This year Rough Trade is celebrating 50 years of delivering alt-music in DIY fashion. Opened by Geoff Travis in 1976 as a record shop on Kensington Park Road which then developed into an independent record label. In fact, one of the most important and iconic record labels the UK has had, the backbone of the alternative scene, releasing records by The Smiths, Pulp, The Strokes, The Libertines, right up to Sleaford Mods.
Throughout 2026, there will be a programme of shows and releases, including a curated series of 50 era-defining albums by artists including Patti Smith, Aphex Twin, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Björk, The xx, Rina Sawayama, Pulp and many more.
