Record Store Day Shops - Day 47 Monorail Music - Glasgow


Monorail Music

97 Kings Street, Kings Court, Glasgow, G1 5RB
01415 529458
monorailmusic.com; info@monorailmusic.com; @Monorail_Music
Monday-Saturday 11am-7pm
Sunday 12-7pm
Established 2002
Stock: Vinyl, CD, DVD, Pre-owned, In-stores, Merchandise, Tickets

“I think the future for vinyl’s amazing just now, there’s never been so much coming out, I’ve been doing this for twenty-two years now and it seems better than it’s ever been.” Dep Downie - Monorail Music, Glasgow

Monorail Music is one of the best record shops in the UK, an idyllic musical sanctuary in which to while away the hours. While you are unlikely to find records by chart bands, you will discover the best in new and indie vinyl. It helps that the Mono building is situated under a railway arch, and that there is a superb vegan café, called Mono, within the arch (I can highly recommend the Banh mi, a baguette filled with crispy tofu, salad, basil and chili) and an in-house microbrewery. These added attractions make Monorail Music the perfect place for fans to meet. Who cares if your friend is late when you can wait for them in such a superb environment?



Glasgow has always been an energetic music city, but Stephen McRobbie, Dep Downie and John Williamson felt it was missing a great record shop, which they set out to provide. Both Stephen and Dep had spent time working in fondly remembered record shops in the city, Stephen at John Smiths and Dep at Missing Records. Stephen is guitarist and singer with the Pastels, one of the most influential Scottish bands of the last 30 years thanks to albums released on three of the most credible labels: Creation, Rough Trade and Domino.

The three men shared the belief that the future was vinyl and time has proved their judgement to be sound. Their idea was that the shop would not be a strictly retail experience and that by taking a more community-based approach, they would make people feel part of it. 



With Stephen at the helm, Monorail Music was always going to have close relationship with the local music community. Teenage Fanclub, Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai and many others have all supported the shop. They have a close relationship with Mono next door, and often the two businesses collaborate on events. As well as a fabulous selection of indie music the shop is the place to go for fans of metal. Russell Elder is the shops resident metal expert ensuring they stock a comprehensive range of the genre.

The shop has organised a monthly film club at the Glasgow Film Theatre and has invited famous names including Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand and Vic Godard to pick out their most treasured cinematic gems. I attended one enjoyable evening and was left with the impression that many people attend the Film Club purely on the reputation Monorail has for picking out interesting films.



Monorail is a beautifully-curated shop with wooden browsers run by a group of passionate music fans who want to share their love of new music. There is a consistent  theme running through the internet reviews for Monorail: time and again, people say, “Great service”.


This piece is taken from the book The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made it Happen
Over 220 independent record shops featured in The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made it Happen



 Available at your local record shop or online at http://smarturl.it/vinylrevival

Look out for the film based on the book. The Vinyl Revival'  which is released on Record Store Day  April 13th. The film comes free with the album The Vinyl Revival. Only available in independent record shops on RSD


Check out the trailer


https://youtu.be/dDYrd0N2cIA



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