Thurston Moore opens his own independent record store in London

Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore has set up his own pop-up record store in Stoke Newington, north London, opening yesterday (5 February).

96 CHURCH has been launched in collaboration with underground comic artist Savage Pencil (Edwin Pouncey) as well as with head of Soho Music and Zippo Records Pete Flanagan.

The store won’t just sell records, either, also boasting an inventory of posters, art, books, vintage t-shirts and memorabilia. It will also serve as an art gallery.

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Opening tomorrow at 11am! 96 CHURCH LONDON — THE DAYDREAM LIBRARY SERIES & ECSTATIC PEACE LIBRARY are pleased to announce the opening of a record store & bookshop on the charming retail lane of Stoke Newington Church Street. Opening February 5, 2020, 96 CHURCH at 11am, the storefront at 96 CHURCH claims to be an experiment by founders and longtime friends, “We are giving it a month or so,” says musician Thurston Moore. “If it works, we’ll keep on keepin’ on.” During a week of Brexit stories, this one defies all borders. “‘Sav X' has been part of the Ecstatic Peace Library community here for decades. Savage Pencil is the nom de plume for artist and writer Edwin Pouncey. Savage designed the opening flyer for the store (above) in his iconic style, having had an extensive history collaborating with Thurston creating several posters, t-shirts and and record covers for Thurston’s post-punk band Sonic Youth since the mid-1980s. Along with Savage Pencil, 96 CHURCH will be curated with all the energy and love we (Thurston and Eva, publishing partners in Ecstatic Peace Library and the record label Daydream Library Series) have for our local community and our passion for creative activism. While it is entirely idealistic to open up shop in a climate of demagoguery, we approach it with respect to our awesome neighbourhood. We imagine it as a refuge space where we can welcome every one, musicians, poets, artists, and lovers of a non- discriminatory Now. This experimental retail happening will be in partnership with Pete Flanagan and his son Jim. Pete and Jim are two of the great British record collector/dealers of the last thirty years whose tables at record fairs around the world are always the ones serious collector freaks (ahem, us) bee-line to before all others for thee heaviest of sides. 96 CHURCH will have on hand: An abundance of vinyl treasures, will be vintage posters, literature and ephemera, which the Flanagans have been serving to everyone in need to get their rocks off, from members of Led Zeppelin to Destroy All Monsters. "I first met Thurston when I was interviewing Sonic Youth in 1985 when they were promoting their Bad Moon Rising LP.” Says Pouncey

A post shared by Thurston Moore (@thurstonmoore58) on Feb 4, 2020 at 6:17am PST

Writing about the launch on Instagram, Moore said that “96 CHURCH will be curated with all the energy and love we have for our local community and our passion for creative activism. While it is entirely idealistic to open up shop in a climate of demagoguery, we approach it with respect to our awesome neighbourhood.”

The store will be open every day from 5 February to 14 March, although Moore promises it will “keep on keepin’ on” if it’s met by success.

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