Record Store Day 2019 Highlights

If you looked at every Record Store Day event on this Saturday 13th April all at once it would leave your head spinning, so we've done you a solid and compiled a few highlights of what's happening across Aotearoa. For those of you planning a full day of it, don’t forget to give your finger tips a break every half an hour to avoid vinyl blisters – safety first. We'll be out and about in Auckland on Saturday, and we'd love for you to @undertheradarnz in your RSD Instastories so we can share your vids, live vicariously, and pretend we jetted around to every event in the country. Get amongst it and support your local record store!

AUCKLAND

Flying Out have piqued our interest, promising it will be their “boldest and brightest” RSD yet! They’re opening early and setting up a full blown outdoor stage at the Pitt Street Methodist next door, with a DJ set from The Beths first thing from 9:00am til 11:00am. The Beths (DJ edition) will make way on the stage for live sets from Vincent H.L. at 11:00am, Echo Ohs at midday and Ounce at 1:00pm. But don’t go anywhere after that! The main event runs from 3:00pm as Flying Out and DJs celebrate the re-issue of Headless Chickens’ 1991 album Body Blow.

Marbecks could be a good first stop, because they're handing out free coffees with every purchase, giving you the caffeine hit needed to endure your RSD trek (BYO scroggin). Along with the usual RSD exclusives and discounts, they've got a killer line-up of bands from go to whoa: Lortcon 11:00am, Lucky Boy 12:00pm, Crap Date 1:30pm, Sang 3:00pm and Green Grove at 4:30pm.

Head up the hill to Real Groovy for DJs and freebies from 9:00am at their new pad (across the road from their old place). They’ve been working with labels to score exclusive vinyl deals, and they’ve got a whole Pro-Ject Debut Carbon RecordMasters turntable to giveaway! Omg! Murray Cammick is first up on the decks, followed by Tom Scott (Avantdale Bowling Club and Home Brew) at 11:30am, Sandy Mill (SJD and New Telepathics) at 1:00pm and DJ duo Callum Rooney and Tony Pike (Ounce and X-Ray Fiends) at 2:30pm.

Southbound Records will be hosting the 95bFM crew as they broadcast live from the store from 8:00am through to 11:00am. Peruse the exclusive vinyl sales and take advantage of free baking and coffee they’ll be handing out in store until midday - much needed energy for a day of vinyl flipping.

Join the queue at Slow Boat Records on Cuba Street, who are opening at the bright and early time of 9:00am for the occasion. The store will be graced by the wonderful Lawrence Arabia for a solo set at midday, and Caroline Easther at 2:00pm.

Wander down the road for more for RSD joy, sales and giveaways at Rough Peel, where RadioActive.fm will be set up all day with DJs and an arvo live to air. Make sure you're there for Motte at 1:00pm and HEX at 3:00pm. In the market for a new deck? Wouldn't mind one anyway? Everyone who makes a purchase on the day will be in the draw to win a Audio Technica ATLP3 turntable!

Head Newtown way to Death Ray Records for 20% off deals and to celebrate their first ever label releases! They’ll be selling cassettes from and Beatcomber and The Spectre Collective, and the latter will be playing in store with special guests along with acid rock trio Linen. Bands from 3:00pm.

CHRISTCHURCH

Ride On Super Sound in Christchurch opens from 11:00am with shiny new local releases and some sweet discounts on imported stuff. Ben Woods plays a solo set at 2:00pm book-ended by Johnny Electric DJ sets, and if you show up before 4:00pm you can enter a Joe Sampson (Salad Boys, Dance Asthmatics, T54) cosplay competition, which will no doubt be inundated with entries. Next-door bar and venue Darkroom will be open for bevvies, too.

DUNEDIN

The Relics Music crew in Dunedin will be run off their feet on Saturday, with sick deals from 11:00pm to 5:00pm. They'll have a bunch of RSD releases available in store and giveaways for music doco, The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps.

Set your alarms and pack your keep-cups, because you'll need to get in early this Saturday to snap up Record Store Day Special Releases.