2019 marks the 30th anniversary of iconic record shop and label Mr Bongo, which started life as a small record shop underneath Daddy Kool’s Reggae Store on Berwick Street in London. They were one of the first shops to sell vinyl imports from independent hip hop labels such as Def Jam, Rawkus, Nervous and Big Beat outside of the USA. They also became an established bearer for hard-to-find, classic Latin music, particularly Brazilian, outside of the Americas.

Over the following years, Mr Bongo opened in Shibuya, Japan, moved their first office to Brighton in 1999 and closed all their shops in 2003. They then moved into world cinema, a venture that has grown to complement the music. In keeping with the record label philosophy, they hand pick iconic, hard-to-find gems and cult classics from around the world.

To celebrate their birthday, Mr Bongo take over the Café and Bar on Fri 26 July from 21:45 to 23:00 before a very special late night anniversary showing of their Mexican-Italian cult classic (and Scala favourite) Santa Sangre by the one and only Alejandro Jodorowsky. You can expect loosely themed sounds and a merchandise table full of special anniversary goodies. Also look out for their in-store at Rough Trade Bristol on Thu 25 July.

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