MUSICIANS, music lovers and retailers will unite today for a key event in the music industry.

Record Store day is set to see music lovers pack record shops up and down the country in the hope to get their hands on limited edition EPs and special releases while watching an array of live bands including Pendulum, Young Knives, The Dreaming Spires and Winchester's Co-Pilgrim.

Among Hampshire's stores that are taking part are Hundred Records in Romsey, and Reflex Records in Gosport.

The event came to the UK eight years ago from America in a bid to raise awareness of independent record shops, boost the vinyl revival and encourage thousands of people to switch on a turntable for the first time.

Acts across the globe will tomorrow release special edition vinyls and put on free performances at record stores.

It will see special releases by The Small Faces, Jimi Hendrix, OMD, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.

Meanwhile, Buddapest and Cassy'O singer-songwriter George Ezra will launch his debut album Wanted on Voyage and Calvin Harris's debut number one album Motion will be released on LP for the first time.

Fans of indie group The 1975 are also in for a treat as the band announced they will release four 12” EPs - Facedown, IV, Music for Cars and Sex, while Imagine Dragons have produced a 7” picture disc of their remix of Bastille's I Bet My Life and The Wombats have launched their latest single Greek Tragedy on 7”.

There will also be releases by electronic band Chvrches, garage duo Gorgon City and hip hop pair Run the Jewels.

Hampshire's music lovers have even more to look forward to as Romsey's Hundred Records is putting on a day of live music and entertainment - and they're raffling off a rare Waterboys LP presentation figure - one of just 20 in the world.

Co-Pilgrim will launch the event at 11.30am, with country band The Dreaming Spires taking the stage at 12.15pm, followed by country rocker Benjamin Folke-Thomas at 4pm.

Owner of the shop in The Hundred, Romsey, Mark Wills said: “This is my very first Record Store Day and I'm looking forward to it with a mixture of childlike excitement and adult nervousness.”

Other acts who are taking part in the international event include Pendulum who will perform on an outside stage in Nottingham and Young Knives and The 2bears who are performing at the coinciding Berwick Street Festival in London's Soho.

For more information about Record Store Day, visit: recordstoreday.co.uk.