The history of VPR Audio Club…

It began in 2014, as an offshoot of Matlock Record Club – a monthly gathering in the county town of Derbyshire, UK. And it began under the name… Radio Free Smedley Street.

After a few years as an ultra-local station, broadcasting a few shows online each week for the residents of one small part of Matlock, in 2018 we made the decision to spread the word further and expand the station’s line-up.

The team grew. The station’s reputation grew.

Staying financially independent, we were free to include many super-niche shows, as well as more general musical output. Some of those niche shows actually became some of our most popular.

We changed the station name to Radio Free Matlock, to reflect the station’s growth. But as well as gathering a dedicated local listenership, the station’s new specialist shows began to pull in listeners from much further afield.

In 2020, we found ourselves in a position to help people stay connected and keep a routine during the Covid-19 lockdown, broadcasting every weekday morning, and Saturday mornings too. As a result, listeners to the station’s live broadcasts quadrupled, with a similar growth in ‘listen-back’ numbers on the Mixcloud page.

In 2023, station organiser Corey Lavender acquired an annexe to his shop, Vanishing Point Records in Chesterfield, UK. So we built a studio in it with everyone’s spare audio and office equipment – plus some cheap-but-awesome LED mood lights we inherited from the previous occupiers. Something of a game-changer for the station, this opened up new opportunities for welcoming guests, bringing in new presenters and doing more ‘social’ shows. It sowed the seeds for 2024’s major rebrand.

On October 27, 2024, the new name – VPR Audio Club – was unveiled. We all remain deeply proud of the station’s roots in Smedley Street, Matlock. And the Radio Free Matlock years saw us grow, improve and achieve things well beyond our expectations. But with the station now being based in Chesterfield, it was just getting too confusing.

In November of 2025, the VPR Audio Club YouTube channel was born, as an add-on to the station’s output on Mixcloud. After a few experimental first uploads, the channel began to gather pace in January 2026.

With YouTube in mind, a new format was created - ‘Stockroom Sessions’ - as a platform for guest DJs and selectors to come and share their musical passions in the cosy environs of what was increasingly becoming known as the VPRAC ‘clubhouse’. This has introduced us to so many awesome new people, in the loveliest way (through music).

And now, we’re full of new ideas, many of which we don’t have time to activate, but some of which you will see coming to fruition over the coming months.

VPR Audio Club is for anyone who is open-minded about life, community and music. Tune in, join in… welcome to the club.

VPR Audio Club’s core team...

Ashley Bird
Corey Lavender
Lucie De Lacy
Rob Hardy

Thanks so much to all the other presenters who make shows for us and help us make VPR Audio Club happen…

Andy and Don Inns, Oli Bevan, Lippy Kid, Steve Williamson, John Redhead, Chris Challoner, Katie Spencer, Bubble Rob, DJ Su-Ki, Mixless, all those who’ve previously made shows for us, those who do occasional guest shows and those who make regular guest appearances.

Thanks always to Radio Free Smedley Street’s founders: Martin Lockett, Alice Lockett and Rob James (RIP).