Record fair to bring back nostalgic music this weekend

A vinyl lover wants to invite fellow music enthusiasts to visit his Doncaster fair to peruse and enjoy a large selection of records.
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John Paul Craven, aged 38, from Bingley has organised his sixth record fair in Doncaster to be held on Saturday, January 18, at the New Wool Market.

He said: “I used to come to Doncaster as a child and peruse the record shops that were here at the time.

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“It’s different in Doncaster now than it was in the ’80s and 90’s – there are fewer shops and less is happening.”

Photo of previous record fair in the market.Photo of previous record fair in the market.
Photo of previous record fair in the market.

“At school, I was the only kid interested in records by then C.D. 's had come out - I was a teen in the 90’s,” said John, adding: “Other kids were interested in sports but for me it was records - it has always been an interest and turned into a bit of an obsession.”

Over the years, John has amassed a collection of over 15,000 records.

He said: “I believe there are many benefits of records are that it forces you to listen to the music - unlike digital streaming where you can just skip over tracks.

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People like that you can own the physical record, enjoy the artwork.”

John Paul with flyer for the event.John Paul with flyer for the event.
John Paul with flyer for the event.

John owns his own record shop in Bingley called Five Rise Records but he also spreads the love of vinyl across Yorkshire by hosting fairs in places that do not have their own record hub such as Doncaster.

One of the last record shops The Notorious Aardvark in the Waterdale shut down in 2017.

He hopes that his event will attract many different types of people.

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He said: “It's such a cross-generational thing now - I see both old and young people buying records.

“Music is an even playing field and it brings people together.

“We have a really large selection of records on offer from bargains at 50p to high-end collectibles.”

The event will run from 10am - 4pm and is free entry and will be running on a monthly basis from this point onwards.

Check out more details here.

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