Swordfish Records: 

66 Dalton Street, B4 7LX , swordfishrecords.co.uk 

Swordfish records has been a staple in the Birmingham vinyl scene since 1989. With numerous relocations over the years the shop now sits tucked away in the corner of Dalton Street in the city centre of Brum. Founded by Mike and Gaz, upon opening the shop mainly sold punk and post punk records but the stock has constantly been adapting throughout the years to keep the shop ticking along. From being a “dance shop” in the 90s to an alternative indie record shop today, you can still find chunk of all music eras the shop has transited through over the years. The shop boasts a great selection of vinyl and CDs with a blend of new releases and pre-loved vinyl/CDs, bargain boxes and sale sections and has working turntables and CD players to listen to media before you buy. With a wide variety of genres ranging from Blues to DnB and Jazz to House, Swordfish is a city-centre gem with something for every music lover. 

The Diskery: 

92 Bristol Street, B5 7AH, instagram.com/the_diskery 

Proudly England’s oldest record shop and starting as a Jazz and Swing specialist in 1952, The Diskerys’ warm chilled atmosphere is mirrored by team of Lee the Boss, Liam the Oracle, Danny the Reggae and Pete the Prince through their friendliness, cups of tea and donuts whilst crate-digging in this city centre vinyl haven. Having recently moved to a new location on Bristol Street the Diskery has an array of sought-after second-hand vinyl to choose from. With genres ranging from Deep-House, Blues, Drum & Bass as well as a bargain basement filled with shelves upon shelves of 7-inch singles. The Diskery truly is a must visit for music, chit-chat or history lovers. 

Emortal Records: 

1 Bourneville Lane, B30 2JY, instagram.com/emortal_records 

For House, Techno, Drum & Bass, Garage and pretty much any “Dance Music,” enthusiasts, Emortal Records is one of Stirchley’s many gems. Situated just a 5-minute walk from Bourneville train station, Emortal offers a cosy vinyl get-away with great discounts, bargain bins and the occasional free vinyl. The shop also has a great set of technic turntables in the middle of the racks of vinyl, so you can listen to any record before buying. Ran by Marcel who lives upstairs, the shop often opens on the basis of calling the number displayed on the door which is testament to relaxed vibe Marcel and the shop offers. Emortal also sits just a stone’s throw away from Stirchley high-street, so patrons can grab a great beer or cocktail after a long day of crate-digging.  

The Polar Bear: 

10 York Road, B14 7RZ, www.instagram.com/thepolarbearkingsheath 

With an impressive fan base which has developed through a sense of community and closeness at the forefront of the shop, no wonder Polar Bear Records are amongst the favourite place to grab records in Birmingham. Branding themselves as an independent record store focussing on selling music from local artists, you can also find a treasure trove of folk, rock, jazz and blues. There isn’t an exhaustive amount of vinyl in here, as the shop mainly stocks CD’s and other media. But has plenty of new released vinyl in stock and the team are happy to order vinyl in for customers. 

Artum: 

60 Hampton Street, B19 3LU, instagram.com/artumbirmingham/ 

Artum is a vibrant multi-functional space within Hockey Social Club. Serving as an event space, bar, Artisian Cafe, late-night dance floor as well as a place to grab some funk/hip hop/ house vinyls, this space can gratify the needs for either a good day or night out. Having moved from their city centre location to within the animated space that is Hockley Social Club, the collaboration allows visitors to enjoy some create-digging, street food from one of four rotating vendors, craft beer and late-night grooves all under one roof. With weekly and monthly events on such as live jazz and vinyl DJs dishing out some old-school reggae, house and soul, Artum provides a dynamic, easy-going space to satisfy vinyl, music and food lovers.    

Psychotron Records: 

26 Boldmere Road, B73 5TD, psychotronrecords.co.uk

Just on the outskirts of Birmingham, Psychotron Records offers a great selection of rare second-hand vinyl with a great source of prog-rock, psych rock, dub, and jazz as well as rare original music posters from the 60s. The shop is run by Pete Bonner, who has 25 years’ experience of selling vinyl and with Psychotron records being launched over 20 years ago in 2000, the shop offers music lovers of all ages a friendly and professional experience.  

Psychotron Records also has its own record label, which was started to enable talented musicians from across the globe to access a wider audience. Some of the electric bands on the label’s discography include ‘The Eletric Crayon Set,’ from Finland, ‘Slapran,’ from Sweeden and Gordon Giltrap and Paul Ward ‘The Last of England.’ With most of the artists from the label’s discography being friends of Petes, the passion and openness for music reaching a wider audience that goes into the label is also reflected in the shop’s atmosphere and music selection. If you are a fan of local, traditional vinyl shops, Psychotron Records is worth the short 20-minute drive out of the city centre.  

Ignite Record Store:

Level 2 Oasis Markets, 110-114 Corporation St, B4 6SX facebook.com/igniterecordstore

Born out of the long absent Tempest Records (hardcore/indie floor), Ignite has been selling vinyl on a smaller affair within the Oasis Indoor Market for over a decade. This hidden-away vinyl record store specialises in selling indie, metal, rock, hardcore, punk, industrial and goth. Well worth a drop in as it’s quite a diverse selection on offer.

HMV Bullring:

Bullring, Birmingham, B5 4BE instagram.com/hmvbirmingham

The UK’s favourite vinyl chain store and still going strong in Brum with their extensive Bullring record store, watch out for some fab in-store gigs and a plethora of re-release new issue vinyl.

Words by Joshua Turner on behalf of Grapevine Birmingham