Now, gather round children, and let me tell you a story of a time when people used to BUY music on shiny round disks in grungy shops staffed by music obsessives who would eagerly press new releases on you which were perfectly suited to your taste which they would KNOW because you went to see the same bands and staggered out together bleary-eyed and ears ringing, grinning like happy fools.
Red Eye Records is, I think, the last of the great Sydney independent record stores, Phantom and Waterfront having disappeared long ago. They've only just moved to this location, and all shiny it is too. Yes, you may be able to buy things a little bit cheaper elswhere. Yes, it is more geared to the collector now. But the independent record store is not just about price, it's about community. I can't count the times over the years I've had great conversations with the staff about gigs we remember, and been suggested fantastic music I would not have found otherwise. They host performances by local and up-and-coming artists and their trademark bloodshot carrybags are a mark of those committed to supporting independent businesses and providing jobs for staff with real knowledge and expertise to offer.
If we could just dowse the new store in flat beer wiped down by a Siouxsie and the Banshees t-shirt worn to a rag, rig a couple of the lights to flash on and off drunkenly in an epileptic fit-inducing lack of rhythm, and somehow replicate the tinnitus of having just seen a band at three in the morning, it'd be perfect. Long may they reign. read more