Last Shop Standing

Early on in record shop doc ‘Last Shop Standing’, a store owner is startled mid-interview when an LP crashes to the floor behind him. It’s a perfect reminder of the sheer materiality of vinyl in contrast to modern digital formats – one of the main factors offered in defence of the format in this familiar account of the British independent record shop’s rise, fall, and subsequent revival. The owners themselves - with their good humour and expert musical knowledge - are the other semi-endangered species on display, and their contribution to vinyl culture is felt in a tapestry of intimate interviews conducted by record aficionado Graham Jones (whose eponymous book provides the narrative template). Overall, Pip Piper’s documentary makes a spirited case for the enduring vitality of the record shop.