THE VINYL WHISTLE, REPLAYED— Headingley Leeds

The Vinyl Whistle began play in Headingley two years ago. “Headingley like many other places used to have a record shop, but they are scarce now and we thought we’d bring one back,” said Jon Moss, its founder. “We buy and sell records and have a huge collection of new and second hand vinyl just waiting to be discovered. [See more about The Vinyl Whistle here.] The shop flourished. But since then, we’ve been hit by coronavirus – and the shop has moved across the road.”

But this has not been a downbeat story. “We survived lockdown by going online,” says Jon. And coffee sales continued – as take-aways!

The move took place in December 2020 – in order to expand the shop. The new premises are almost directly opposite, on the other side of Otley Road, in the heart of Headingley centre. First of all, the shop as you enter is much bigger and roomier. But it also has a second floor, a basement below with three rooms. So there’s masses of room for expansion. Especially, down in the basement, there’s room to separate different genres of music, and to make space for people to browse.

But the shop has expanded, not only in space, but also in time. The Vinyl Whistle is now open late, till 9pm, every week, from Wednesday through to Saturday. And the shop has taken advantage of this extra space and time – it’s now a venue for gigs! At first, these were live-streamed, but now they are live events mostly aimed at acoustic, stripped back performances. They have welcomed bands like The Sherlocks, Red Rum Club, We Are Scientists and Trampolene, as well putting on local artists too. In addition, every Thursday evening, there’s an open deck event with half price beers available.

The Vinyl Whistle’s hospitality has expanded too, along with the new activities. Coffee and cake are still on offer. And in addition, there’s a small bar, supplied by Kirkstall Brewery.

Finally, The Vinyl Whistle has branched out into a whole new field - as a record label. And it has just released its first album, Mega Happy’s Please Don’t Be My Dreams. Copies are of course in stock!

“I love record shops,” said Jon. “They are places where you meet all kinds of people. You can discuss music and artists and they bring music into the local community.” This is even more true of The Vinyl Whistle replay!