We music-lovers live in fast-moving, digitised times, but let’s not forget how vital our cities and towns are to any flourishing music scene. There’s nothing better than gathering like-minded friends for an exploration of record shops, music venues and clubs – meeting homegrown fans along the way and discovering new obsessions.
Any list of accessible music destinations in the UK would be a long one, and some cities are so synonymous with an era or sound – Manchester and Liverpool spring to mind – as to be barely worth mentioning. Hop on the train to these lesser-known musical meccas to kick off your sonic adventures.
Hebden Bridge
A West Yorkshire magnet for dedicated music fans. Less than a 10-minute walk from the train station, through the lovely Calder Holmes park, sits the already legendary Trades Club, an early 20th-century trade union building recently converted into a hugely friendly, atmospheric venue. Stars who usually play to much bigger audiences are drawn here: Anna Calvi, British Sea Power and Gwenno are among the recent headliners. Arrive early with your friends on gig day to delve into the town’s record shops. Hebden Bridge Records in the Antiques Centre (AKA The Old Police Station) and Heavy Crates on Hangingroyd Road have tons of quality secondhand vinyl. Make time to grab food or a coffee in the Muse Music and Love Cafe too, which has its own record shop and a resident DJ.
Travel from Manchester to Hebden Bridge costs £6.95 for one adult with a 26-30 Railcard (save £3.55)*
Hebden Bridge, home of Hebden Bridge Records and Hebden Bridge Antiques
Bristol
Bristol Temple Meads station sits on the fringes of the town, but then so does Motion, a huge club in an old warehouse just the other side of the train lines (it was voted the best large club in the country last year by DJ Magazine). Madlib and Quantic are booked here for upcoming DJ sets, and there are bass, house and techno parties throughout the summer, spilling on to its cobbled courtyard next to the riverside. If you’re less into clubs, there’s The Fleece, only half a mile away from the station; catch Alex Cameron and Sebadoh, among others, in its 450-capacity space. Rough Trade’s fantastic latest outpost is another half-a-mile farther on. Both a shop and a venue, it hosts listening parties for new albums, as well as putting on exclusive sets: Serge Lorenzo Pizzorno (Kasabian) and Temples are coming up.
Travel from London to Bristol costs £40.55* for one adult with a 26-30 Railcard (save £20.85)*
The Fleece, Bristol
Cardiff
Cardiff’s music fans are a committed bunch, fighting hard to save the town’s lively Womanby Street from redevelopment. That’s the town’s music hub at night, but begin your pilgrimage from Cardiff Central station in the afternoon, and walk the five minutes to indie stalwart Spillers, the oldest record shop in the world (they opened in 1894). A minute from that is Kelly’s in Cardiff’s Central Market, where rows of new, unplayed and unsealed vinyl line up in colourful boxes (it’s a digger’s delight). Then you’re practically on Womanby Street, where live venues Clwb Ifor Bach (indie and alternative), The Moon (folk to reggae, hip hop to bebop) and the Fuel Rock Club (well, rock) cluster together. Other city venues into which you could happily stumble: the Tramshed, back at Cardiff Central (Kate Tempest and Fetty Wap are coming up) and Portland House, a few minutes walk from Cardiff Bay station, a mile out of town (Cate Le Bon plays there at the end of August).
Travel from London to Cardiff costs £53.65 for one adult with a 26-30 Railcard (save £27.65)*
Kelly’s, Cardiff
Glasgow
Right next to Glasgow Central station is the legendary Sub Club, which hosts the longest-running house residency in the world (Subculture, which began in 1987). It’s still about breaking new music, introducing new DJs, and encouraging new crowds – even offering free entry to freshers in their first month of university. Half-a-mile’s easy stroll east from Glasgow Central (or a couple of minutes from Argyle Street station on the regional ScotRail line) you’ll find something janglier: the heart of Glasgow’s indie scene. The 13th Note hosts new local bands and others touring internationally, while Mono is a fantastic record shop and live venue with a great vegan cafe. Walk down Gallowgate and you’ll not be able to miss the brilliant Barrowlands, its name blaring in huge neon letters. The sprung ballroom floor takes moshpit mayhem to new levels.
Travel from Dundee to Glasgow costs £26.15 for one adult with a 26-30 Railcard (save £13.45)*
Glasgow’s Barrowlands; Mono record shop
Newcastle
You don’t have to stray far from the station in Newcastle at all to find music. The Boiler Shop, a converted Grade II-listed locomotive works and one of Newcastle’s best new venues, is just a minute’s walk away. Acts as diverse and beloved in their genres as Einsturzende Neubaten and Primal Scream have played within its atmospheric arches. Think Tank Underground, literally next door to the station, is a small club beloved by both bands and local fans for its music-loving staff and intimate buzz. The O2 Academy, just around the corner, is at its liveliest when hosting nights dedicated to makina: the brand of hard trance-flavoured techno that’s become a microscene in this city. Throw in a trip to Beatdown Records, which boasts one of the biggest collections of second-hand vinyl in the north-east, from house to classic rock, and you’ll be utterly sated. Time to book your next trip.
Travel from Leeds to Newcastle costs £41.20 for one adult with a 26-30 Railcard (save £21.20)*
Boiler Shop, Newcastle
To find out more about getting a third off your train travel with a Railcard, visit railcard.co.uk
*Prices based on standard return travel off peak on weekend of 31 August, as checked on 31 July.
