I was working in Our Price Aldershot. I had worked for Our Price Records for a year or so by now and was confident in my role. Sales assistants would get moved to a different shop every few months. The area manager would visit the shop, and after a chat with the store manager would talk to you and let you know from Monday you’d be in a new town. Woking had been my first shop, Aldershot my second.
I started to stock specific records. I made an ‘indie’ section and ordered records by The June Brides, Hurrah!, The Loft, The Television Personalities, The Room, Benny Profane, 10, 000 Maniacs, old New Order albums, Postcard and Creation 7″s. Bands like The Smiths, R.E.M., Lloyd Cole were stocked by head office as they were big sellers. I listened to Bluenote albums. Discovered John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Dexter Gordon.
We started to get regular customers, indie kids, coming in to check out what we had in stock. Dressed in slightly too large suits from charity shops and Dr Martin shoes, quiffs and Argyle socks. I actually don’t remember there being many girls buying indie records in those early days. I was wearing baggy Levi 501s bought second hand from Camden Market, with turn ups and stripy tee shirts, I too wore Dr Martin shoes and Argyle socks.
Sometimes customers would ask for records we didn’t have in stock yet or weren’t out yet. I’d order it in for them. ‘Have you got the new Mighty Mighty 12″?” was one customer’s weekly question. The release had got delayed but he came in each week to ask for it, just in case this was the day we would have it. So, I decided to ask them to play The Buzz Club. It helped that The Buzz Club was also in Aldershot. We started to build a local indie scene.
I had one record by Mighty Mighty and they are one of the original bands featured on the N.M.E. C-86 tape.
This is another ‘lost’ recording found and sent to me by Buzz Club regular, Phillip ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson in August 2018.
Hutch also found this signed flier from the night –
The gig got reviewed by Record Mirror.
Support came from local bands The Bridge and The Jeremiahs, who were managed by Tim Paton who took many great photos for us over the years.
ITTLG 
2 Comments