We don't need much of an excuse to go shopping for vinyls and CDs - but World Record Store Day will do just fine.
Whether you've been an avid collector of vinyls and CDs or you've jumped on the band wagon this time round, there's nothing quite like grabbing yourself a new disc for your record player.
Here are our favourite places to go record shopping in and around Leeds.
Jumbo Records
1-3 Merrion Centre, Leeds city centre
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The team at Jumbo are so excited about WRSD that they've all written their top picks over on the record store's Instagram page.
Hidden away inside the Merrion Centre, this small record shop is set to attract big crowds over the weekend, but the friendly advice and passionate customers makes them a record store worth visiting all year round- plus they advertise all their new releases every Friday morning, so you'll never miss an album's debut appearance again.
Derived from a love of vinyl records and football: Vinyl Whistle is an indie record store that stocks new and old EPs, football memorabilia (especially anything Leeds United related) and has a coffee shop/ beer taps / live gig venue right in the middle of their store.
WRSD special editions will go on sale from 8am this Saturday, but you can shop for never-seen-before LPs, and get intimate gig tickets with a pint in one hand and a Leeds United poster in the other all year round- it really is the jack-of-all-trades indie store the suburbs needs.
Hidden away from the crowds inside Leeds Corn Exchange, Released Records offers an eclectic mix of new and pre-loved records. They're a dog-friendly store and they'll be offering all of the best World Record Store Day options to lucky shoppers too.
The owners are happy to talk all things music all day long and the brand even has its own label: The Lost Records, which isavailable to book for live shows and events, bespoke licensed music for videos, commercials, TV, film and more.
With over 30 years of celebrating music in Leeds, Crash Records is one of the biggest record stores in our city. Specialising in indie, alternative, rock, punk, metal, you'll find endless hidden gems inside their doors- plus they'll be celebrating WRSD with an incredible selection of LPs for sale.
Crash Records is also given an allocation for local gig tickets- and shopping with them is so much more exciting than just logging on to Ticketmaster. Discover who you can watch live at Headrow, O2 Academy or grab your Leeds Festival tickets here too.
For those soley interested in shopping for second-hand treasures, North South Vintage (formerly Vintage Boutique) is an unmissable stop. Located right in the heart of studentsville spaces between Hyde Park and Headingley, this vintage store has plenty of hidden diamonds in the rough, just waiting to be uncovered. Expect a huge array of 70s and 80s bangers, as well as contemporary house mixes amongst old football scarves, retro Nikes and an impressive collection of classic novels.
Whilst you won't find any WRSD records here, shopping second-hand helps the back pocket and the planet respectively- and you're still shopping independently along the way.
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Sophie Smith -
17th April 2023 
