Since opening in 1987, Vicious Sloth has attracted its fair share of rock royalty. Thurston Moore, Henry Rollins and J Mascis have been known to stop by, while co-owner Glenn Terry once bumped into Metallica 30 minutes before they were due to rock Rod Laver Arena. Eddy Current Suppression Ring also played to a few lucky fans in 2016, hours before their reunion show at a packed Golden Plains Festival.
Terry and business partner Peter Stathopoulos are lifelong record nuts. Specialising in local ’60s and ’70s rock rarities – think Melbourne punk, Sydney garage, Brisbane psych – the store is bent on preserving Australia’s rock heritage. A good chunk of the business is dedicated to researching, licensing and re-issuing lost relics on the Vicious Sloth label.
Re-issues aside, records are mostly second-hand, purchased from collections. There’s usually only one copy of each title, so we recommend snapping up anything you might be keen on quickly. Vintage and local CDs, tapes, books and mags are also for sale.
Before you leave check out the “Beatles cabinet”, a time capsule of rare Fab Four paraphernalia. If you can’t make it to Malvern, visit the Vicious Sloth website to browse the online catalogue.
