Utopia Records

Every time I visit Sydney, Utopia records seems to have shrunk. I remember on my first visit how amazing it was. Walls and walls of metal CDs, records and T shirts. All my favorite bands at my fingertips.
My music taste hasn’t changed much since back then but on my last visit I really didn’t find much that I could buy. My favorite bands that utopia used to stock seemed to be a bit empty or missing and I walked out with only one hoodie. A bit of a shame to see how the downloading scene has killed once great shops like this. Good to see they are still in operation though.

If you’re into metal and vinyl: go there ! Great selection of hard rock/​metal both on vinyl an cd.
The staff is very friendly and they know about the music they’re selling.
A lot of rare stuff (not cheap but ok).
I’ll come back (if i’ll come back to sydney)

Utopia was a big part of my angsty teenage childhood. Well, as big a part as it could be when I lived 500kms from the shop.
Utopia was a go-​to for any visit to Sydney, in order to satisfy my emo pop punk needs that the CD shops in my home town failed to meet (there was one shop, two if you included Kmart). Utopia had every album I ever wanted and on each trip I would pick a CD at random, decide that it would be my new favourite band and listen to it in the car the whole way home (and for the next few weeks too). I never felt quite like I fit in here (I lacked the black dreadlocks/​blue hair, torn black tights, platform boots and piercings that everyone in there had ten years ago), but my little pop punk heart felt at home nonetheless. Every now and then I’d buy a band shirt from here too which I’d live and sleep in for the following month.
A couple of things have changed since then. Utopia has moved house — twice. Whilst their new shop still retains all the Utopian flavours, it’s a far smaller shop than the once would-be-intimidating-if-I-wasn’t-in-such-awe underground location. I too have changed a little since 2001. Angsty pop punk no longer makes me weep tears of joy and I’m increasingly relieved that I bailed from my appointment for my Ataris San Diemas High School Football Rules tattoo. Although, I maintain a sentimental attachment to the CD store that really was my teenage Utopia. And I’m not going to lie — whenever I manage to make my way to Utopia, it’s rare that I’ll leave without a new album, one that lives in my car CD player on repeat for the next few weeks.

Let’s face it, downloading music doesn’t have any of the charm that buying a physical album does. You don’t get to tear off the plastic cover, or have that almost-​spiritual moment of putting the CD in the player, closing the tray and waiting for the first note to kick in. Double-​clicking just doesn’t do it for me. The days of watching Empire Records or High Fidelity and thinking owning a music store would be an awesome way to make a living appear to be long gone (thanks iTunes!), but there’s a little reminder that that the best place to buy your music from is a shop. A real shop. Well, if you’re into hard rock and heavy metal anyway.
Utopia Records has been around for the best part of 30 years, having started out in Martin Place and now residing on Kent St (although the entrance is on Bathurst St) in Sydney’s CBD. Offering everything from CDs to fashion items, via the way of vinyl and books, it houses everything you could want from the various alternative music genres.
If you’re into your heavier-​type of music, and still enjoy the physical act of buying an album, then get yourself down to this emporium of metal!