I can't recommend picadilly enough! I used to go there all the time when I lived in Manchester, and even now on the other side of the world they remain one of my favourite shops. As well as the red-hot warehouse finds that seem to pop up with alarming frequency, their staff have the best taste in music. While I still use juno most of the time, Picadilly is the place I go to when I want to listen to something fresh; their staff picks are always right on it.
In terms of mail order, they do Manchester-Sydney in around 4 working days, with no problems encountered by me ever. In addition, if stuff isn't in stock, they'll send it out to you once it is, and only charge your card at that point. I was well happy when some gear I'd completely forgotten about turned up out of the blue a few weeks after I ordered it. Manchester heads - are they still on Oldham St? What's Eastern Bloc like nowadays?
