Maldon Ginny's cocktail bar to host vinyl club this week - full details

A sound venture - Novel Sounds and Ginny's Cocktail Lounge will open their new vinyl record club this week. (Credit: Ben Shahrabi)

MUSIC lovers can sip cocktails over a discussion about their favourite records, in a new club opening at Ginny’s cocktail bar in Maldon High Street.

Ginny’s is collaborating with Novel Sounds record shop to host a monthly vinyl club in the bar’s newly refurbished first floor lounge.

Sessions are free to attend, with the first one taking place on Thursday from 7pm.

Howard Monks, owner of Novel Sounds, told Caroline Coastal: “I’m really looking forward to it.

“We’re looking to run it like a book club. People will come along, and we’ll listen to music on a lovely turntable.

“We can go away, have a listen, then come back to discuss the record. We can chat about how we found it – and whether we didn’t like it, or we loved it.”

The first session will be a “meet and greet”, with guests invited to bring their favourite records.

For those who do not drink alcohol, the bar offers a variety of mocktails and soft drink options.

Ginny's owner Misha Rosenthall in the newly refurbished first-floor lounge. (Credit: Ben Shahrabi)

The new club comes as Novel Sounds celebrated its first full year in business this month.

Owner Howard says the response from the public has been “absolutely amazing”

He added: “I wasn’t entirely certain how it would be received, after so long without a record shop in the town, but it has been absolutely unbelievable.

“A year on, we’re still meeting new faces. People are still discovering us. It’s been more than we ever could have hoped for.”

The shop has seen a rise in youngsters visiting, as the “vinyl revival” continues.

“Much like the Kindle did for books, it sometimes takes us to lose something for us to appreciate it,” Howard added.

“The younger generation are discovering vinyl for the first time, often the first time they’ve ever stepped into a record shop. They have a real desire for something tangible.

Power couple - Olivia Rosenthall and Howard Monks opened Novel Sounds as part of the expansion of Maldon Books into new premises last year. (Credit: Ben Shahrabi)

“It’s almost a novelty to own a piece of music that they love on something physical.”

The music industry is worth £2.4 billion in the UK alone, growing year on year. Vinyl records turned over 6.7 million units last year, the highest number since 1991.

Fans can enjoy the first Vinyl Club at Ginny’s Cocktail Lounge on Thursday 27 February at 7pm.

Listen to Howard Monks on Caroline Coastal: