Much vinyl attraction at VEF’s record fair
ROCK to roots, rap to reggae – just about every genre of music was on sale at the Vale Earth Fair Collective’s Record Fair at The Peninsula Hotel yesterday.
People delved through thousands of items looking for that elusive gem to supplement their collections to the sound of live music from various performers.
Marketing executive Tove Barnes, 23, said she and her boyfriend had invested in a record player.
‘We’re looking for some drum ’n’ bass stuff from the 1990s but I’d like to find some Bowie or The Cult too,’ she said.
One of her first purchases of the day was a Donna Summer disco record.
Radiographer Charles Hurford, 49, said he had got into vinyl relatively late and he had a Marantz amp and a Technics deck.
‘My main interests are classical guitar and rock,’ he said. ‘John Williams is a favourite of mine and while they’ve got some here, I’ve already got it.
‘At last year’s event I bought AC/DC’s Highway to Hell. I prefer the Bon Scott band to Brian Johnson one.’
VEFC member and one of the organisers Rob Roussel said material was becoming increasingly difficult to source.
‘We’ve had a few generous donations but not as many as we would have done five or 10 years ago,’ he said.
‘People are getting more into it and are more geared up on what they have and because of that it’s harder to find a bargain.’
Possibly the rarest record to appear at the fair in the past was the first David Bowie record in near mint condition which dated from the mid 1960s. A dealer bought it for £400.
Vinyl attracted the most interest these days but there was still a market for CDs. Cassette tapes were making a come back but few people were interested in 78s and enthusiasts were a rare breed.
Some people collected memorabilia such as posters and tour programmes.
Independent non-executive director Martin Tolcher, 58, said he had collected vinyl since his youth.
‘I bought my first records in Boots on the same day – Jean Genie by David Bowie and Blockbuster by The Sweet as they both have the same riff,’ he said.
He now favoured post punk 1978 onwards and particularly Joy Division and New Order.
‘I’m too young for Joy Division but I’ve seen New Order many times, the last of which was only a few weeks ago at The O2 Arena.’
Mr Tolcher has his own programme – Songs from Under Floorboards – that is broadcast on GNET Radio.
