Relic Records is a grand old place, down to earth and bursting with vinyl. I happened to nip in…read morehere the other day and happily sifted through some of their collections. The store itself isn't necessarily the most 'chic' place to be, it's certainly an old enough building with some "rustic" decor, but that's no indicator of what gems are held within. They've got a whole hoard of stock, in a number of classic genres, so certainly cater for most tastes. Whilst records may speak of a time gone by there's no shortage of people interested in purchasing old Beatles albums and the like so it's a good job that shops such as this carry on strong! I haven't yet had a chance to go back and search out some of my favourite golden oldies, but since I now officially have a record player at home, I will definitely be travelling back here to have a good mooch. The staff are lovely here too and more than willing to offer up a bit of advice! All I can say is go and have a browse for yourself, with new stock turning up each week you never know what you may find!

've always been baffled by independent music shops that stock a certain band's CDs yet look at you…read moreas if you've just asked them for Britney's back catalogue should you attempt to buy them. Happily, Relics Records suffers from no such crisis of coolness, and the cheery staff will happily direct you to anything you ask for, no matter how terrible they might think it is. They'll even recommend other bands you might like. There's a decent selection of vinyl, which is increasingly rare these days, and all the CDs are fairly priced, many similar to what you'd pay in the large chain stores. This shop is easily on a par with its better known contemporaries Crash and Jumbo, and due to its bright and airy feel and easy to navigate shelves some might even prefer it.

Crash is another of Leeds' great indie stores. As mentioned prior, they sell a large range of CDs,…read moreVinyl, DVDs and other related items. The shop may be a bit of a squeeze but if you are a music lover that won't get in the way of raking through their stock and seeing what indie white label items they might have in store. The other major reason to visit Crash would be the gig tickets. For the majority of live music events from all around Leeds and beyond Crash and their competitor Jumbo will be selling the tickets. I couldn't really advise which one to try first as they both tend to sell out pretty quickly if it's a big gig. Finally, the staff in there have such an excellent knowledge of music that it's worth popping in just for a chat! Lovely place, Crash.

I go to Crash for my gig tickets. Don't know why really, as I could get them at the bigger Jumbo…read morefor the same price. It's probably just habit, but the staff in Crash are always genial hosts. And don't laugh at me when I buy tickets for Danish pop group Alphabeat, which is kind of them. As well as tickets, Crash sell - as you might imagine from the name - records. The prices here and at Jumbo are a bit more expensive than the big high street names, because they don't have the same amount of sales or make as much money. But the staff in HMV don't have the innate knowledge of music that you can get from the old, sometimes bearded, chaps who tend to man independent record shops. Not only do they know all about that band your dad told you to go and listen to who are the forefathers of that "electro tripe" you're blasting throughout the house, they also know about the newest bands to hit the local scene. A little bit smaller than Jumbo, if Crash was your favourite of the two you'd call it intimate. For me, though, the selection on offer at Jumbo - simply because they've got more room - is bigger and better.

What has happened to HMV over the years? I can remember a time when they had the best selection at…read morea very good price, just lately they have next to nothing I have been looking for but at least they still have a better selection than most shops, but there selections seem to shrink more and more every time you go in and the prices keep creeping up a lot of the CD's are £15 or more, fair enough if they are a double album or something but a lot of them have about 10 tracks or less I have even seen singles for about £9! or is it just the music I listen to? It is good though for classics such as the munsters as I haven't seen it anywhere else besides the internet and I'm 1 of those people that prefer to buy from shops, although even the selection of films are shrinking and being replaced with stuff that in my opinion should be in a different kind of shop and the music is in 1 little corner when a few years ago it used to occupy the majority of the ground floor. Put bassicaly HMV are not what they used to be which was excellent, now they are about average and seem to be getting worse, it wouldn't surprise me that in a few short years everything will be on 1 floor.

I still love HMV, I'm sorry to all those who are hardcore independent outlet fans, but I really…read morestill do love HMV, I also love places like Jumbo Records and Crash, mainly for local talent content, intimacy and of course staff knowledge, but I still hold a place in my heart for HMV, especially this one, it's huge. I am glad it has survived the music store closure unlike trusty Music Zone and Zavvi, and even Woolworths had a good music selection, especially the bargain section, but I digress. It isn't really the CD and DVD collections that I like about this place, don't get me wrong, as one of the larger HMV stores, both ranges are vast in what they have to offer music connoisseurs, and I've even noticed a small selection somewhere highlighting local signings. All main genre bases are covered, and I appreciate that, despite the lacking of some of my more obscure bands on the shop floor, I have found them on the HMV catalogue lately, which I was told could be ordered in for me. More points for you HMV. But I love the magazine section, I love the accessories department, as I am forever busting my headphones due to excessive use, and frankly, Internet ordering is cheaper, but it's a pain in the backside sending back earphones after six weeks because the cord has bust. In fact it's fruitless to attempt. What else is there to love? The arcade sized XBox 360 available to play on for as long as your heart desires, there's another arcade sized console, but I haven't ventured on that, I prefer the X Box. Setting up small competitions with likeminded games loving bods. Anything else? Yeah, I love love love character and band t shirts, and a large portion of my wardrobe is now made up of HMV t shirts, from Sesame Street, to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Beatles, Chuck Norris, Thundercats, and the list goes on and on. I often laugh when I walk by the far wall and see a nice tidy section dedicated to Leeds' local sports teams. Manchester does the same thing. chortle. I like that you can buy books from here too, and I like that they are often cheaper than buying them from Waterstones, despite the thrill of being in Waterstones with all those delicious texts, budgets are coming first these days. The staff are as helpful as they can be when you approach them, there's always one buzzing off in one direction or another, arms full of CD cases or whatnot, but their music knowledge is a bit lacking, often resorting to the catalogue to see if your band of choice actually does exist. I still really like it, even though it's a bit soul less, it has a lot to offer, all under one roof, at competitive prices.

Hello to another genre specific independent music store in Leeds. There is no sarcasm intended as I…read moresay that, I am genuinely delight to realise just how many music outlets there still are, having been a Music Zone, HMV, Zavvi/Virgin person for a long time and then realising what else there was to offer outside of these commercial listings, I still am always delighted to see music stores remaining and thriving. As the shop title suggests Muzic Asia is, in it's simplest description, an Asian music store. Within this, there are the sub-genres of Bhangra, Hindi, Pakistani, Punjabi, religious music and Bollywood music and DVDs, with the odd magazine thrown in for good measure. I will admit I am completely hapless with my Asian subset genre music, and I drive a friend of mine nuts by humming and tapping something I've heard but don't quite know. She has more patience with me than most, and it's also the reason I didn't go into Muzic Asia on me todd. I can be frustrating at times, this I know. Walking into the shop you can't help but notice how jammed it is from floor to ceiling, counter top and cabinet, all full of either perspex CD sleeves or DVD sleeves. Truly gawpable. There doesn't seem to be any labels anywhere, and there's no distinction between genres, it's like it's expected you are supposed to know where you're looking. I didn't. Lucky for me, she had a better idea, and she acted as hum translator, between me and the slightly irate shop dude. Three CD's for £14 I thought was pretty decent, as there's a tendancy to up the price tag on specialist music and such.

If you are into Asian music and film, you will LOVE this place. Shelves circle the shop stacked to…read morethe highs with CD's and DVD's. Music genres include the likes of Bhangra, Asian film music and compilations, Qawwalis, Hindi, Pakistani, pop, and religious. Plus a huge selection of Bollywood DVD's and music. I really like the intense theatrical nature of a lot of Asian music, especially Bollywood, and as you walk in this feeling is quite infectious. You'll probably find yourself walking and browsing CD's in rhythm to music. I just hope this gem survives the ever increasing development of media technology and the increasing use of MP3.

HMV at Victoria Shopping Centre is located in Harrogate's town centre, next to TKMaxx. There are…read morejust under 100 HMV stores left in England, and I keep forgetting they actually exist, so I was a little shocked when I stumbled across their location here, when in the mall. This store was marked for closure in 2019, but was saved and remains open until this day, I'm sure the local town are happy as it is a nice brand to have in the town and avoids another empty unit in Victoria Shopping Centre. The store is a decent size, it has a nice selection of DVDs and albums, and a couple of other accessories such as speakers and headphones and a few miscellaneous items, that seem to be random without fitting into any specific theme. Lack of staff around the store, the atmosphere did feel a little run down and dead. While the store might have survived, the atmosphere... less so. Prices seem higher than Amazon and other online retailers. 3*

This HMV has been a great addition to Harrogate Town Centre, as it really does have some great…read moreprices on DVD's and CD's. The store is very well stocked, and even has some more obscure DVD's (again at very reasonable prices.) The store also stocks some basic games and accessorys (I think?) and has a small book section comprising mainly of celebrity biographys/autobiographys or books written by celebrities (they may sound awful but I'm including books by Tim Burton and Stephen Fry here!) The t-shirts decorating the wall around the shop not only look great, but are (again!) really well priced at 2 for £20 (?), which really is great value for film/tv branded products. The only shame is that it does always seem to be busy, and you do find yourself having to constantly push past people to get where you want. Still, don't let that put you off, great variety, great prices..what's not to love?!?

Tribe Records isn't in competition with Jumbo or Crash, the two other big record shops in Leeds…read morecity centre. It doesn't stock the Kaiser Chiefs or The Cribs. It has its own little place in the Leeds music scene, a niche market; a hideaway for Leeds dance music lovers - disc jockeys and dance heads alike. With rare releases and white labels in abundance, Tribe is your one-stop shop for dance music including genres ranging from techno to electro to jungle to dubstep. It's like a melting pot of the Leeds underground music scene in there, well worth a visit.

Tribe Records is about as grimey and authentic as you can get. Selling the very best in dancehall,…read morereggae, dubstep and roots as well as more electro and housey stuff, Tribe is the place to be to find some genuine and sometimes very rare underground urban music. Don't be scared off by the slightly hidden entrance way and the sketchy stairs, it all contributes to a humble, unique shopping experience. This shop specialises in vinyls and also sells tickets to some of the best events in town (including the infamous Subdub at the West Indian Centre) meaning its clientele are usually clued up drum and bass elitists who are the real deal. There are also a whole host of event flyers sprinkled around the place for you to peruse and plan your next months worth of activities with. The staff are friendly and always willing to use their extensive knowledge of this music scene to help you find what you're looking for. Though it may not be as big as Jumbo or as varied, that means that Tribe can afford to specialise and stay underground rather than becoming too mainstream. This is Tribe's secret to success.

John Scheere & Sons has always, to me at least, come across as the upper class music shop in Leeds…read more If Northern Guitars and Hobgoblin are rootsy working class music shops, Music Ground is middle class then Jon Scheerer is definitely the high brow one on offer. Back when I first moved to Leeds I amused my Dad a great deal by telling him that I thought I might apply for a guitar demonstrator job here. The joke was that I am not even graded and didn't realise that guitar demonstrators are usually virtuoso! (How embarrassing - I'm glad I didn't bother!) John Scheerer is tucked away in the Merrion but not too hard to find and holds a wealth of musical goodness inside. Unlike a lot of the music shops in Leeds this place has a lot of stock related to more classical instruments, rather than your standard band pleasers such as guitars and bass. Obviously, if you are a more discerning musician you might not just pop in and purchase a flute, but certainly it is a good place to start - if not for instruments, advice at least! The staff are particularly knowledgeable! All in all, Scheerer's offers a more refined and classical range of music related items, sheet music, accessories. It's worth the trip.

I just made a purchase here today and as I talked with Chris from Scheerer's I realised that I have…read morebeen a customer of theirs since 1996. And Chris is still there! That is a testament to a great company that they hold on to polite, knowledgeable and friendly staff like Chris. Aside from all that, he does also have an awesome name. There are many aspects of Scheerer's that I am unable to review, as I have always made my purchases over the phone. Nonetheless, I will do my best to pop into the store when I am next in that part of the world. Especially if I am gigging, Chris can have tickets and passes as recompense for putting up with yours truly for all these years!

A welcome addition to Harrogate's Montpellier Quarter!…read more Wall of Sound used to be located in Halifax and was a decent place to find collectable vinyl. Now proprietor Elliot has relocated to a small area half way up the stairs in Space's new multi-stall complex just off Parliament Street. The whole place is worth a look - fun stalls and a cool bar upstairs. But nestling between is a vinyl junkie's mini-paradise. The accent is on older music - 60s and 70s, country rock, psychedelia, blues, bluegrass, west coast... You'll find some punk and indie in here too, and it's worth spending some time browsing through the racks as well as the amazing slices of premium vinyl on the walls. CDs are available but vinyl dominates. You'll also find some cool collectors stuff - there was an AC/DC promo boiler suit last time I looked for instance, and some really excellent posters for various other bands and stuff behind the counter. Elliot is on hand to offer his well-informed opinion - and he knows an awful lot about the music he sells I should add - and remains a music enthusiast who is happy to share a story over a tune or two. If there's stuff you're after give him a list and see how he does. I did that and within a week he'd found me a couple of bits of vinyl I was looking for. Quality service. With a lack of music collector's shops in the area this place was greeted with utter delight my myself and my friends. The stuff inside is really good and with a friendly and knowledgeable chap in charge I just wonder how much of my money I'll end up spending in here as there is always something interesting to buy...