The 1975 have been revealed as this year’s Record Store Day UK official ambassadors.
As part of the role, the Manchester four-piece will release a live performance with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on vinyl on Record Store Day 2023, taking place April 22.
The double LP, originally recorded in 2016, features tracks including Somebody Else, Chocolate and The Sound, and will only be available at participating record stores.
Last year, The 1975 released their fifth studio album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, with an exclusive white vinyl made only for record shops. This quickly became one of the best-selling records in the UK in 2022, a year which also saw vinyl outselling CDs for the first time in 35 years.
With previous ambassadors including the likes of Taylor Swift, Noel Gallagher, The Big Moon and Sir Elton John, Record Store Day is now in its 16th year and hundreds of shops across the UK will be taking part.
“The guys and I are really proud to be ambassadors for Record Store Day this year,” said the band’s lead Matty Healy. “Independent record stores are the lifeblood of the music industry and have played a crucial role in our story so far. It couldn’t be more important to support their vital community and culture.”
Louise Jackson from Wax And Beans, based in Bury just outside The 1975’s native Manchester, said: “We can’t wait to be taking part in Record Store Day again this year, and to have a Manchester band like the 1975 putting our local musical heritage on the map and celebrating the culture of record shops in this way is fantastic.
“Like all the stores involved in the day, we work incredibly hard all year round to keep our shop thriving as a hub for the music-loving community. Bands like The 1975 are a product of independent music scenes like ours all over the country who back emerging talent, so it feels great to see them championing indie record shops just like ours in such a meaningful way.”
