Huge queues form outside shops across Liverpool

Huge queues formed at shops across the city this morning for Record Store Day.

People queued up outside shops including Jacaranda Records on Slater Street in the city centre and Defend Vinyl on Smithdown Road on Saturday, April 20, in the hope of getting their hands on some exclusive records. Record Store Day is an annual event where independent record stores across the globe celebrate the role record shops play in local communities.

To mark the occasion, record shops feature exclusive vinyl releases for music lovers that they can't find anywhere else for a limited release period.

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Rough Trade on Hanover Street opened its doors for the first time this week ahead of the event. The Liverpool store is Rough Trade's biggest UK store to date, with four smaller stores in London, one in Bristol and another in Nottingham.

The Musical Box on West Derby Road in Tuebrook posted video footage of a queue round the block on their Facebook page, while others taking part included 81 Renshaw, Dig Vinyl and Skeleton Records in Birkenhead. We looked at the full list of shops taking part here.

On Slater Street this morning, Jacaranda Records opened its doors at 8am to a queue of customers that snaked its way down to near Bold Street.

Customers who were first to join the queue bagged themselves a limited number of goodie bags, some of which contained test pressings or signed versions of Record Store Day releases, some personally sent to the store by the artists.

The record store had live music from 1pm into the early hours of the morning from the likes of Michael Aldag, Ruby J, and The Kairos. Jacaranda's sister store in the Baltic Triangle will also be hosting a night party with multiple acts, headlined by Kyle Falconer of The View, with tickets priced at £15.

Kevin McManus, head of UNESCO Liverpool City of Music: “In Liverpool we are incredibly lucky to have a range of brilliant indie record shops and we should celebrate them because, apart from the sheer joy they bring, they also play a vital role in making Liverpool the amazing music city that we are.

"On Record Store Day I would urge you to get yourself along to buy vinyl or enjoy a performance at The Jacaranda, or from any of the other local record stores taking part in Record Store Day.”

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