Newport to come alive to the sound of music on Record Store Day
The streets of Newport will be filled with live music this Saturday April 22 as Newport Now, the city’s Business Improvement District, Diverse Music and Orchard Entertainment join forces to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Record Store Day and raise funds for Velindre Cancer Centre, which provides invaluable specialist cancer services in south east Wales.
Newport Now, the business-led body which supports and promotes the city centre, has given the national event a real local focus this year, setting up a whole day of live music from 12pm to 11pm, with a live stage at Charles St. just a few metres from Diverse Music record store, and the Riverfront Studio and Basement.
The music on the Charles Street stage starts at midday and features Dan Bettridge, Jodie Marie, PARCS, Aled Rheon, Ofelia, Joe Kelly and Vince James. This is entirely free. Headliners for The Riverfront stage will be the exhilarating Indie-Rock band VANT, who are returning to Wales after a sell-out show in Clwb Ifor Bach last year. They are joined by Hannah Grace and CwCw. The Riverfront Basement sees performances by Monico Blonde, The Moon Birds, Chroma and Clarity.
In addition to the live music, a very special charity raffle draw will take place at Diverse Music with a first prize of a guitar signed by the Manic Street Preachers. Second prize is a Limited Edition P1 Hybrid Turntable, specially designed for the 10th anniversary of Record Store Day.
Newport Now Chairman Alan Edwards said: “On Saturday Newport hosts a full day of popular live entertainment, a lot of it free, to celebrate this national Record Store Day, so we hope the crowds will come out in force. Newport is fortunate to have our own independent record store in Diverse Music in the very heart of the city, and we’re extremely grateful to the Manic Street Preachers for contributing to this fantastic raffle prize which we hope will make a significant contribution to Velindre’s great work.”
BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens said: “Independent record shops are an important part of the music world, so it’s great to have a day that focuses on them, and as a Welshman I’m proud that in Diverse Music in Newport we have a great example of a store thriving with the resurgence of interest in vinyl.”
Diverse Music is one of the last remaining independent record stores in south Wales, and a sister company of Diverse Vinyl and the ‘vinyl only’ Diverse Records independent label. Record Store Day is a nationwide celebration of the UK’s 200 plus independent record stores, as buoyant now as ever following the resurgence of vinyl.
VANT, who are the brainchild of frontman Mattie Vant, have built an arsenal of songs that are short, poignant and socially aware remedies to the ignorance of most modern consumerist pop music.
After such a powerful breakthrough in 2015, VANT continued to shine in 2016 playing the BBC Radio One Future Festival, headlining a sold out NME Awards show at The Lexington and continuing with multiple sell out shows on a headline tour towards the end of the year.
Tickets for the guitar raffle are available from Diverse Music. Funds raised from the guitar raffle will go to Velindre Cancer Centre, a specialist cancer treatment centre located on the perimeter of Cardiff. They provide services to over 1.5 million people across south east Wales and beyond. Each year they treat over 5,000 new referrals and around 50,000 new outpatients. Their dedicated staff of over 670 work as a close knit team, providing patients and families with the best possible care and treatment.
Tickets for Record Store Day are available from Diverse Music, or Riverfront Theatre Box Office 01633656679.
Diversevinyl.com
