The Singles Bar

I don’t have much cause to come to this place, as I don’t own a record player, and the music they sell isn’t really much my thing. However, I really, really love these kinds of shops.
People of an older Brighton vintage than me tell me that the North Laine area used to be full of these kind of places, before it got trendy. Ragged round the edges, slightly dusty, but full of love and care in what they do. They seem to have been around for years. It’s a great place for a browse and to rewind a couple of decades.

The Singles Bar is a dusty record shop that’s back to back with The Wax Factor. You can walk through one to the other and probably pick up half a dozen records you fancy.
Whilst The Wax Factor sells everything from vintage rock and pop to metal, The Singles Bar seems to specialise in old funk, soul, jazz, girl groups and motown. 90% of the stock is second-​hand with the quality varying from Excellent to Good. There also seems to be a lot of pop singles and 12“s from the 80s onwards. If you’re after an old Human League album, a Culture Club EP or Chicago house sampler, this is a good place to start.

«Want to meet sexy singles in your area? Text „flirt“ followed by your postcode to 89 984 and receive instant text messages from real girls who want fun, fun, fun.»
A what?! Record shop? Oops! I’d already typed «flir»! That could’ve been embarrassing! The Singles Bar is an old school record shop with no pretentions. Yeah vinyl is cool and has a certain retro element, but The Singles Bar isn’t playing off any kitsch-​cool. What you’ll get here are old soul, funk, rock, R&B, classical, soundtracks and more. It’s very easy to get nostalgic about vinyl and what it represents, so go indulge at the singles bar. There is a dusty sentimentality that overwhelms you when you walk in. You can spend ages flipping through the old vinyl appreciating the history and enjoying the textures, smells and joys of reminiscing the musical days gone by. I may be from the cassette generation, but I still find vinyl alluring: the crackle, the artwork, the physicality. MP3s may be more practical, but with some 12″ records selling for as cheap, I know what I would chose!
You might not get a sexy single, or then again, if you’re into Barry White, you might!