Vinyl Variety: Grace Hayhurst Goes Through Some of Her Favourite London Record Shops

The world faces some cold, complex realities, and Grace Hayhurst is coming to terms with some of them on her new album The World Is Dying. This is the singer and guitarist’s debut full-length album, inspired by some of her perceptions of the world’s predicament. Hayhurst legitimately feels that the world is in a terrible place, heading towards very grave consequences. Whether it be climate change, natural disasters, war, or the rabid self-interest of the world’s billionaire class, we are in for it one way or another. She takes particular issue with the oligarchs who control so much of our wealth and resources. They are a group of people merely focused on creating more wealth for themselves while ignoring the obvious problems looming right in front of us.

Musically, the record is a combination of all of Hayhurst’s influences. Progressive rock of the 1970s, modern progressive metal, science fiction, orchestral music… It all comes together on The World Is Dying. She made the record with a mind towards what she would like to listen to. In many ways, this was creatively freeing to her, as it enabled her to try anything. That’s why you hear string quartets, French horns, slap bass, synths, and harp. Hayhurst feels that this is her most ambitious record yet. Past and present, it brings together everything that she loves about music.

As an old school musician, you better believe Hayhurst loves her vinyl. She joins us today for Vinyl Variety, sharing with us five of her favourite vinyl shops, one of which is her own!

1. Crypt of the Wizard (Google Maps)
Address: 264 Hackney Rd, London, England, E2 7SJ
Website: http://www.cryptofthewizard.com/a>

“This has become my newest regular haunt, as recently I started driving a 20-year-old car that only has a cassette player for audio, and Crypt of the Wizard has a massive stock of black and doom metal tapes.

“It’s a genre I love listening to! But have very little knowledge of, so spinning the wheel and picking up some cassettes that I think have cool artwork has done me well so far each time I’ve visited!”

Vinyl Variety: Grace Hayhurst @ Crypt of the Wizard

2. FOPP (Google Maps)
Address: 1 Earlham Street, London, England, WC2H 9LL
Website: http://www.fopp.com
Phone: 0333 3238418

“Whilst nowadays owned by HMV, FOPP has probably become my most frequented record store in town for grabbing new releases as and when they come out.

“As the conglomerate has massively shrunk down over the years, I think it’s still an important place to go, particularly this branch in Covent Garden, right in the heart of London.

“We should be supporting all shops on the high street these days, as so many of these beloved chains are shutting down. I’ve lost count of how many times HMV has almost disappeared from the UK, and how many stores of theirs I’ve seen shut down, or even just downsized as demand has dropped for physical media.”

Vinyl Variety: Grace Hayhurst @ FOPP

3. Sounds of the Universe (Google Maps)
Address: 7 Broadwick Street, Soho, London, England, W1F 0DA
Website: http://soundsoftheuniverse.com
Phone: 020 7734 3430

“What a throwback for me. One of the first times as a teenager, I got to roam London on my own with some mates, and one of my best buddies brought me here. I couldn’t afford to buy anything at the time, but I was mesmerized by how cool it felt to be in a record store surrounded by music.

“Sadly, Deutsche Elektronische Musik was out of stock, but I finally managed to grab hold of this Rick Wakeman rarity, Rhapsodies.”

Vinyl Variety: Grace Hayhurst @ Sounds of the Universe

4. Sister Ray (Google Maps)
Address: 75 Berwick Street, Soho, London, England, W1F 8TG
Website: http://sisterray.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)207 734 3297

“Sister Ray has plenty of plenty to choose from. CDs front and centre, with a treasure trove of vinyl in the basement. There was plenty of prog in stock, which made me happy! But something else caught my eye…

“Last year, my partner Shelby and I took over Sensible Music, and we’ve had the pleasure of working with Jon Moon during that time, who is a fantastic engineer with a wide history of credits. He set me a challenge to find a record with his name on it, and lo and behold, a stack of Amy Winehouse 7” singles were there for the taking.

“Jon worked with Amy in the 2000s, and it’s going to be a real treat to surprise him with these reissues at work next week!”

Vinyl Variety: Grace Hayhurst @ Sister Ray

5. Reckless Records (Google Maps)
Address: 30 Berwick St, London, England, W1F 8RH
Website: http://reckless.co.uk
Phone: 020 7437 4271

“Just over the road from Sister Ray is another very widely known store in central London.

“Once again being after something different, I dived straight into the collection of niche tapes, and walked away with three different Emerson, Lake & Palmer records, as well as Prince’s 1999. Talk about variety!”

Vinyl Variety: Grace Hayhurst @ Reckless Records