GIVE US THE BACKGROUND - WHEN AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO OPEN A RECORD SHOP?

My background is in the arts and cultural sector. At the end of March 2022 I left my ‘day job’ working in art book publishing, marketing and distribution after 15 years. Prior to that I worked in museums, galleries and (accidentally) in bookshops. I also led a parallel life as an environmental artist and freelance curator from the mid-2000s. Since the early 90s, Deb and I have been die-hard fans of heavy metal. For us, metal has always been the sum of its parts, transcending the actual music.

During the pandemic I had a vision (arguably a reckless, crazy one), to open a specialist heavy metal record shop. In spring of 2022, the circumstances arose where I was blessed and humbled to be in a position of financial support for this “madventure” from my close family. It was a risk, of course. But life’s too short, right? Making what we love into an actual career of sorts was the stuff of dreams, to be honest (I know it’s a cliché, but true).

Dark Earth opened with a bang on summer solstice 2022. Not long after, Deb walked through the door to this little castle of heavy metal. We connected instantly. It had to be a ‘cultural space’ that celebrated the various aspects of metal - encompassing visual art and literature too. I wanted people who made a pilgrimage to Dark Earth to feel like they’d had a memorable artistic experience.

The old gods had a plan for us both together. Now, here we are.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR STORE? WHAT'S THE VIBE?

Dark Earth has very much become a social place and a safe space for the community of which we’re a part. We have made so many new friends doing this beautiful thing and often there’s a very ‘chatty’ atmosphere. Whether it’s an album launch with a band, a live gig, or even an evening with horror fiction writers, the cultural events we host really help to bring people together. The age demographic of people attracted to Dark Earth is broad – when a 14-year-old school boy buys himself a Sunn O))) album, and a lady of 81 years treats herself to an Alice Cooper LP – you know you’re on to a good thing!

Dark Earth is a very rare beast. We are unique in the UK. It’s the art aspect to the vision that mainly sets us apart. Our objective is to celebrate the diversity of metal and diversity in metal - not just the dizzying amount of sub-genres that have evolved out of the primordial metallic soup, but the cultural and geographical spread of metal around the world. The sophisticated visual art forms synonymous with the music; and those who are under represented and deserve more recognition, such as women and the BAME and LGBTQIA+ communities. Heavy metal has a rainbow and we embrace it! We like to think that within our range of records there’s something for everybody.

We also love books (Jim has a background in bookselling and publishing, Deb is an avid devourer of folk horror and ghost fiction) and so, from the outset, it was important to us that Dark Earth would sell printed matter too. Currently we have a decent range of heavy metal history, theory and philosophy, black/deathmetal zines, album cover art and photography books. Yet, aside from these obvious categories, on our shelves is a nice selection of publications across fields such as the occult, paganism, witchcraft, the gothic, mythology, tattooart, horror and poetry. In particular, Deb has expanded and curated our range of folk horror and ghost fiction beautifully. Of course, all these are vital sources of cultural inspiration and have strong resonances deep within heavy metal.

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR SHOP NAME?

The dystopian name Dark Earth has its roots in my concern with the environment and climate chaos (integral to the impulse in my former practice as an enviro-artist). By nature, I’m usually a ‘glass half full’ kind of guy. However, I really don’t hold much hope for the future of our species given the dire planetary situation we’re in. Sorry to bring the mood down! But, these really are ‘dark times’ and we must now come to terms with our fate.

Music and art can help us deal with this. In a similar dynamic to Yin and Yang, the tree in our logo is simultaneously the Tree of Life, and also the Tree of Death.

CAN YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST RECORD YOU SOLD IN THE SHOP? AND THE LAST?

The first record we ever sold (at our opening party) was Metallica’s classic 'Ride the Lightning’, and the last record we sold today was Zakk Sabbath’s superb 'Doomed Forever’.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST RECORD SHOP YOU WENT TO? AND DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST RECORD YOU BOUGHT?

The first record shop I went to (with my Dad) was probably HMV in Sheffield. I was an 80s kid and the very first album I bought was Madonna’s True Blue on cassette tape. To afford it, I saved up my pocket money up for weeks!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RECORD SHOP (APART FROM YOUR OWN!) AND WHY?

Deb: S.T. Records in Dudley, West Midlands. My first real indie record shop experience, when I was younger. Excellent shop that specialises in old school metal. I went back to visit recently and it was like coming home.

Jim: Record Runner in Greenwich Village, New York. It’s a proper old school vinyl treasure trove run by nice, knowledgeable people. They have some excellent Japanese import LPs too.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE RECORD STORE EXPERIENCE?

Back in the early 1990s there was a brilliant little indie record shop across from Sheffield train station (I can’t remember its name and sadly it’s no longer there). It was basically a tiny room hidden away upstairs behind a pub. To an inquisitive teenager like me, it was such a cool, low-fi place full of vinyl rarities. To this day I still remember the feeling of sheer joy when I bought Megadeth’s Hangar 18 single on 12”gatefold vinyl and… it was signed by the whole band!

HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS RECORD STORE DAY BEEN FOR YOUR STORE?

It’s been great! Being part of the RSD family really helps to boost our visibility and integrity. In addition to the metal RSD releases we also order in titles that are outside the heavier genres, so this has proved to be a good way to bring a wider audience into Dark Earth. Also, the big day itself always boosts sales of our existing stock which is a bonus!

WHAT'S THE BEST GIG YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO?

It must be Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s farewell ‘Back to the Beginning’ event at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham this summer. Bitter-sweet and emotional, yet what an incredible day it was! We were literally in the arena of the gods of metal and heavy rock. History was made on that day of such epic scale. Never to be repeated but always remembered. We laughed and cried, sang and screamed along with tens of thousands of other kindred spirits. All united by the extraordinary music created by four lads from Birmingham.

WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE FILM?

Jim: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (Peter Greenaway)

Deb: Midsommar (Ari Aster)

WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE BOOK?

Jim: The Castle (Franz Kafka)

Deb: The Silent Companions (Laura Purcell)

WHAT WOULD MAKE UP YOUR DESERT ISLAND DISCS?

Jim:
Sunn O))): Monoliths & Dimensions 
Iron Maiden: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 
Philip Glass: Koyaanisqatsi 
DJ Shadow: Endtroducing... 
Black Sabbath: Master of Reality
Michael Nyman: Drowning by Numbers 
The Mars Volta: Frances the Mute 
Orbital: The Brown Album 
David Bowie: Heroes
Rotting Christ: The Heretics 
Jan Garbarek & The Hilliard Ensemble: Officium 
Def Leppard: Hysteria 
Fripp & Eno: No Pussyfooting 

Deb:
The Cure: Disintigration 
Black Sabbath: Vol.4 
Johnny Flynn: A Larum
Green Lung: This Heathen Land 
Max Richter: The Blue Notebooks 
Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes 
Darkher: The Buried Storm 
Rotting Christ: The Heretics 
Tom Waits: Closing Time
ARD: Take Up My Bones 
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: The Boatman's Call 
Lankum: False Lankum 
David Bowie: Hunky Dory

OTHER RECORD STORES