Clocktower Music Bridport

THE £50 RECORD S TORE CHALLENGE

Words: Polly Glass Portraits: James Sheppard

A small, pretty market town in Dorset, Bridport makes an unlikely muso’s haven. People walk leisurely in pairs, often with dogs. If you follow the languid caws of the seagulls you reach the Jurassic coastline, along with the fish and chip huts, pubs and ice cream parlours of West Bay. Life slows down. And today, at least, the sky is very blue.

But beneath the bucolic exterior lies an artistic soul that goes back decades. Local 1920s theatre the Electric Palace is so called because it was the first place in town to have electricity. Sheet music and easels pop up in the windows we pass. The sound of buskers fills the air. Tables sell records, toy cars and other knickknacks. On one street we find a stall laden with second-hand CDs and, somewhat curiously, cuddly toy monkeys.

We’re here, however, for fantastic plastic, and 90s heroes/local(ish) boys Reef know just the place. They’ve brought us to Clocktower Music, as the band prepare to release Shoot Me Your Ace, their sixth studio album. Nestled in Bridport’s Art & Vintage quarter, Clocktower pops out against the surrounding art studios, milliners, furniture and antiques units. Its window ledges are painted with piano keys. The main notes of Bowie’s “Heroes” flow across the bright blue wall.

Inside we find three quarters of Reef (drummer/newest member Luke Bullen is absent with The Famous Virus) making themselves at home. Harvey Mandel’s Cristo Redentor spins on a turntable. Frontman Gary Stringer grills shop owner Roy about it. Bassist Jack Bessant chats to Electric Palace manager Susan. The chilled, arty staff pass round cups of coffee, checking how guitarist Jesse Wood takes his as if they were old friends. It’s hard to believe that this isn’t their local haunt. Only Jack visited previously, and decided his bandmates and Classic Rock should see it.

“I’ve got loads of vinyl,” Gary enthuses, lingering over T.Rex and Swervedriver in the Collectibles & Rarities racks. “It’s special. I was glad I didn’t get rid of all my vinyl when I was young, because a lot of people did.” He peers at a sealed collection of the Kiss solo records. “I did get rid of these, but only cos I didn’t really dig them. I’m not trying to make money out of a record collection, I just wanna listen to it.”