Photo Credit: Record Store Day UK
The 1975 is announced as the official ambassadors of Record Store Day UK 2023, following previous ambassadors like Taylor Swift, Noel Gallagher, Elton John, and The Big Moon.
Record Store Day UK has announced that Manchester natives The 1975 are this year’s official ambassadors, following the likes of Taylor Swift and Sir Elton John. As part of their role, the band will release their 2016 live performance with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on vinyl for the first time for this year’s Record Store Day, Saturday, April 22.
Following their fifth consecutive UK Number One album, a world tour, and three 2023 Brit Award nominations, The 1975 are “poised to fly the flag for the unique culture and heritage of independent record stores and the teams behind the counter who help shape the UK music scene.”
Matty Healy, the frontman of The 1975, said, “The guys and I are really proud to be ambassadors for Record Store Day this year. Independent record stores are the lifeblood of the music industry and have played a crucial role in our story so far. It couldn’t be more important to support their vital community and culture.”
The band has long been known to inspire music lovers to get into collecting vinyl by creating limited edition versions of their albums only found on the shelves of independent record stores. The release of their latest album, Being Funny In a Foreign Language, was accompanied by an exclusive white vinyl made only for record shops, and their vinyl release for this year’s Record Store Day will only be available at participating stores.
Record Store Day is widely considered one of the driving forces behind the vinyl resurgence over the last 15 years. Now in its 16th year, the event’s success has led to a considerable turnaround for record stores in the UK, helping them fight back the effects of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
“We can’t wait to be taking part in Record Store Day again this year, and to have a Manchester band like The 1975 putting our local musical heritage on the map and celebrating the culture of record shops in this way is fantastic,” said Louise Jackson of the record store Wax and Beans, just outside Manchester.
“Like all the stores involved in the day, we work incredibly hard all year round to keep our shop thriving as a hub for the music-loving community,” Jackson continues. “Bands like The 1975 are a product of independent music scenes like ours all over the country who back emerging talent, so it feels great to see them championing indie record shops just like ours in such a meaningful way.”
Hundreds of UK shops will participate in Record Store Day on April 22, with a complete list of over 400 official releases for Record Store Day UK 2023 coming soon.