by Glen Screeton
NEXT time you are in Warrington town centre or sat in the Alma Café on Legh St enjoying a brew, why not walk another 20 yards on the left to Lizard Records – keep your eyes peeled, you might not see it, but you will hear it!
Crossing the threshold you will be greeted enthusiastically by Steve Davidson aka ‘Diddy’, some might even recognize him as he has been a D.J since the age of 13 when he helped out at various shows by playing his own ‘punk’ set at local Leisure Centres and Youth Clubs and continues to ‘spin’ records today (more later). Stepping back in time to around 2010 -2012 (ish) Steve had amassed thousands of records during his time on the road and as the music scene was changing quickly, he recalls “he was sick of looking at a huge stack of old Dance and Techno” and took approximately 2000 records to various charity shops around town. Roll forward to 2014, the previous owner of the 9 Gallon pub (prior to it becoming the Alma Café) offered Steve a storage unit for his huge vinyl collection and it dawned on him that perhaps he shouldn’t have given away all that vinyl after all. Especially as 2 years later in 2016 Steve started officially trading as Lizard Records and had to go to flea markets, boot sales and second-hand shops to acquire more stock!
So, what of Diddy’s DJ career? – now I’m not an expert in this field by a long way, but from sharing a bill with some big names to championing a new generation of record-loving DJs sounds pretty good to me and I asked Steve “where the most exciting thing happening in DJ music is right now, Manchester? London?” Not quite- for Steve he sees the action is happening much closer to home – in record shops, grassroots venues, festival tents and, increasingly, among younger DJs rediscovering the pleasures of vinyl. One of his biggest achievements came at Neighbourhood Weekender, where he’s been responsible for curating the music in the festival’s VIP area since its inception. Working alongside DJs including Brooksie, James Glover, Robbie Thorpe and Adam Green, he’s helped create a space where the soundtrack appears to be as important as the festival itself. This year though, at the same venue, Steve decided to aim a little higher and successfully pitched for a Friday slot on the festival’s Big Top stage, opening for none other than The Human League and ABC and he mentions meeting ABC frontman Martin Fry was one highlight, closing the set with Dexys Midnight Runners’ ‘Geno’ to a very enthusiastic crowd was another.
Steve’s recent highlights haven’t been limited to Neighbourhood Weekend though. At this year’s Warrington Arts Festival, he found himself alongside psychedelia and electronica band Henge – (I was there, fantastic gig!) Elsewhere, his regular schedule includes a rooftop residency at The Grand and outdoor Friday events at Grappenhall Cricket Club, running through October. He’s also been taking his sets further afield, appearing at The Elk in Didsbury and sharing a club night with veteran DJ Greg Wilson at The Brickhouse. However, throughout all this, his record shop is central to that mission and although the vinyl revival has been around for years, Steve has noticed something particularly interesting recently: younger DJs are getting involved. People who grew up with laptops, MP3s and CDJs are increasingly turning towards records. There’s something tactile about vinyl that digital formats can’t replicate (bit like a magazine😉). Steve wants to encourage that enthusiasm.
So, next time you are in the area, swing by and smell the vinyl, soak up the atmosphere and tune in to whatever Steve is playing on his excellent sound system, if you have the kids in tow, they might even get a lollipop, now you won’t get that in any of the corporate stores! He’s open Wednesdays 12pm – 5pm and Thursday-Saturday 10am – 5pm.
