When it comes to discovering fresh new music on wax, nothing beats subscription service Flying Vinyl. Five 7″ singles delivered to your doorstep every month from the UK’s hottest up-and-coming artists. The company’s latest offering, Spotlight, takes the experience a step further, sending members an exclusive bookset that goes ‘under-the-skin’ of the month’s featured artist.
We spoke to Spotlight curator Sarah Thomas on how she got involved with Flying Vinyl, her dream interviewee and the records she just couldn’t live without…
When did you get into record collecting?
I’ve been into record collecting for such a long time now it’s hard to pinpoint when it really started, but I’d say it kind of sparked when I was just nosing around my parents’ old collection when I was quite a bit younger. I just fell in love with the artwork and the feeling of holding the physical wax copy in my hand, and I started asking them all about it and how it worked. Me and my dad then started going to Record Store Day together so that I could start building a collection of my own and my love for it really stemmed from there.
Tell us more about your work with Flying Vinyl…
I started working with Flying Vinyl quite naturally really. I’d reviewed one of the monthly subscription boxes on my blog, and Craig Evans the CEO of FV thanked me and then we became really great friends after hanging out at FV Festival II. We’ve got exactly the same banter and just love going to gigs together! Craig started talking about Spotlight in its early conceptual stages and asked me if I’d be interested and it sort of went from there, and the podcast followed quite quickly after. So far, I’ve interviewed Stereo Honey, Colouring, Dream Wife and Our Girl, and we’ve got some more really exciting interviews coming up later this year.
Who would be your dream interviewee and why?
I’d have to say Stevie Nicks! As predictable as that may be, I just think with the incredible career she’s had both in Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist that she’d have an endless amount to say, especially being such an iconic female artist. The best interviewee is always someone that delves deep into the questions because you can really see the passion they have and end up finding out things you’d never have thought to ask. I think Stevie would be the perfect fit for that.
Which female musicians are you loving right now?
Currently I’m loving Julia Cumming from Sunflower Bean for her incredible voice and her socially and politically charged lyricism which feels incredibly important right now. Billie Eilish is amazing too, the music she’s making is like nothing else out there and she’s still so young. I’m also loving Sinead Harnett, her voice has got such an incredible tone to it and she’s not afraid to speak honestly and passionately in her songs.
What’s the most prized record in your collection?
I’d say my most prized record is either my mum’s ‘Best of Bowie’ record from the 80s or my dad’s original copy of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. They’re both still in such great condition considering I know they both played them so much, especially my mum’s, she always talks about dancing to Bowie in her room when she was my age so it’s nice to have that connection to it when I play it.
Which albums are you most looking forward to in 2018?
I’m definitely looking forward to the debut records coming from Tom Misch and Colouring and I also can’t wait to hear the follow-up from Sunflower Bean. I’m also really interested to see what the new stuff from Arctic Monkeys, Peace and The 1975 is like. It’s going to be a huge year for music with the all the comebacks and the exciting new artists on the rise right now, I’m really looking forward to it.
Follow Sarah on Instagram here: @sarahdahlia_
