Featured Store: Raven Records

How and why did you buy the shop?
Both of us have been metal fans since young children and owing a record store has always been a dream of ours. After Ben was made redundant in 2022 he decided that he wanted to change career paths. After doing several graphic design courses, one of which involving a project to design a logo for a company, Chloe’s initial idea of Raven Records, which she came up about 6 years ago with whilst on holiday in Majorca, was developed on as part of the project. Once the course was completed, we decided that now was the right time to turn the project into a reality.

After a lot of research (including bothering Graham quite a bit! Thank you Graham!) and an endless premises search, which included the initial location falling through and a fateful trip to view an ex-kebab shop in Tufnell park, which put us off eating kebabs for life. We eventually found the premises at 24 Camden Road and put an offer in, thinking we didn’t have a chance with it being 100 metres from Camden Town Station, legendary music venues the Underworld and the Electric Ballroom and the Dev and Black Heart metal pubs, only to be chuffed to find out the landlord accepted our offer!

Background to what you were doing previously?
Ben previously worked as A&R for Fresh Sounds, was UK co-ordinator for the Global Battle of the Bands before working as a professional groundsman for 18 years at several place including Charlton Athletic Football Club. Chloe worked as a techno DJ in the late 90s/early 2000s, doing the circuit of the club and free party scenes and spent most of her time hanging out in her friend’s record shops (back in the days when you played vinyl as a DJ) before moving into investment where she currently holds a position as well as running the shop with Ben.

Any interesting or funny tales?
Probably one of the most surprising stories are the chandeliers that hang in the front of the shop. Chloe found them on Ebay and when we went to collect them on a road trip down the M4, we found out that they were from the former residence of Chris Parry – who signed the Jam, managed The Cure and founded XFM. So, we have a part of musical history right here in the shop.

What is unique about the shop?
Along with the music, books and merch, Raven Records hosts the first alcohol free metal bar in the world. We have a wide range of 0.0% abv offerings including seven different types of whisky and a large range of beers and ciders, including 0.0% beer on draft. Ben is a recovering alcoholic (17 years of no drinking and counting) and runs a secular twelve-step programme for people recovering from addiction, with weekly meetings held online and in person in the shop. We also work with the charity Heavy Metal Therapy to offer monthly peer support groups for metal fans.

With the 0.0 bar, we wanted to create a space for people to socialise that isn’t solely focused on the consumption of alcohol, there are very few places to go out in the Metal scene which don’t involve some form of alcohol consumption and we wanted to offer people an alternative. In addition to the bar, we also offer a range of Heavy Metal inspired coffee from Black Coffee Worship and the Polish black metal band Behemoth. We serve coffee using the ‘pour over method’ which involves pouring hot water through coffee grounds in a filter. We like our coffee how we like our metal – BLACK!!

In terms of the music, we wanted to offer a broad range of genres rather than specialise in one sub-genre and hence we stock a vast spectrum of metal, from the bands that started the genre right through to the different sub-genres and all the way to the extreme and modern forms. We are also the UK’s biggest indie stockist of glam and sleaze metal titles so if you want to slip in a Winger with your new Watain LP, we’ve got you!

The shop also hosts ‘the Lucifer Lounge’ – our dedicated ‘hell’ themed basement area. The newly refurbished basement provides a private space where we host VIP events, band signings, interviews and photoshoots and is open to the public when not in use, meaning fans can get a chance to sit on the throne where their music idols have been interviewed and take photos with the iconic six-foot St. Peters cross hanging on the wall.

Where did the name come from?
As spiritual individuals who enjoy mythology, the raven also holds deeper significance for us. Known for their intelligence, ravens are seen as guardians and symbols of prophecy and insight, often acting as psychopomps that bridge the material world and the spiritual realm. By choosing this name, we hope to channel some of that raven wisdom into the shop, helping our customers unearth hidden truths and embrace their potential!
Our tagline, “Join the Conspiracy,” refers to the collective noun for a group of ravens— a “conspiracy”— inviting customers to join our community and connect with other likeminded individuals.

What Proper releases are you looking forward to?
Ben is looking forward to the reissue of Complete and Total Fucking Mayhem from Hellripper on white vinyl and Chloe is looking forward to the 40th anniversary reissue of Crimson Idol from W.A.S.P.

The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made It Happen

Graham Jones is the author of ‘The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made It Happen’ which has features on over 200 independent record shops that he has visited. The book was made in to a film titled ‘The Vinyl Revival’ available on DVD. Both can be ordered from Proper, independent record shops, Amazon and other online retailers.

Read about the book, film and vinyl soundtrack here