The main sticking point I have with this HMV and HMV in genera is the prices. Sometimes they offer excellent deals on certain albums or dvd's, but on other items they are incredibly expensive, compared to alternative online retailers, such as Play or Blah DVD. As other reviewers have commented, its also a little irritating that HMV's website will sometimes sell the same items you buy in store at a cheaper rate! That said, you can pick up some bargains in store that you can't on the website, if you are prepared to do a bit of searching, also look out for any sales they have on and you can grab yourself some excellent bargains. I tend to use the internet for a lot of my music/movie purchases these days, but I do still like to spend time physically browsing the cd and dvd racks at the store and make some impulse purchases and for that, you can't go wrong at this HMV with the choice available.

Very good service and I talked to a guy who will get me Star Wars annuals and he ring me back and…read morethe shop has improved a lot and a lot of people go in there and sell there books and you get a good price as well and they do framing service as well and sighed autograph pictures and they find anything for you and if you got a list of years for annuals they do it and so I give them 100% great service and so this is the place to go for old books and comics and etc

From the owner: We are a Secondhand Bookshop & Picture Gallery here in Leicester City Centre. We offer Picture…read moreFraming in Leicester. We frame Vintage Posters, Antique Map framing, Antique prints in Leicester, Signed Memorabilia, Football Shirt framing, Golf Memorabilia, Signed Rugby Shitrs in Leicester. We do the framing here on the premises ourselves using qualified craftsmen.