Some of the state’s biggest music festivals might be pulling the plug, but it would be a misrepresentation to say that the NSW music scene is in dire straits. In fact, the slew of recent live music venue openings across Sydney and beyond suggest quite the opposite. Thanks in part to the government’s six-pronged plan to amp up Sydney’s nightlife, the Harbour City has welcomed some exceptional live music venues over the past few months, and Impressed Recordings – a new record store turned live music venue – is the latest to join the ranks.
The trendy new multidisciplinary space is the passion project of the team of the same name; a boutique Australian record label which has spent the past twelve months spotlighting and elevating unique releases in Australia from their online platform. Now, they’ve found their forever home in a vibrant new space in the creative hub of Wollomooloo.
Committed to re-writing the rules, the Impressed Recordings team initially established themselves as an online platform for artists and music lovers to connect, share and discover. The label’s vinyl drop from none other than The Wiggles (titled Yummy Yummy) was a sell-out success, and they also worked with Sydney golden boys Royel Otis on their recent EP Bar & Grill/Sofa Kings. Visitors to the store can expect to find new vinyl drops alongside a carefully curated, genre-bending catalogue of records.
“The only rules are diversity in our catalogue, belief in the music, and never compromising on the best quality product we can make for music and vinyl lovers around the world,” says Luke Bevans, founder of Impressed, and Apple Music/Universal Music veteran.
Alongside its primary function as a record store, Impressed Recordings will act as a social, creative hub for music lovers, with the team aiming to create a space for connection and discovery. A space that Bevans describes it as a space made “for lovers of music, by lovers of music.”
Impressed Records will open its doors on Saturday, April 20, and the opening night is one you won’t want to miss. They’ll be celebrating their launch with an in-store performance by Sydney-based multidisciplinary artist Babitha, who will be debuting her recently repressed album, Brighter Side of Blue. You can score tickets for the performance (dubbed by the Impressed team as their store launch unofficial opening party) over here.
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