A record label with its own shop is a rare thing in Britain, and Bella Union Vinyl Shop & Coffee is the one most people mean when they mention it. The turquoise corner unit on Gloucester Street, a few minutes from Brighton station, holds the working archive of a label that has been releasing music since 1997, with a pot of coffee on the go and no expectation that you buy anything at all.
Background / History
Bella Union was founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, following their years at 4AD, and the label settled in Brighton as it grew. The shop opened on 8 June 2016, at first in a narrow twitten off Ship Street, with Mercury Rev, Fiona Brice and Jamie Lee of Money playing to a small crowd on the opening day. Raymonde still runs the label and is often behind the counter, while his wife Abbey looks after the shop day to day. It has since moved to larger premises on Gloucester Street in the North Laine.
What You’ll Find
The stock is drawn almost entirely from Bella Union’s own catalogue, which is a deeper well than it sounds: Fleet Foxes, Beach House, Father John Misty, John Grant, Explosions in the Sky, Midlake, Ezra Furman, Laura Veirs and dozens more, going back to early releases by The Czars and Dirty Three. You will find LPs alongside 12, 10 and 7 inch singles, CDs, boxsets, soundtracks and cassettes priced so that nobody leaves empty handed. There is a rotating selection of signed vinyl and CDs, limited to one per customer, plus staff and artist curated bins that bring in records from beyond the label. Merchandise runs from tote bags, t-shirts and slipmats to tea towels, mugs, guitar picks and skateboards, and the walls carry artwork, magazines and zines that change through the year.
Experience / Atmosphere
Browsing here is unhurried. Records sit face out on a curved central counter under a neon label sign, decks are set up behind it, and the staff, all barista trained, will hand you a free coffee while you dig. Conversations tend to wander from a specific pressing into the story behind it, which is the advantage of buying from the people who released the record. Dogs are welcome and usually outnumbered only by customers. The shop hosts in-store performances and signings, takes part in Record Store Day each April, and ships internationally for anyone who cannot get to Brighton.
Why Visit
- The complete Bella Union catalogue in one room, including titles long gone from other shops
- Signed vinyl and CDs that turn over regularly, one per customer
- Free coffee made properly, and no pressure to spend
- In-store sessions, signings and a full Record Store Day
- Merch, boxsets, zines and artwork you will not find elsewhere
- Staff who know the releases from the inside
Summary
Brighton has no shortage of good record shops, and Bella Union earns its place among them by doing something none of the others can. It is a single label’s history laid out on the racks, run by the people who made it happen, in a room that rewards an hour of your time as much as a quick purchase. Go for one album, stay for the coffee and the conversation.
