UPDATE 18 Apr: Tom and Tim’s performance at Rough Trade East on Saturday is now due to begin at around 6pm (an hour earlier than previously announced). Entry is free and first come, first served.

You can also click here to read a really nice interview Tim has done with MTV about Record Store Day and Strangeland.

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When I think of a record shop I think of rummaging through bins of second-hand vinyl, ending up with an arm-load of stuff I’d always meant to get round to listening to but always forgot to buy. Then I realise that I’m loving the CD that’s playing on the shop’s hi-fi and I can go and ask the guys behind the desk what it is, learn about a new band perhaps, maybe even make a friend! For me David’s Music in Letchworth is the indie shop I’ve spent the most time in, and I’ve been massively inspired by music I’ve heard and bought in there; before that it was Mrs Yarrington’s in Battle, and more recently the tiny but excellent Union Music in Lewes.

But I’ve also loved places that are now gone, driven out of business by huge chain stores, supermarkets and of course the internet. If we value real record shops then we need to support them and cherish the things that make them great. In support of Record Store Day 2012 (Sat, April 21st), Tom and I are going to drop in to Rough Trade East in London that evening to play a few stripped-back songs. There are other great bands playing that day, including the wonderful Johnny Flynn, and the same sort of thing will be happening in record shops up and down the country. So please come and join us to celebrate and support independent music shops – it’s going to be fun!

Tim

Tom and Tim are due to perform at around 6pm – entry is free and first come, first served.

For more information on Record Store Day, head to www.recordstoreday.com