Videostore is a slice of unashamedly feel-good scuzzy pop written by Alan Clarke and performed/recorded with his band Broken by Rock, where Alan is joined by Derek McKee on drums and Andrew Clarke on bass.
I first heard this song when Broken by Rock played the Old Hairdressers and I fell for it immediately - catchy, funny, hooky and perfect lo-fi guitar pop that's full of character. I found myself singing this for a few days after Broken by Rock recently played The Doublet - photo below.
Now released as a single on all the usual streaming platforms, you can check it too and see if you also find yourself singing-a-long. I bet you do!
This is like a Fruit Pastille! Remember that advert? I bet you can't put a Rowantrees Fruit Pastille in your mouth without chewing it.
I bet you can't listen to Videostore by Broken by Rock without singing-a-long! Give it a go!
Under 3-minutes long, a sampled intro leads to fuzzed up guitars and then Alan's naturally melodic voice comes in. The verses are playful, the chorus is a hook that you can instantly sing-a-long with. I love the second verse;
My Mum she works at the record store
Two doors down from the video store
She came in looking for Rocky 4
(said) "This is a pretty cool video store"
The hook is simple and effective;
Come on, come on
Do you wanna work at my videostore
Alan - "Guest vocals are supplied by Rachel, and Camilo Pineda kindly allowed us to sample audio from his YouTube posted videos from a US videostore in the early 90s. The recording has a lo-fi aesthetic that fits with the analogue subject matter—it recalls days of hanging out in the local videostore, considering what movie you're going to pick for that evening's entertainment while friendships (and more) blossomed. It was actually kinda cool to be the guy that worked behind the desk... would you wanna work in my videostore?"
Alan kindly answered a few questions for the blog, so read on to hear about family life growing up in Fife, the power of a cardboard box drum kit and the bands that sparked a lifelong musical journey.
1. Can you remember the first time you wrote a song on guitar? Chords and lyrics?
I started writing songs when I was about 16 or 17 and quickly started recording them with my brother, Stephen.
We grew up in Inverkeithing, a small town in Fife. Apart from playing football in the local park in the summer and Pac-Man on our Acorn Electron 32k, there wasn’t much else going on, so forming a band and writing music seemed like a good idea! All four kids in our family played instruments (piano, violin, and viola), so there was always music happening in the house.
Our recording setup was truly DIY:
We used a tape recorder and a ghetto blaster.
The rhythm section was a taped bass line, someone hitting a cardboard box for the bass drum, and a KitKat tin for the snare.
Once the rhythm track was done, we’d play it back and record the vocals and guitars on the second cassette recorder.
We wrote together, so the details of who did what are fuzzy now, but songs like There’s A Man and Let Me Go came out of those sessions. Falling Down was mainly written by me (I think!) when I was 17. You can actually hear that original recording right here:
➡️ Listen to "Falling Down" (Original Recording)
2. Who inspired you to play guitar?
Three people really cemented my desire to play: my dad, Tony Cunningham, and Brian May.
My Dad: He wasn't a great guitarist, but he had an EKO acoustic and lyric/chord sheets for songs like David Bowie’s Space Oddity, The Everly Brothers, and John Denver’s You Fill Up My Senses. Watching him try to play them made me want to give it a go.
Tony Cunningham: Tony was a local chap who gave lessons at a youth club. He had seen Led Zeppelin in the 70s and could play Stairway To Heaven, which I found very impressive. He taught me all the basic chords and got me properly started.
Brian May: Brian May made me want to crank up the volume! We had some Queen live videos growing up, and watching him play Hammer To Fall and Tie Your Mother Down made me realise going electric was the only way forward.
I then got into a lot of hair metal, but it was the funky swagger of the Run DMC version of Aerosmith's Walk This Way that really switched me on to bands like The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, and early Blur.
3. How old were you when you formed your first band? Tell us about it.
I was 15 and a bit of a music nerd, hanging around the music department at school during lunchtimes, messing about with their Yamaha DX7 synth. Some older kids asked me if I wanted to play keys for their band.
The singer's name was Lorraine Hossack, so naturally, the band was called Hossack’s Cossacks!
We did one gig—a lunchtime performance at school. I played the piano, and we did a set of covers. The highlight was Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd, with about 300 school kids in the hall all singing along to "Hey Teacher, leave those kids alone!"
After that one-gig tour ended, I formed The Reaction with my brother Stephen (two years below me) and Neil MacNamara, who was a great drummer and, crucially, had his own drum kit! We played a few school shows and even got asked to play at another high school in Edinburgh, which felt like a massive deal at the time.
4. What’s been your musical highlight with Broken by Rock to date?
Broken By Rock is really just a great excuse for my friends and me to make some noise, escape the pressures of real life, and have fun. The thing I love most about it is the community that has gradually built up around the band—playing with brilliant acts and having great friends come to our shows.
We have a very DIY ethos, focusing on writing and recording at home, though we did have a session in Edinburgh at Post Electric Studios (the first time I’d recorded in a "proper" studio), thanks to a generous birthday present from my sister. That was great fun and produced our singles, Popstars and Kingdom. Off the back of that, we had some radio play on Radio Scotland and were invited to chat with Michelle McManus, which was a real treat!
I’ve also been very lucky to play with my pal, Stu Kidd, in KiDD. Riding on his musical coattails, I’ve had the pleasure of supporting Euros Childs, Norman Blake at Frets, David Scott of The Pearlfishers, and playing Tim Peaks Diner at Kendall Calling with the BMX Bandits and The Cords.
5. Do you have any fixed plans with the band? Or are you playing it by ear?
There is certainly no strategy board in my rehearsal room for Broken By Rock!
We usually play 2–3 gigs a year and try to release music when we can. I’m really looking forward to our track Videostore coming out—I'm very appreciative of Camilo Pineda in the States for letting us use the audio samples and footage for the promo video.
Gig-wise, we are playing a Teenage Fanclub tribute night in support of the Tiny Changes charity, set up in memory of Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbits. We’d encourage folk to come along for some choice Fanclub covers—there’s also a very cool new band called Acer Trees who are definitely worth checking out.
6. Lastly, what music have you been enjoying lately?
I've been listening to a mix of new and old tunes. Top of the list lately:
A Firmer Hand - Hamish Hawk (Brilliant live!)
Mahashmashana - Father John Misty (The whole album is great, especially "She Cleans Up.")
The Shakes - Savage Mansion (Great collection. Members are now in Former Champ—check out their single Crooked Little Line, one of my 2025 faves.)
The Making - Lavinia Blackwall (Unbelievable songs, production, and vocals—highly recommend.)
I also downloaded a Super Furry Animal Essentials Playlist onto my phone for my holidays. It became the perfect soundtrack to driving our rental Fiat 500 around the crazy hairpin bends in the Dolomites!
Finally, I can't get enough of the Music Maps Podcast, which features brilliant weekly hour-long interviews about music and books about music. ➡️ Listen to Music Maps Podcast
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