Joe Theobald, aka DJ Captain Wormhole, Looks at all things vinyl 

YET again I’ve failed to produce the goods. Bank Holiday weekends are made for partying hard and that’s what happened, so no big interview this week either. I have instead produced a short write up on a famous record shop just 45 minutes down the M4 in the fair old slavers town of Bristol.

Wanted Records was established in 2009 by John Stapleton, a dedicated collector and DJ with a big brain full of vinyl knowledge accumulated over a lifetime of digging. The shop is situated in Bristol’s St Nicholas Market, which is a site well worth visiting even if you’re not a record collector, so disinterested friends and partners can conveniently be palmed off on the craft and food vendors while you get stuck into the wide stock.

This isn’t a destination for reissues, picture discs and heavy metal; the racks are curated according to the traditional tastes of dedicated collectors, focusing on psych, reggae, African, jazz, soul, hip-hop and a little disco. 90% of the records are second hand and while the shop owner and staff’s extensive knowledge is unlikely to let a grail go unrecognised there are still bargains to be had. And they’re open to negotiation, especially when buying multiple records.

Stapleton is adamant that the best and rarest records to pass through the premises are not immediately posted online which makes a visit particularly worthwhile, especially if you’ve got a wedge burning a hole in your wallet and are hankering for something rare and unusual.

The store is open Monday to Saturday, from 9.30am to 5pm, and if you make the trip this Saturday or on the 4th November you can double it up with a visit to the Colston Hall Record Fair which is just five minutes round the corner.

Wanted Records, St Nicholas Market, Bristol! 

Next week: Third time lucky?