A new exhibition in Ryde will bring together eighty years of Isle of Wight music for the very first time.

The event, which opens next week, will feature vinyl by modern hitmakers such as Wet Leg and Coach Party, as well as musicians from yesteryear like Level 42, The Bees, Craig Douglas and the Isle of Wight Cherokees.

Dozens of rare records and related collectables will be on show at Montage Place in Ryde for three weeks from Monday (November 20) – all with an Island connection.

The earliest 78rpm records date back to the 1940s, while some exhibits are so new, they are not due for release until the end of the year.

The free display has been put together by Island record label Wight Vinyl, with support from Newport shop AAA Records.

Andy Barding of Wight Vinyl said: “Most of the records displayed were bought from Island shops or directly from the artists and their record companies. Some were recovered from within piles of dusty discs in charity shops and at car boot sales. Others were borrowed from private collectors or sourced online.

“They span eight decades of recorded sound… and a multitude of styles.

“In many cases, the records have outlived the people who made the sounds, which makes them all the more important. Some of these releases are already very, very obscure. Without context, they could easily slip into permanent anonymity. That would be a crime.”

The exhibition will run until Friday, December 8.