Tag: Stockport

 

 

 

All Night Flight Records is located just off the main market place in Stockport which is now home to some new bars, eateries and some really interesting little shops emerging as Stockport tries to reinvent itself from a poorly planned 1970s town centre struggling to compete with what I’ll politely call “changing shopping habits” into an alternative retail, food & drink and cultural destination. All Night Flight joins SK1 Records as one of the most imaginative and intriguing record shopping destinations in the North and compliments SK1 very well.

Both shops are taking advantage of being off the beaten track but easily reached from the city centre by offering something a bit special and a bit more considered and curated than your average Record Shop. The layout of the shop is kind of austere, wooden crates propped up on breeze blocks and minimalist decor. This isn’t a place for wading through bins full of cheap stock, and if you’re looking for the usual classic rock & pop look elsewhere (you’re well catered for!) but the shop excels in the more experimental, electronic and global side of things. The stock is a mix of 2nd hand spanning the more interesting end of Post Punk, Jazz, Electronics, Dance and some newer hand-picked selections from ANF’s choice of DiY labels and artists.

The nearest comparison I can make is the stuff you could find in Rare & Racy in Sheffield (before the wrecking ball saw it off). It’s not long before my pulse is racing and I spy an LP which has long been on my wants list (Camino Del Sol by Antena on Les Disques du Crépuscule if you must know) which main man Tom fetches down for me and kindly recommends another gem of a similar vintage. There’s a listening deck too, which is always welcome so you can needle drop things of interest. The shop hosts live events too so keep an eye their social media and sign up for the newsletter. So if you’re a bit jaded by the usual stuff on offer in Manchester record shops, I’m saying head to Stockport where inspiration awaits!

This is an excellent little shop combined with a Cafe and is well worth your attention. Take a 10 min train ride from relatively booming Manchester to Stockport you’ll see evidence all around of how big towns and cities around the country are struggling to cope with the huge change in retail shopping habits shifting online and economic woes in general. If you’re a Record Shopper like me, you’ll regularly be in places like this – passing boarded up shops, charity shops, vape shops, betting shops while dodging mobility scooters and discarded sleeping bags.

SK1 is situated on Little Underbank which should really be a thriving, vibrant street – it’s got lovely buildings and visually is not unlike the cobbled side streets in York or Chester except large stretches of it are shuttered up and barren. There are signs of life however – businesses are springing up again – things are in transition there is a concerted effort going on to revive and reinvent and SK1 is exactly what the town needs. I’ve only had a very short trip to SK1, between train connections, but I was suitably impressed. It’s a bright, airy and friendly place which also incorporates a Cafe up on a mezzanine level (so it very much feels like a proper Record Shop rather than a Cafe with some records in it). Run by DJ Joe McBride the shop specialises in Electronic, Dance, Soundtracks, Dub, Soul funk and all esoteric points in between – there’s some Rock and Indie stuff as well but it’s great to find a shop with a different focus and a refreshing change from all the classic rock staples you see everywhere.

The prices are very reasonable, lots of interesting stuff to look at and this is a place where you’ll find something a bit unexpected and special – picked up some cool stuff on this short visit and I will definitely be back for a proper dig as I didn’t scratch the surface of what they’ve got.