Tough Love St Leonards

My customers are a varied bunch, of all ages and backgrounds, which is great! I stock vinyl, CDs, cassettes, vintage rock shirts, band merch, coffee, and limited-edition artist prints. I also offer a cleaning service for records, and gifts for grown-up goths, stocking locally made products by local makers. 

I’m a predominantly rock music specialist shop catering to all tastes from indie rock to death metal, but I also have a Nordic section, neoclassical, and electronic. The section I’m most proud of however, is my local legends section, that gives a platform for local bands to sell their products and connect with the wider community as there isn’t anywhere for them to sell their often-self-produced products in town, apart from at their gigs or on their Bandcamp’s. 

I’m lucky to live in a town with a thriving music scene. There are many great artists and bands here; the ones to watch right now are Hot Wax who are about to go supernova, and my personal favourites at the moment, Wytch Pycknyck a heavy psyche, garage band, who always deliver blistering live performances, and are great people too. 

My first record sold was Chelsea Wolfe - Apokalypsis, and the last was Depeche Mode - Memento Mori. 

I must admit that it was also quite thrilling selling my first boxset, which was the Blondie - Against the Odds one. 

My first would probably have been the Virgin Megastore in Marble Arch, where I would buy my first cassettes from as a kid. Or the tiny Our Price in Hammersmith - Kings Mall, and local Woolworths. I’d like to say it was something very cool, but it was probably Kylie’s first album, New Kids on the Block or something Stock Aitken and Waterman produced! 

I was always interested in the physical format and reading the liner notes, so I think I was always going to be a record collector when I grew up. I still haven’t lost that joyful feeling of buying an album on its release day and listening to it from start to finish, then putting it on again, rinse and repeat… 

However, my first real collecting began with CD buying in 91, and I bought Nirvana - Nevermind, Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine, and Guns and Roses - Appetite for Destruction, and I’ve never stopped. 

My favourite shop is 12 Tonar in Reykjavik, just a wonderful shop with a great selection and designed to be welcoming to all. From the first moment I walked in I was treated like a long-lost friend, picked up some amazing Icelandic records, and we have since become firm friends and I’m an exclusive stockist of their label in the UK now! 

Unfortunately, my most memorable, was also a negative experience. As a young shy female, I was frequently ignored, demeaned, and intimidated in certain central London “Institutions” that were full of toxic masculine energy. 

I promised myself if I ever had my own shop, it would be nothing like those, and would be a safe space for all, which is what I strive to do every day. 

This is my first year in business, and this will be my first RSD as a shop, I’m very excited!! I have a local punk band, Comeback Clit playing on the day, as well as special promotions and offers on the day, I can’t wait. 

Nine-inch nails at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in 2018

Peter Straub - Mystery 

The Wizard of Oz 

Nine Inch Nails - All the Love in the World, Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy, Minnie Ripperton - La Fleur, Abba - Voulez Vous, QOTSA - I Wanna Make It Wit Chu, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Dripping Tap, DOWN - Bury Me in Smoke, Black Sabbath - Into the Void

Nine Inch Nails Headline, Led Zeppelin (with Bonham on drums), Kyuss, King Gizzard & Lizard Wizard, Russian Circles, Chat Pile, Huntsmen! This would be a fun heavy festival I’d totally go to, with only Glamping options available, hot showers and near my home! 

This is an almost impossible question to answer, as I have many that I love…but I’ll go for Queens of the Stoneage - Songs For The Deaf which is pretty much the perfect record in my opinion.

For Tough Loves first Record Store Day, they will be open from 9am with coffee available in the queue from 8.30am. There will be a local punk band called 'CC' performing their amazing set at 2pm! As well as special offers that will be available on the day on non-RSD items, which will be announced closer to the time.