With a passion for music and a love of vinyl records, a new club in Swanage, Dorset, has been steadily growing since it was formed a year ago.
Swanage Record Club was set up at The Mowlem on Shore Road in November 2024 by Keith Nuttall, who at the time had recently moved to the town and was keen to get involved in the local community.
Lots of discussion about musicians, bands, and albums in The Showbar
Different theme each month
Like a book club, but for records, the group meets monthly, on a Thursday in the Mowlem Showbar.
Each session, which is free to attend, is curated by a volunteer, who chooses a theme for the evening’s music.
Two albums are presented by the curator, played in an old school way from start to finish, plus more tracks along the same theme are brought along by others to be played as well.
Keith Nuttall said:
“It’s effectively a social club for music fans, who chat informally about music, bands, record collecting, gigs, etc. without fear of boring our friends and family rigid. Of course, we chat about other things too!
“It’s early days and the club is evolving. I’m starting to hear the magic words, ‘What’s that you’re playing?’ more often.
“We seem to have a good number of regulars, with new people appearing every month. Also more are coming forward, eager to curate monthly sessions or have a go at being DJ for 20 minutes.”
Keith Nuttall proposed the idea of the record club in 2024
With algorithyms deciding what plays next online, there’s been a revival in sales of vinyl records which can be played from start to finish in the order the artist intended
Next sessions
- Fantasy theme: 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm on Thursday 16th October 2025
- The Road theme: 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm on Thursday 13th November 2025
- Absolutes theme: 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm on Thursday 11th December 2025
A fantasy theme for the meeting in October 2025
All ages and genders welcome
“You’ll be among friends”
Keith moved from Manchester to Swanage with his wife in 2021, after discovering the area on visits to their daughter living in Studland. He said:
“It was a bit of a gamble moving down here, but it’s paid off – it’s a real place for real people and we love it!
“The inspiration for the club came about as I used to be a member of a record club a few years ago in Yorkshire and it was very popular.
“I thought it could work well in Swanage so I mentioned the idea to Paul Angel, the events manager at The Mowlem and it all started from there.
“So if you live in Purbeck, why not come along to a session in The Showbar? If you have some vinyl which fits with an upcoming theme, bring it along to play.
“If you don’t have anything, just bring along yourself. If you love listening to music, you’ll be among friends. New members are invited to just turn up to an evening meeting.
“Ages range from 16 to 76, and there’s a healthy mix of genders – we’re not a bunch of craft-ale-drinking chin-strokers!”
Willoughby Coffen from Church Knowle curated the session in September 2025 with his two chosen albums
It’s mainly vinyl but a few CDs can get sneaked into the mix!
Further information
- More about Swanage Record Club
