Piccadilly Records

Desmond Bullen

Visit now

Piccadilly Records

53 Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JR
0161 839 8008
  • Monday10:00am - 6:00pm
  • Tuesday10:00am - 6:00pm
  • Wednesday10:00am - 6:00pm
  • Thursday10:00am - 6:00pm
  • Friday10:00am - 6:00pm
  • Saturday10:00am - 6:00pm
  • Sunday11:00am - 5:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Image of Piccadilly Records on Manchester's Oldham Street
Ben Williams
Book now

People of a certain kind remember their first record shop. Encountered in the budding tangle of adolescence, to approach its counters, the object of one’s infatuation pressed into one’s hand, was to feel the same seesaw anxieties as to brave rejection at the school disco. That first purchase was a rite of passage, a kiss that revealed a world that agitated hormones itched to explore. Naturally, those giddy intensities cannot sustain, and, half-forgotten for the instant gratification of the internet or the cheap thrills of the supermarket, some first record shops have died, fondness insufficient to keep their romance alive.

Not so Piccadilly Records. Born with the post-punk big bang in 1978, generations of Mancunians, actual and aspiring, temporary and permanent, have found new ways to fall in love with the doors that it has opened. Originally located off Market Street, it was quick to seize the possibilities in the wake of the other “big bang”, the one of 1996 that rearranged Manchester’s face so violently (clue: the IRA had a hand in it), and relocated to the Northern Quarter where it has pulsated ever since.

Over the decades it has woven itself into the fabric of the city’s music community

So, how has Piccadilly Records kept its spark where so many others have failed? Like all good record shops, it is more than just a location from which actual artefacts can be acquired in an increasingly digital world. It’s no exaggeration to claim that, across the decades, it has woven itself into the fabric of the city’s music community; the records – in whatever format – are merely the most obvious manifestation, but it is also a place where tickets can be bought, flyers can be perused, fanzines can be distributed, discoveries can be made.

Lying a doorstep away from the venues in which bands themselves sound check, socialise, thrill, and sometimes disappoint is a distinct advantage: Night & Day Café, The Castle and Gullivers and many others are reassuringly close by. But laurels are not to be rested upon, and Piccadilly has always been an early adopter. Staff recommendations, an annual “best of” list, in-store reviews, records of the week, a shed-load of vinyl: these are all things that Piccadilly Records has long since traded on. It has embraced the hope of Record Store Day, and though that particular annual event flirts with historical re-enactment, Piccadilly itself seems resolutely forward looking. And its online shop manages to get across the bricks and mortar charm and personality of its real-life venue, winning fans from way past the Northern Quarter’s boundaries. So to say Piccadilly Record prevails, to call it an institution, may be accurate, but it’s also misleading. This is one record shop that is as vital to the music that’s still committed to physical form as the musicians who make it.

What's on near Piccadilly Records

MusicManchester
MF Tomlinson at The Castle

London-based, Brisbane-born singer-songwriter MF Tomlinson brings album number three, Die To Wake Up From A Dream, to The Castle Hotel.

From £11.00
Rock and Goal
Until
ActivityManchester
Rock and Goal Tour

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

From £9.99
Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Until
ActivityManchester
Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Join Craft Beer Tour Manchester for a journey through some of the cities best local breweries and artisanal beer serving bars. Discover the personality of Manchester’s beer through a diverse

From £45

Where to go near Piccadilly Records

Manchester
Shop
Vinyl Exchange

Vinyl Exchange is the largest seller and buyer of rare and second-hand records, CDs and DVDs in the North West.

Manchester
Shop
Cass Art Manchester

Primely located on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter, Cass Art Manchester offers a vast selection of high-quality art materials at affordable prices.

Image of Night and Day Cafe in Manchester
Manchester
Music venue
Night & Day Cafe

Opened in 1991, Night & Day Cafe on Oldham Street plays host to an exhausting array of gigs throughout the year.

The Daisy
Manchester
Restaurant
The Daisy

The Daisy is one of Manchester’s more in-demand basement bars, offering an underground Paris-inspired night out.

tours and activities
Manchester
Shop
Bird and Blend Tea Co.

Bird and Blend is Tea Blending heaven, located in the heart of the Northern Quarter with new flavours being created all the time.

Manchester
Shop
COW Vintage Manchester

COW Vintage, once on Piccadilly Place, now on Church Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is a beautifully decorated vintage clothes shop.

Image of Pop Boutique's shop front on Oldham Street in Manchester
Manchester
Shop
Pop Boutique Manchester

One of the oldest vintage shops in the Northern Quarter (opened here in 1994), Pop is set out across two floors and racks up a cafe, barber’s and basement furniture section, as well as its own label and good-as-new originals – all for very reasonable prices.

Culture Guides

Cinema in the North

A host of Halloween horrors, experimental shorts, plus pioneering black British cinema make our October Cinema Guide.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Theatre this month bursts with contrasts - from bold new writing and Black History Month highlights to contemporary arts and reimagined classics.

Exhibitions in the North

Galleries around the North are gearing up for a new season of exhibitions - from iconic art prizes to smaller, artist-led gems.

Wisp Press Image
Music in the North

From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.