It was always a little odd that the Pure Groove record shop was sandwiched between a particularly poor kebab shop and a bath fixtures showroom in Archway, north London. But when picking their new bigger and better location, they still managed to come up with somewhere unusual, eschewing busier hubs like Soho or Shoreditch for a spot by Smithfields meat market.

The vastly larger store space has allowed Pure Groove to focus on the Pure Groove 100, a careful selection of what the Pure Groove staff consider to be the top 100 releases of the moment.  Arranged as a wall installation with numbered metal compartments lining the bottom for easy browsing, this current list of 100 includes The Shoes' debut 7" with Polaroid snaps of celebrity sneakers and a special edition of Foals' LP complete with a screenprint by Tinhead.  Exhibition space has also been incorporated into the store, with the walls currently adorned with Kate Moross' neon graphic prints. Expect future shows to include Factory Records' graphic designer Peter Saville.   

The new Pure Groove officially launched last night with a live performance from Jeremy Warmsley, who covered New Order's "Temptation", taken from his new double A-side single 'The Boat Song'.  Mystery Jets followed, performing tracks from the new album 'Twenty One'. They also declared that they'd never play at a meat market venue again.

Luckily for Pure Groove, they have a stellar lineup planned for the next fortnight including Lykke Li, Ipso Facto, Metronomy and Black Devil Disco Club all performing in store, which will ensure we'll all be making regular trips to the meat market.