Must visit record shops - Smugglers in Deal
Smugglers *Gary
Lineker playing the recorder inspires record shop owner’s love of music*
9 King
Street, Deal, Kent CT14 CHX
013043
62368
Wednesday-Saturday
10am-5pm
Sunday
10am-3pm
Established
2015
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, Coffee, In-stores, Licensed
Will
Greenham has spent his career helping local musicians, either by booking them
to play venues, releasing their records on his Smugglers Records label or
giving them a place to sell their recordings via his shop. It helps that he is
a musician himself, playing guitar in local favourites Cocos Lovers. Will comes
from a musical family and initially showed great reluctance to play an
instrument, preferring to spend his time playing football. It was only when his
mum told him that his football hero Gary Lineker loved playing the recorder
that he agreed to take up the instrument. Despite internet searches Will has
since found no record whatsoever of the England legend playing the instrument
but is grateful to Gary - and his mum - for getting him started on the road to
becoming a musician. On leaving school he went into nursing and combined it
with playing in the band and promoting gigs.
Deal was becoming a magnet for musicians who were disillusioned with London house prices and looking for a higher quality of life. As one might expect in a small town, it didn't take long for them to find each other. They met, they drank, they sung, and they played; and so, Smugglers Records grew, like many wonderful things, out of a series of chance encounters, its core members drawn together by a love of music and good nights out. From the humble beginnings of small club nights to busking-led adventures across Europe, the ethos of Smugglers Records existed before the label did. Built on a love of music and community, adventure and memories, for those involved with it Smugglers Records is more than just a label - it's a way of life.
In 2009 Cocos Lovers self-funded and pressed their first album, Johannes. They put a Smugglers Records logo on it and the label was born. Eleven releases later, they have gained a great reputation for quality records and achieved some success. One of the label’s artists, Will Varley, who was responsible for sanding down the wooden floor in the shop as well as playing in-store numerous times, now sells out major venues.
With
Smugglers Records putting on regular music nights in Deal, Kent and London, the
idea of hosting a three-day festival in woodland near Deal was born. The
Smugglers Festival is now in its tenth year, with performances being spread
between two forests. The theatre in the woods stage, due to its incredible
acoustics, has become the place where musicians want to play. All artists
perform acoustically and when music is not filling the air, you can hear a pin
drop. If you are becoming tired of big commercial festivals, with their
exclusive VIP areas for people who are not really VIPs and big brand
sponsorship, do yourself a favour and check out a festival run by musicians for
music fans. As you watch an artist playing in a forest under the stars with a
craft beer in your hand, you will wonder why you have not done this before.
The festival has so many highlights for Will but there is one incident he would prefer to forget. Each year they build a sauna for people to relax in. They never struggle for wood. They employ two local music fans to look after it. One year after the festival had finished, the sauna burnt down. Luckily everybody had gone home by then and in an ironic twist, the music fans who were looking after the sauna turned out to be firemen.
After
the success of the festival, opening a record shop was the next step. By now
Will had left nursing to concentrate on his various musical projects. He has
done a fantastic job of designing the shop to look like a smugglers’ cave. With
its old wooden floors and lots of the product being displayed on old barrels,
if it wasn’t for the racks of vinyl you might think you had walked into a scene
from Pirates of the Caribbean. Will
has created a meeting place for the local music community and realising that
most musicians like a drink, decided to devote a corner of the shop to stocking
craft beers. This has been a very successful venture and they stock over 40
different beers.
The books of Graham Jones are available in record shops or online. The latest book The Vinyl Revival and the Shops that Made it Happen has been turned in to a film. It has just been released on DVD and is available in record shops or online. Distributed by Proper Music.
Each week I record The Vinyl Revival Record Shop Podcast. It contains lots of funny tales from the crazy world of record retailing. It is also available on Spotify.
Twitter: @Revival_Vinyl
My blog has over 100 features on record shops and vinyl.
grahamjonesvinylrevival.blogspot.com
For film screenings and talks contact Graham.
As the person who has visited more record shops than any other human, I often
get asked my advice on buying turntables. I always say do not purchase a budget
model. What is the point of buying one that costs the price of a few
albums? The sound will not do the recordings justice. For a long time, I have
recommended Rega Turntables as they are superb quality
at great prices. They got more brownie points for sponsoring 'Record Store
Day' and manufacturing limited editions just for record shops.
For
film screenings and talks contact Graham at graham@lastshopstanding.co.uk
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