Hey, welcome to the latest Wax and Beans newsletter.
Happy New Year folks! Is is way past the point that we can say that now? Ben says not, we've not chatted for a while so we'll roll with it.
January has been a blast, and definitely not a your typical "hibernate after Christmas" scenario. Lots of activity online and in store means that we've continued to fill the racks with new releases and evergreen titles. Tonnes of pre loved wax is being cleaned and graded, to the point where we've recruited new members to the team. One such local legend (hijacked!) is Dennis. Den used to work at Vibes, an institution in Bury until it closed in 2012 and a store that still generates conversations on almost a daily basis with the local record buying folk. With his addition, the charm has certainly lowered in the staff room, but the sarcasm is through the roof!!!! We'd better keep him away from front of house ;)
We have a huge list of cool ideas for this year. One new feature is Ben's Friday releases video feature (which is recorded on his phone - very hi-tech!! Although he has bought himself a flashy new tripod and light to go with it - having said that, it was from Home Bargains so not all that flashy!) Each week he takes to the stage to show all of the new release Friday titles from that week, as well as some back in stock items and he throws in the odd deal or two too. Generally between 8 - 15 minutes long (although he could talk all night!) you can view these on our social media platforms. They're a bit of fun and a neat way to properly see a decent number of the new releases with Ben commenting along the way.
Thanks to our mate Jarrod for helping with the uploading and cameo feature on week three. By the time you read this we'll be nearing episode 5, highlighting the February 4th releases.
Twitter: waxandbeans / IG: waxandbeans / FB: waxandbeans / Youtube: waxandbeans
January has been exceptional for new releases, reissues and there's been a tonne of super exciting pre order announcements. As always, we've included our favourite pre-order for the month below, but you can always check out our full list of pre-orders here. We suggest you bookmark it for easy access... don't want you missing out on a banger ;)
Just a word of warning... they do move quickly!
As always, we do want to hear from you too! If you've got any suggestions for a pre-order we don't have listed, message us here. You can also chat to us about anything else using that same link and over on social media.
Our most anticipated pre-order this month is:
The Delines - The Sea Drift
The third album proper for 'Country-got-Soul's finest, The Delines, on Decor Records sees them exploring the US Gulf Coast, not far from where Amy Boone grew up. The songs in this cinematic opus all focus around this area and are inspired by when Amy asked Willy Vlautin to write her a song like Tony Joe White's 'Rainy Night In Georgia' after her tragic accident being hit by a car in 2016 and her 3 year recovery. This follows on from 2019's The Imperial which was number one in the UK official AMA charts for two weeks. We bought a copy of The Imperial based on the cool artwork back in 2019 and have loved the band since.
The Delines - The Sea Drift - £19.99
SHOP NOW
In other news.... well folks, you only went and did it!!
You may remember that we were shortlisted amongst a number of UK small businesses in the Fed Ex People's Choice Award. Well, your votes online must have ran into the thousands as Wax and Beans won!
We're genuinely blown away to receive the FedEx People's Choice Award for the 2021 small business grant UK campaign.
Thanks for your MEGA support. More news to follow on how this impacts us in a positive way and how we can action even more ideas!
What's been happening with us: two of our team celebrated big milestone birthdays recently. Josh turned 21 and we celebrated Wax and Beans style. He loves being in work so much that we hosted his fancy dress party at the shop!
Grandad Harold hit the big 70. H is the guy that saves us on a daily basis, completing local doorstep deliveries and dropping off foreign parcels to the courier depot.
Many happy returns to you both!
Our in store event page is filling up fast for 2022. We're absolutely delighted to be bringing you so much live music over the next 12 months. We'll have bands on our stage that we haven't even discovered yet - we're having lots of conversations with labels to bring as much local and national talent to Bury as possible during '22.
Check out our events page (we continually add to it) to see what's on and book your tickets.
February is looking like this:
The Uptown Two Live In Store - Friday 4th February: This is free entry, but ask that you buy a ticket here so we can keep an eye on numbers. See you there!
Whatever The Weather Live In Store - Friday 11th February: Grab your tickets here, for only £6!
Cold Water Swimmers Live In Store - Saturday 26th February: Another awesome night for only £6, don't miss out, get your tickets here.
Can you believe it, we are talking Record Store Day (RSD) again! Celebrating it's 15th year, RSD is reverting back to the traditional one drop. Quick get it in your diaries now:
23rd April 2022
One early get up, one queue, 500+ amazing titles choose from (trust us!) and loads of new friends to make on the day too. For folk that are local, we'll be hosting a list reveal party when this years exclusive titles are announced. Coffee, beer and pizza will be served! Everyone is welcome.
Something else.......
The builders are in! Work has now begun in earnest on our luxury apartments above the shop. Two unique rooms within our 1860s Victorian Grade II listed property in the centre of Bury, Greater Manchester.
Directly opposite The Met music venue and only two minutes walk from the Metrolink, bus station, shops, restaurants and the East Lancashire Railway, our accommodation will offer you a convenient and super dooper comfortable stay. So why not come and travel the world (of Bury, and not quite the seven seas) and stay with us in 2022 at our new accommodation, Suite Dreams (expected April '22).
In the meantime, you can follow the renovation process on our Instagram page @suitedreamsbury
Luna (aka Dave) is back with her very own paw-picked recommendation. This month she has selected the third album by ever popular, Dope Lemon.
We managed to interrupt Luna during her busy schedule to ask her what she thought of it. "It's DOPE!" she said.
Thanks Luna!
