Probe Records (shop)

Founded in 1971 by Geoff and Annie Davies and their friend Dave Keats,[1] the shop was originally located on Clarence Street, off Brownlow Hill with a second location soon opened in the basement of Silly Billies clothes shop.

The shop relocated in 1976 to Button Street around the corner from Eric's Club on Mathew Street and found itself at the centre of the city's emerging punk and new wave music scene, acting as a supporter of local independent bands and musicians.

John Robb wrote in Louder than War: “Without Geoff, most of post-punk Liverpool probably would not have happened.”[4] Paddy Shennan wrote in the Liverpool Echo: “Geoff didn't just revolutionise their record collections, he transformed their lives.”[5] During the 1980s, Probe set up an independent wholesale arm of the business as part of the independent distribution network The Cartel.

In 1981 Geoff Davies set up the record label Probe Plus, which he initially ran from above the shop.

The Liverpool Post wrote: “Probe was a joint enterprise, and its massive legacy is shared in equal parts between them.”[9]