Hi there, and thanks for clicking!

My name is Josh Gibbs, and I want to open quite simply the most fun, engaging and safe-space record store/gig-space/etc that I possibly can in the area of Leichhardt and surrounds. I believe the time is right, the location is in need and the people will come.

ABOUT ME

That highly embarrassing screenshot you see in the header? That's me in early 2005 at the tender age of 16, working in (and ultimately helping to co-manage) a record store in Chatswood called Ten Seconds Down. We closed in 2008 prior to the vinyl boom and I still dream about going back there.

The ponytail and necklace didn't remain (RIP), but in the intervening years I've bounced around managing music departments at JB Hi-Fi's, a brief stint managing a DVD rental store and most recently working for and with some of my favourite people in the world at Inertia/PIAS as a Label Manager, putting out songs and records for artists and labels I adore.

WHY NOW, JOSH?

In late 2021 I suffered greatly at the hands of an unnamed medical professional who put me directly in harm's way with potential outcomes being stroke or death. After that point (and a few months of denial, thinking I'd get better and be able come back as normal) I eventually realized I wasn't able to work in that world anymore- at least until I'd had a good chance to heal and learn how to look after myself.

I've since been in trauma therapy, chopped and changed my mood-altering brain chemicals like a dizzy cocktail mixologist, and decided that the only way I can truly turn the horrible, scarring mess of 2021 into something positive for myself and the community I love is to return to what I miss most: running a record store, speaking to people and generally spreading my positivity and passion for music and a vibrant arts scene as far and wide as I can.

THE STORE

So, as ol' mate James Murphy would say, This Is Happening: I have a name, I have a logo, I have the best designer I know, I have the support of a fantastic circle of friends and family, and I'm close to securing the lease on a premises that will ensure a massive amount of foot-traffic.

We'll be selling new and used vinyl, CD, cassettes and the odd 8-track or laserdisc (where donated or sought out by myself for unknowable reasons). We'll also be stocking a constantly rotating lineup of pre-loved vintage audio products, including turntables, amplifiers, speakers and accessories - but this ain't no high-end hi-fi store - I'm more interested in weird 80s turntables that play both sides of the record without flipping and modular robot-based cassette recorders (and yes, audio nerds, I will stock the correct DIN plugs to make them work). I'm more interested in tape decks that look like they wouldn't be out of place on The Jetsons and CD players that look like silver lampshades, repaired and ready for someone to discover formats old, new and obsolete (and maybe a PONO just because it'd be funny to).

ETHICS

From the word Go, this store will be driven by an ethical set of standards as laid out below.

-As long as we exist, we will always be here to help with community support/mutual aid in times of crisis

-I will sooner file for bankruptcy than under-pay or late-pay my staff (if and when I can ever afford to have staff). If/when I staff up I will pay a fair wage and weekend/public holiday rates

-This store and venue will forever be a safe-space for LBGTQA+ peoples, and anyone making you feel anything else than welcome and comfortable will be banned for life

IN SUMMARY,

I'll be straight with you: the costs are piling up; alarmingly so. So, if you can give it, and want to become forever a part of this ridiculous dream of mine, please do.

You reserve the right to come hang out, sit behind the counter, pat the dog, fall asleep in the back alley, browse through my unprocessed stock or just simply know you're A Part Of This Thing We're Doing. You'll also have full jukebox priveleges which I realize leaves me open to hearing What's New Pussycat 46 times in a row.

If you know me well, you likely already know I have Big Plans for this place, especially after our first year of trading, once we're (hopefully) established enough that I can really go for my big-picture dreams of the place - and I'm talking really large picture. Like a massive Mona Lisa canvas stretched over the surface of the Moon, or a giant floating holographic image of a duck the size of Mt. Kilimanjaro projected into the night sky like the Batman signal.

I'm talking all-ages gigs. I'm talking sober-only scramz nights. I'm talking film screenings. I'm talking in-stores and artist signings. I'm talking selling your band's music and taking 0%, allowing you to keep everything from every sale. I'm talking listening parties. I'm talking music lessons. I'm talking - and if you know me, I'll never stop until someone actively tells me I'm talking too much (it's okay, I'm used to it). Like someone should have here. Surely this should've been, like, one or two paragraphs max. Oh well.

Exciting things are coming - watch this space.

All my love, and thank you from the deepest reaches of my heart.

Joshua