Pat Graham - Instrument

One of next month's exhibitions is by photographer Pat Graham entitled 'Instrument'. It will be displayed in the shop from Tuesday 1st November running for two weeks until 15th November and will feature images from Pat's book of the same name.

On the opening night, Pat will discuss the process and stories behind the project that spanned 15 years in the making. Including tours with bands The Cribs and Modest Mouse, visits to the musicians homes, and studios, etc. Many of the UK based musicians will be on hand along with Pat to celebrate the release of Instrument. The night will include an exhibition of some of the best shots in the series as well as proofs from the book. Listening stations will be set up with the songs that go with the photos. So come and join us for this night of Sound and Vision. Books will be signed and prints will also be available.

In the mid nineties while living in Washington DC music photographer Pat Graham photographed Ian Mackaye (Fugazi, Dischord Records) and his iconic white Gibson SG. At that point his photo project Instrument was born. Over the next 15 years Graham documented/photographed and interviewed 50 plus musicians about there favourite instrument and the stories that went along with them.

Some of the artists in the book include:

Johnny Marr - The Smiths, Modest Mouse, Cribs, Healers, etc
Bernard Sumner - Joy Division, New Order
Colin Newman - Wire
Alex Kapranos - Franz Ferdinand
Gary and Ryan Jarman - The Cribs
James Cauty - KLF, The Orb
Ian Curtis - Joy Division
Tom Cullinan - Th Faith Healers, Quickspace
Jerry Dammers - The Specials, Special AKA Arkestsra
Justin Vernon - Bon Iver
Hal Blaine - Beach Boys, Phil Spector, etc
Jeff Tweedy - Wilco
Kim Deal - The Pixies
Billy Childish
Kate Nash


Here's a selection of a few of the images taken from Pat's book...



Alex Kapranos - Fender 1973 Fender Telecaster - Alex bought this guitar in 2003 for 666.00 pounds he has played it every since.



Billy Childish's - Kira guitar - Billy learned to play on this



Hal Blaine's Sleigh Bells, etc. These bells and percussion instruments can are the sound of Good Vibrations as well as Phil Spectors wall of sound.



Ian Curtis' Vox - Heard on the Love will Tear us Apart and seen in the video as well.



Johnny Marr's red 1959 Gibson 355 - One of Johnny's favorite guitars. He wrote Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now and Girl Afraid on this guitar.



Bernard Sumner's Moog Source - This is the sound of the bass in Blue Monday.

More information can be found here.

Mother, Brother, Lover by Jarvis Cocker

Jarvis Cocker is widely regarded as one of the most original and memorable lyricists and performers of the last three decades. Mother, Brother, Lover (his first book) is a collection of seventy lyrics, selected and annotated by the author.

Opening with an essay on the art of lyric-writing, the selection features Pulp classics such as 'Common People', 'Babies' and 'This is Hardcore', as well as less familiar and unreleased songs. Spanning thirty years of songwriting, the collection reveals a unique sensibility: a sometimes visceral, sometimes everyday take on love, relationships and the things we do to each other when the lights get low.

Mother, Brother, Lover takes the reader on a tour into the life, art and preoccupations of one of the great British artists of the late twentieth century. Shocking, sharp, clever and funny, it is a beautiful, enduring collection.

There will be a super limited edition version of the book. 100 copies at £100 each. It will contain a bookmark made from an individual strip of passport photos. Each bookmark is unique and will be signed, numbered and dated by Jarvis. The book itself will be signed numbered and slipcased. Books can be pre-ordered from our online shop here.

Faber & Faber recently announced an expansion of their relationship with Jarvis Cocker, as he is appointed Editor-at-Large. Cocker will work closely with Lee Brackstone and Hannah Griffiths in a broad commissioning role. Cocker's appointment echoes the role famously played by Pete Townshend in the 1980s at Faber.

Here's an interview with publishing director Lee Brackstone where Jarvis talks about writing lyrics, his inspiration and his thoughts on putting together his first published collection.

NICKY WIRE IN CONVERSATION WITH DORIAN LYNSKEY

To celebrate the launch of his new book 'Death Of A Polaroid' - A Manics Family Album, Nicky Wire will be in conversation with Dorian Lynskey, author and Guardian music critic.

Documenting more than twenty years of the band's career, Nicky Wire has kept a personal visual history of the Manic Street Preachers' various evolutions and travels across the world, right from their early beginnings in Blackwood, Wales. Nicky will discuss his passion for polaroid photography and the history of the iconoclastic band, and take part in a book signing following the Q&A.

The event, brought to you by Faber & Faber in association with the Guardian, will be hosted here at Rough Trade East on Wednesday 16 November.

An exhibition of Nicky's own polaroids will also be on display in the shop from 16th - 30th November.

Tickets for this special event are exclusively available to Guardian readers, at £11 or £9 for Extra members.

An invite will also be included with preorders of the special limited edition hardback version from Rough Trade. More information on the book can be found here.

Here's a video of Nicky Wire introducing the book and talking of his love for Larkin...

30 Years of On-U Sound... Disturbing The Comfortable, Comforting The Disturbed

Since 1981, with label boss and producer Adrian Sherwood at the helm, On-U Sound has released over 100 albums and singles and has launched the careers of, and inspired an endless list of artists.

In celebration of this cult British label reaching the grand age of 30 years, On-U Sound and Rough Trade East are excited to present a very exclusive London in-store special event.

A night not to be missed, Thursday October 27th 2011, will begin with a rare in-person Q&A between Adrian Sherwood and Steve Barker of the highly respected BBC radio show, On The Wire. This will be followed by a mind-bending DJ ‘head-to-head’ between Adrian Sherwood and reggae maestro musician/producer, Dennis Bovell.

On-U Sound and Rough Trade will also collaborate to release an exclusive and limited New Age Steppers 7” vinyl collectors’ item. Featuring the track Fade Away, the A-Side of the first ever single to be released by On–U Sound in 1981, the single will be backed by a sneak preview track from the brand new forthcoming New Age Steppers album to be released in 2012.

The single will only be available to fans upon entry to the in-store event on the night. Pre-ordering the single via the Rough Trade website will guarantee entry to the event (one per person) and must be collected on the night. Otherwise entry is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Unique, maverick and massively respected, On-U Sound is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most influential independent labels. Never straying far from the cutting edge, it has contributed to a strikingly diverse soundtrack to chaotic post-punk, post-colonial Britain.

For more information on On-U Sound click here...

TECHNOLOGY WILL SAVE US AT ROUGH TRADE EAST

Do you love sound? Have you ever wanted to know more about it? Come learn how to solder an amplifier as well as design and construct your own set of speakers out of any material.

We have a DIY SPEAKERS WORKSHOP by TECHNOLOGY WILL SAVE US this Saturday 15th October from 10am - 1pm.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW ONLINE OR AT ROUGH TRADE EAST.

There are 20 tickets for this workshop priced at £60 per ticket and includes all materials.

Check out this video demo...

DIY Speaker Demo from Daniel Hirschmann on Vimeo.

ADJAYE. AFRICA. ARCHITECTURE.

One of the world's most exciting young architects, David Adjaye has built acclaimed houses, commercial and public buildings all over the world and is coming to Rough Trade East to discuss his new book "Adjaye. Africa. Architecture."

Rough Trade East will be hosting an event entitled "An evening with David and Peter Adjaye" on Monday 17th October at 6pm.

Join David and Peter Adjaye for conversation, images and sound from their new collaborative project.

Over a ten-year period, the architect David Adjaye has visited 53 major African cities and photographed thousands of buildings, sites and places that few of us will ever be able to visit.

Now he shares his observations in a new book. It documents Adjaye's tribute to African metropolitan architecture. The individual volumes present cities according to the terrain in which they are situated - the Maghreb, Desert, The Sahel, Savanna and Grassland, Mountain and Highveld, and Forest.

In conjunction with this project, his brother, Peter Adjaye, has curated the African Metropolitan Music Compilation that explores some of the most significant styles of African music across these geographical zones .

David Adjaye will introduce the project and talk about his journey. Peter Adjaye will then respond. This will be followed by a book signing and a DJ set showcasing the African Metropolitan Music Compilation.

More information about the night can be found here and you can also pre order the book here.

Fires and Fanzines from Caught By The River

We've got a couple of things to mention on the Caught By The River side of things.

Firstly, Caught By The River's book of the month is now on sale here at Rough Trade East along with their eclectic selection of books on nature and culture.

October's chosen title is Fire Season: Field Notes From A Wilderness Lookout by Philip Connors. 
For five months of every year Philip Connors quits the city and becomes a fire lookout. Connors had me fascinated as he tells what he sees from his observation tower in New Mexico’s Gila wilderness and joins the dots between Aldo Leopold and Jack Kerouac with a subtle nod to Thoreau – “Every day in a lookout is a day not subtracted from the sum of one’s life.” 

A short video about the book can be viewed here...



Secondly, next Wednesday 12th October from 6.30pm - 8pm sees the second installment of monthly events brought to you by the Caught By The River boys. Read on for more details but this looks like it's an event not to be missed…



Xerox – A Celebration Of Fanzine Culture From The 70s To Now

Time and again, we’ve found ourselves saying that Caught By The River is like a fanzine. As longtime fanzine readers, writers and buyers, it makes total sense that there would be something lo-fi and DIY deep inside us; an ever present and excitable urgency to pass on newly learnt information to as many people as possible.
Earlier this year, we decided to join the dots between our site and some of the grassroots mags that had been inspirational to us by holding Tales From The Typographic Ocean, a symposium at Port Eliot Festival to discuss the roots of the UK’s underground press. Our very good friend Emma Warren (formerly of Jockey Slut) hosted a panel that featured Rough Trade’s Geoff Travis, Elektra record’s biographer Mick Houghton and ZigZag man Andy Childs. Tripping back to the late 60s, the talk moved onto punk rock and beyond, painting a kaleidoscopic picture of a time before today’s heavily sponsored, focus grouped music press.
Back in the Smoke, we thought it was something worth revisiting. On Weds October 12th, we’re staging a second fanzine panel. We’re calling it Xerox. This time it’ll go beyond punk, taking in C86, acid house and a whole bunch more. The line up on the night will feature Caught By The River contributors Andy Childs (ZigZag), Andrew Weatherall (Boy’s Own), Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne) and Geoff Travis (Rough Trade), all in conversation again with Emma Warren.

It’s free.

It’ll also be the launch of our own Caught By The River fanzine. More of that later though…

Stormtroopers Arrive At Rough Trade

Rough Trade East has become exclusive UK retailer of Andrew Ainsworth’s Original Stormtrooper range of replica helmets.



Andrew Ainsworth, prop designer of the iconic figures, recently won a Supreme Court ruling against George Lucas, allowing him the right to sell replicas (outside of the US) made using his original designs.

Andrew says, "I'm very excited to be working with Rough Trade, a wonderfully inspiring independent retailer whose roots, like mine, go back to the mid-70's. Rough Trade East is the perfect modern environment to appreciate my work, given its joyous celebration of all things independently creative."

Director of Rough Trade Retail Group, Stephen Godfroy, says "Andrew is a undisputed design genius, fiercely independent in his astonishing battle to retain rights to his seminal contribution to popular culture. We're naturally very proud and excited to exclusively represent his work."

Following the Original Stormtrooper range on-sale here at Rough Trade East, a Q&A event will be held at the store (date TBC) in which Andrew will tell his incredible story… make sure you follow our twitter @roughtradeshops for more announcements and updates.

In the meantime here's a short video on how the iconic stormtrooper helmet is made...

It's National Poetry Day...

... so we've got a load of new poetry bits in the café over at East, and all available online as well. Here's everything you need to get your poetic kicks this weekend...



Firstly, we have the truly beautiful Faber Romantics set. All the poets you need, with great new selections from the likes of Andrew Motion, Paul Muldoon and Fiona Sampson. Keats, Blake, Clare (my personal favourite) et al all exquisitely packaged in hardback form with a design nod to Josiah Wedgewood. Get the whole set. Seriously.



Secondly, we have two new books from two of the most exciting poets currently working...



Daljit Nagra's latest is a kaleidoscopic, pan-cultural masterpiece; deftly blending linguistic and cultural tropes to create an exhilarating, humming melting pot. This book becomes city itself. The whole world in fact.



And then, out today, the elegant, rich and sometimes harrowing new book from Alice Oswald. A meditative, distilled translation of the "atmosphere" of Homer's Iliad, Oswald has turned the great narrative epic into a bittersweet, elegiac jeremiad. A great review can be found on the Caught By The River site here.

It is said the English love poetry, but never buy it.

More information on National Poetry Day can be found here.

Yarn @ The Nursery Festival **THIS FRIDAY**

Our friends at YARNFEST are making a guest appearance, joining up with The Nursery Festival for a very special night of storytelling this Friday 7th October at Light Industrial Theatre on Ewer Street.

With not one, but two shows in one night, this is an extra special double bill to welcome you to a season of dark nights and cockle-warming wine drinking evenings.

DUET

... by Richard Marsh and Katie Bonna

Duet is a brand-new piece - expect tales of the world's least romantic, most romantic stag and hen dos, festivals, lonely Christmas dinners and a pineapple. A wry, warm, real romance told in a hopeful, heartfelt way. Richard and Katie perform hilarious, heartbreaking poems together. Both work as playwrights. Richard's one man play Skittles has just finished a very successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Katie is currently writing a new play for the theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.

THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

Nudging our regular monthly night to a Friday evening, comedian and playwright Tom Basden will be back in action, with Sam Taradash and some very special guests. Barry Walsh is a born Londoner. His novel, ‘The Pimlico Kid’ (soon to be published by Harper Collins), is a tragicomedy about growing up in central London in the 60s. Fluttering somewhere between theatre, comedy and performance art, and renowned for his inquisitive wonder, Radio Four star Julian Fox joins the Special Relationship.

And your Friday night doesn't need to stop there, we'll be going into the early hours with THE DIXIE TICKLERS ft. GUSTAVE ANDREW DJ SET (WAX COTTON). The Dixie Ticklers are one of the UK's most respected acoustic bands. They are transforming and revisiting classic New Orleans music. These guys are so hot that even New Orleans enthusiast Woody Allen has a copy of their album.

Take a look at the rest of The Nursery Festival line-up, and book your tickets here

VINYLMANIA LAUNCHES CROWD-FUNDING CAMPAIGN

VINYLMANIA LAUNCHES A CROWD-FUNDING CAMPAIGN - "The 33 in 45".

$33,000 in 45 day - Kickstarter campaign launches to fund the VINYLMANIA special double edition DVD set

ABOUT THE FILM

The 75 minute feature length documentary is an epic love story filled with fascinating characters and internationally recognized artists including PHILIPPE COHEN SOLAL (Gotan Project), WINSTON SMITH (Dead Kennedys, Green Day record sleeve artist), PETER SAVILLE (Joy Division, New Order record sleeve artist) and DJ KENTARO (2002 DMC World DJ Champion).

Devotion, ecstasy, infatuation, agony – all feelings that the director of the film, Paolo Campana, has experienced from childhood and shares with like-minded record collectors, Djs, musicians and artists (the said vinylmaniacs) in the documentary.
Also featuring: SANJU CHIBA (Elp corp. Laser Turntable), EDDIE PILLER (producer Acid Jazz/DJ), THE KARMINSKY EXPERIENCE (DJ) JEROME SYDEHNAM (DJ), G.RINA (DJ/producer), KEY KOBAYASHI (Routine Jazz/DJ), THE MILLIONAIRE (Combustible Edison), PHILIP JECK (music performer), BOB GEORGE (ARC/Archive of Contemporary Music, New York), RICH MEDINA (DJ), CHRISS DE GAN (collector), DANIEL BINDER (record dealer), JOEL STONES (Tropicalia In Furs)
And... GZ (vinyl factory - Czech Republic), ARC/Archive of Contemporary Music (New York) and record stores: AMOEBA RECORDS, 101RECORDS STORE, GROOVES (San Francisco), ROUGH TRADE, INTOXICA, PHONICA (London), TROPICALIA IN FURS (New York), DISK UNION (Tokyo), BINDERPHON (Prague), SPACE HALL (Berlin)...

Here's a trailer...




ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

Now VINYLMANIA is launching a crowdfunding bid on KICKSTARTER - the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world!

Their goal? To raise the money to bring the music documentary onto a special edition dvd to distribute worldwide.

Presented with a cover sleeve created for the film by the notable American artist, Winston Smith (Dead Kennedys, Green Day record sleeves), the special edition double dvd set will include:
- The 75 minute documentary film Vinylmania with booklet insert
- Exclusive bonus material filmed with outtakes from the film and short personal stories from artists, collectors, Djs and Musicians, records stores, labels and other curiosities from the groove of vinyl records. With: Klaus Flouride (lead bassist of the Dead Kennedys), Richie Hawtin (alias Plastikman), V.Vale (Re/search publisher), DJ's from Luxuria Music internet radio in LA, Disk Union (Tokyo), Rough Trade (London), Amoeba (San Francisco) and other hidden away records store on the planet.

PLEASE MAKE YOUR DONATIONS HERE

More information about the film can be found at www.vinylmaniafilm.com

PHOTOMONTH - East London's International Photography Festival 2011

Last Thursday was the official opening of Photomonth 2011 East London's international photography exhibition.

The Opening Exhibition this year is a retrospective of Phil Maxwell's work entitled "Forty Years On - A photographic journey from the 70's to the present. "

Celebrating 40 years of Phil Maxwell’s work and its archiving for public use by the Bishopsgate Institute, the exhibition takes you on a journey through his youth in Liverpool to his later life in the East End of London. Housed in two venues - the Bishopsgate Institute and here at Rough Trade East – you can walk between the two buildings and experience the vibrancy of the East End first hand.
This is the East End seen through Phil Maxwell’s lens - his backdrop and canvas against which he’s captured sketches of life, documenting an instant in time and the social conditions and history of his community.

Rough Trade East also plays host to another exhibition in conjunction with Photomonth by Constantine Gras entitled "Vinyl Replay."

Vinyl Replay from Constantine Gras on Vimeo.

Vinyl Replay is a unique visual exploration of Constantine's record collection. In the studio and on location, he used long exposures, often with a camera in motion, to reinterpret his dusty and scratched vinyl records. These records range from 1966 when the Beach Boys filtered across his mum's amniotic sac, up until his last days of active vinyl collecting from Mole Jazz in the early 1990's.

"I want to re-invoke the space and time of this analogue existence: early days of collective family listening; rushing down to Woolworth's with pocket money to buy singles; the flowering of sexual identity in post-punk teens; and the outrage and civil disobedience against Thatcherite Britain."

On display until 31st October at Rough Trade East.

Other highlights of the festival include an exhibition of works by Carole Suety on display from Thursday 6th October at agnès b on Lamb Street. Carole explores relationships through the appropriation of an old French tradition of keeping a bell jar to preserve the memories of married life.



One of our favorite local boozers The Carpenter's Arms are displaying the works of Andrew Grainger. This is Andrew's first solo exhibition after having removed himself from nearly a decade of photographing the fast paced industry of fashion and advertising, he has rediscovered his passion for photography by capturing the reality and spontaneity of his surroundings in his body of work "What's The Brief."

More information on Photomonth 2011 can be found at www.photomonth.org

ROUGH TRADE PRESENTS HABERDASHERY EAST

Rough Trade is delighted to announce the arrival of Haberdashery East to its flagship London store, Rough Trade East.
Haberdashery East will feature curated items for sale and in-store workshops by Technology Will Save Us and Prick Your Finger. With one traditional but distinctly punk woollen offer (Prick Your Finger), alongside the world’s first electronic haberdashery (Technology Will Save Us), lovers of DIY arts culture from up-and-down the country now have even more reason to visit Rough Trade East.

With a newly purpose-built display area and dual-purpose cafe/worktables designed/built by Post Office and VXV, Haberdashery East shall contain essential supplies and inspiring DIY kits…

From Technology Will Save Us, there’s a range of custom kits and products ranging from DIY speakers kits, Make Your Own musical instrument kits, Arduino microcontrollers and USB rechargeable batteries.

From Prick Your Finger, there’s everything from Chicken Bone Toggles, Felt Sets and Denim Patches, to Knit Your Own Hat Scarf and Hat Kits, all with a distinct Rough Trade twist. In addition to practical and exciting products, there are also regular in-store
workshops from both haberdashers, appealing to beginners and pros alike.

The in-store workshops start with 'Technology Will Save Us - 'LUMIPHONE WORKSHOP’ where guests will learn soldering by creating their own musical instruments on 28 September at 7pm.

Prick Your Finger’s legendary ‘ALL THE BANDS’ workshop will take place Sunday 2nd October at 11am.

Workshop tickets are on sale NOW at Rough Trade East.

CAUGHT BY THE RIVER LAUNCHES AT ROUGH TRADE EAST

This weekend sees the launch of Caught By The River at Rough Trade East. The nature-writing website will be getting it's own section on our bookshelves offering an eclectic selection of books on fishing, nature, music, pubs and more, as well as various Caught By The River merchandise.

Each month there will also be a Caught By The River event taking place in the shop. The first one is taking place on Wednesday 21st September at 6.30pm with a Q&A introducing folk to the history and background of the website. John Andrews (who, along with letter writing partner, Dexter Petley, is the longest running contributor to the site) will host, chatting with Robin, Andrew and Jeff, before reading his chapter from the latest anthology, On Nature. Another contributor to On Nature , Bill Drummond, will be along along to read from his chapter, ‘On The Road To Damascus’.

An after party will be held in the nearby craft beer and real ale bar Mason and Taylor with guest DJs and the best beers anywhere in town.

For more information on the night, click on the image above.

More information about Caught By The River here.

NICKY WIRE - DEATH OF THE POLAROID DELUXE EDITION

A super limited edition, only 50 available worldwide is now up on our site for pre-order.
This set will contain one of Nicky Wire's personal polaroids in a presentation case, signed by him. Each book is bound in cloth, with h and t bands, silver foil endpapers and with limitation page signed and numbered.
The portfolio in the set will be covered in cloth with silk ties and contains the mount board with the polaroid affixed and numbered. The first of two titles by the Manic Street Preachers' bassist and lyricist, Nicky Wire.

For more than twenty years and from Blackwood, Wales to Tokyo, Japan, Nicky Wire has kept a personal visual history of the band in their various stages from 'Generation Terrorists through to 'Holy Bible' and right up to last year's remarkable album, 'Postcards From A Young Man'.
Edited down from over 1,000 of Wire's personal polaroids and with accompanying text by the man himself, 'Death Of The Polaroid promises to be a rich, visual biography of one of the most loved and iconoclastic British bands of the past two decades.

Order it now here

**FIONN REGAN IN-STORE AT ROUGH TRADE WEST**

We've just had a last minute booking for our West shop on Talbot Road this Sunday 18th September.

Fionn Regan will be playing an acoustic set from 4pm in the shop. Go down, buy the new album '100 Acres Of Sycamore' and get it signed by the man himself.

For more information please click here

QUARK, STRANGENESS & CHARM - a show by Robert Rubbish

Last night was the opening of September's exhibition at Rough Trade East... 'Quark, Strangeness and Charm'- a show by Robert Rubbish

Robert Rubbish, co-founder of 'Le Gun Magazine' and one half of Victorian Punk Revivalists 'The Rubbishmen' presents his latest solo exhibition of drawings and paintings based on facial hair, cosmic space rock, and apocryphal record covers.

A number of portraits on display of musicians who famously sported facial hair. The said facial hair being acquired from joke shops. Robert is inspired a lot by these comedy emporiums and calls some of his work 'JOKE SHOP POP ART'.

The apocryphal record covers will represent Robert's desire to find albums that he has been searching for for years such as the complete works of Egyptian Ska or the greatest hits from the cosmic toilet.

Issue zero of Robert's new zine 'LOS PISTOLOS' - a low tech publication with a punky London Mexican vibe heavily influenced by underground comics and punk zines of yesteryear will be in by the weekend so come by and have a look at the pictures on the wall and buy a copy of the zine whilst you're here.

Here's an interview that Robert did for i-D online.More information can be found on Robert's website.

On display until 30th September.

The Wheelbarrow, Camden

For those of you in the Camden area who ever frequented the excellent Flowerpot before its demise, you'll be pleased to hear that the brains behind that establishment (and the pre-fire Nambucca) have a brand new venture, The Wheelbarrow. With a MO consisting of quality free shows, good sound, pie and mash and good "realistically priced" drinks, there is some really great stuff coming up here in the next few weeks, so get down there.

RUFF TRADE

Our album of the week is by Estonian chanteuse par excellence Maria Minerva. Following her sold out tape 'Tallinn at Dawn,' 'Cabaret Cisoux' is a lush bedroom dance-a-delia dream and here's a taster in visual form - the appropriately named 'Ruff Trade.'

MARIA MINERVA - RUFF TRADE from Not Not Fun on Vimeo.

Grab it here:

CABARET CISOUX

Rough Trade/ Green Man 2011 Compilation

The new Rough Trade Shops compilation has just arrived ready to be sold early up on the Green Man Festival site next week.

Selected and produced by Rough Trade Shops, we bring you a lovingly compiled 22-track CD exclusively featuring artists playing at Green Man 2011, aiming to sonically distil the festivals ninth annual summer shindig into one lovely listen. What better way to bring back the memories from a hazy, lazy, crazy weekend in the comfort of your own home – or maybe conjure up that special Green Man atmosphere?

The CD will feature brilliant songs by Green Man 2011 headliners Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine and Explosions In The Sky, as well as recent tracks by Josh T Pearson, The Low Anthem, Gruff Rhys, Holy Fuck and Squarepusher. There’s a generous helping of US lo-fi and folk from Sic Alps, Suuns, Lia Ices and The Cave Singers, a Breeders-esque offering from She Keeps Bees and an excellent crop of European singer/songwriters including Treecreeper, James Yorkston, Hannah Peel, and Our Broken Garden.

The first 100 copies sold get a free Rough Trade/ Green Man 2011 tote bag.

For a track listing and to pre-order a copy click here



Listen out for Rough Trade Shops Radio Show on Green Man Radio this year, don’t forget to pack your wireless and tune in to 87.7FM. The Rough Trade shows will be broadcasting on Saturday from 3pm – 4pm as well as Sunday from Midday – 1pm.

Keep your ears to the ground for some secret acoustic performances and exclusive signings in the Rough Trade Shop too during Green Man 2011. So far, we have signings confirmed by Jane Weaver, Jeanette Leach and David Pinner as well as an in-tent performance by The Leisure Society. Josh T Pearson will also be performing and we will be selling an exclusive Rough Trade Shops only 6 track official bootleg vinyl, which you’ll be able to get signed by the man himself after his acoustic set in-tent.

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH EXCLUSIVE SIGNING SESSIONS AND LAST MINUTE IN-TENT GIGS AT THE FESTIVALS BY FOLLOWING US ON TWITTER @ROUGHTRADEPOPUP

Pete and the Pirates go LoCo...

Yo,
Tickets for the last night of London Comedy Film Festival's Transformations Season are still available, and we can now reveal the special guests for tonight's event at Wilton's Music Hall are shop favourites Pete And The Pirates. So get down to one of the best, most interesting venues in town, cough up a tenner and see Teen Wolf on the big screen, one of the best bands about and then DJs in the Mahogany Bar for afters... tickets available here.

RADFEST 2011 GIVES AWAY FREE TAPE. STREAM HERE...

RADFEST III is now less then two weeks away. To celebrate the event SEXBEAT will be giving away a mixtape featuring a song from each artist playing. The mixtape will be pressed on coloured cassette and strictly limited to 100 copies available to the first people to arrive on site. Get there early to get your mitts on one.

Track listing -
1. The Wedding Present – Whole Wide World

2. SCUM – Fountains

3. Shimmering Stars – Sun’s Going Down

4. The History Of Apple Pie – You’re So Cool

5. Mazes – Summer Hits

6. Gross Magic – Yesterdays

7. Deceptor – Soothsayer
8. Mob Rules – Sleep

RADTAPE III by sexbeat">

END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL & ROUGH TRADE SHOPS CURATE ...

This Sunday 17th July, End of the Road Festival & Rough Trade Shops are curating the bandstand for the annual 'Swap & Share' picnic at Arnold Circus in Shoreditch.
So, if you're in London and at a loose end - bring a picnic to share, something to swap & a love story to tell!

The picnic has always been very much a community event bringing together local families with the more recent inhabitants of Shoreditch. People make and bring food to share. There are free activities for all ages - artists's portraits, paper hat making, dancing, cycle racing, a miniature clay picnic, musical cherry stone spitting, a pop-up exhibition of children's illustrated poems, a table top museum, Thaumatropes, ping pong and a Playmobil trading stand...

Swap & Share at Arnold Circus from Jasper Morrison Shop on Vimeo.

The band stand will run from 12.30 - 6pm and features...Loud Like A Lion, Laura Hocking, The Head & The Heart, Oh Ruin and Danny & The Champions of the World.

Here's a little taster of what you can expect to hear on the day from The Head & The Heart...


The day is organised by The Friends Of Arnold Circus, a registered charity formed in London’s Shoreditch in spring 2004 through local voluntary action. The historic bandstand and gardens at the heart of Arnold Circus had fallen into disrepair and were widely seen as dirty and threatening. A small group of local people set about to rescue this unique part of the East End’s heritage, and to re-establish it as a resource for all. By spring 2006, membership had risen to 450 and our events – from brass band concerts to an annual Carrom championship – were attracting over 300 people to each. In 2011, membership had risen to 550, and the Friends had taken over management of part of the site from the Council.

It really is a lovely space and worthwhile charity, so get down there on Sunday and support the cause.



This lovely Cut Out Map is by Liv Bargman

The Head & The Heart In-store and Signing At Rough Trade West

Heavenly signing, The Head and the Heart will be spending July in the UK and there are plenty of chances to catch them live, but tickets will go fast so get yours now. All tour dates can be found here.

Rough Trade West will be hosting a FREE acoustic in-store gig on Monday 18th July so get down there before their plugged in gig at Bush Hall later on in the evening.

The Head and The Heart debut album is a favourite in the RT shops and comes highly recommended by Rough Trade West's Director/Manager Nigel House, who says it's his Album Of The Year so far. Nigel found it extremely difficult to choose one track for his appearance on Domino Radio a few weeks back because every track is so damn good!

Check out their video to Lost In My Mind and be sure to catch them live at a gig near you this month...

Beware Of The God

If you're in Hoxton Square any time between now and 10th August go and check out the new Neal Fox exhibition 'Beware Of The God'.

Fox’s drawings depict a phantasmagoric journey through the detritus and mythology of pop culture and takes many of the recurring subjects of his drawings and portrays them through the medium of the stained glass window. Fox has produced a set of twelve 2.5 metre high stained-glass windows; exhibited in a single room - an alternative church of alternative saints.

In these windows you will see Albert Hoffman take a psychedelic bicycle ride above the LSD molecule, J.G. Ballard dissecting the world, Johnny Cash wrangling his demons and more...

At Daniel Blau gallery, 51 Hoxton Square until 10th August 2011.

Neal Fox is also one of the founding members of Le Gun magazine. Another member of the Le Gun collective, Rob Greene aka Robert Rubbish will be exhibiting new artwork at Rough Trade East throughout September. More details of this will be announced very soon.

I'll Be Your Mirror

On the weekend of 23rd and 24th July 2011 at the stunning Alexandra Palace, London, All Tomorrow's Parties will present the first UK I'll Be Your Mirror event, which will be curated by the mercurial Portishead and ATP. Acting as sister events to the world famous ATP Festivals which usually take place in holiday resorts, and named after the b-side to The Velvet Underground's original All Tomorrow's Parties 7" single, I'll Be Your Mirror will be a new series of artist curated music, film and art events taking place in cities worldwide. In what promises to be an incredible two days of the best music, art and film in the Capital.

Portishead will headline both nights, with a different stunning support line-up joining them each day. Other acts include PJ Harvey, Factory Floor, Grinderman, Caribou, S.C.U.M., Swans and the newly reformed Company Flow.

More information and the festivals full line up can be found here.

Tickets are on sale now at Rough Trade East.

Wanna go for a curry with Joy Formidable?

Joy Formidable are coming in to play an in-store gig on Tuesday 12th July and are holding a raffle where the 10 lucky winners will get treated to a curry with the band after the show.

Here's a mention on NME

Laki Mera In-Store

Laki Mera are playing a lunchtime in-store for us at Rough Trade East on Wednesday 13th July at 1pm. Come and hear them play songs from their new album The Proximity Effect.

More Caught By The River News...

Get yourselves down to The Social on Tuesday 19th July for the book launch of On Nature. It'll be a bit of a warm up before the fantastic Port Eliot festival later on in the week.

Also, a CBTR shop can be temporarily found in the basement of Pedlars on Talbot Road until 23rd July. Go check it for all things fishing and nature!

On Nature - A Caught By The River Event

The poster tells you everything apart from, this is a night NOT to be missed. Click on the image to read the finer details.

Stay tuned for future Caught By The River events at Rough Trade coming soon!

WASHED OUT

We've got loads of Washed Out news to tell you about...

Firstly, an installation will be on display in Rough Trade East over the weekend of 8th - 10th July.

Secondly, we're taking pre-orders now for the special limited edition white coloured vinyl of Eyes Be Closed and also pre-orders from the brand new album Within And Without with an exclusive to Rough Trade Washed Out DJ mix Bonus Disc.

and lastly, Washed Out will be performing in-store on Friday 15th July at Rough Trade East at 7pm just after their performance at Lovebox. Make sure you call in and buy the album to guarantee entry from Monday 11th July.

Fitting In. Standing Out. Stacey Yates

Fitting in. Standing out. is the next installment from London based artist and photographer Stacey Yates as she further explores her interest in identity through an unlikely subject matter - coffee stirrers.

'Coffee stirrers don't get much of our attention. They aren't particularly necessary. We use them for a matter of seconds and then discard them. I wanted to give them some oxygen and use them to bring something much bigger to the surface that concerns us all .'

Stacey came across Jake's collection of coffee stirrers a year back and has been making images of them in isolation for the past few months. Don't miss out on your chance to see Stacey's images as she uses coffee stirrers as a vehicle to explore identity.

The exhibition will be on display in the coffee shop area at Rough Trade East until 31st July and is kindly sponsored by CutLaserCut and BAF Graphics . More information about Stacey, her work and this particular project can be seen on her website.

Rip Clarence...

La Marinière by agnès b. for Rough Trade On Tour

THEY'VE ARRIVED!!!!

The long awaited Marinière tops have just been delivered from the agnès b. Paris headquarters.

Now available to buy in both stores and online from our website and eBay store.

RYAN BINGHAM & JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE IN-STORES AT ROUGH TRADE EAST

Americana fans... listen up!

We've got some in-stores that may be of interest to you.

First up, Oscar winning RYAN BINGHAM & THE DEAD HORSES will be playing an acoustic set at Rough Trade East on Thursday 23rd June at 7pm. Ryan recently won the Oscar and Golden Globe Award for 'Best Original Song' for 'The Weary Kind (theme from Crazy Heart)', which he co-wrote with multi-grammy winning producer/musician T-Bone Burnett.

Check out this video of Ryan performing the Oscar-winning song...



More information about Ryan Bingham here

And July sees the return of JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE back in the UK. We're lucky enough to have him perform at Rough Trade East on Monday 25th July at 7pm.

Here's an appearance of Justin Townes Earle on the David Letterman show from earlier in the year...



You can pre-order Justin's new single here and I'm sure he'd be happy to sign it for you on the night.

Domino Radio

In the spirit of such stand-alone broadcasting giants as Radio Caroline, John Peel Show, Rinse FM, The World Service and Woman's Hour - and dispensing with such orthodoxies as playlists and compliance - Domino Radio commences transmission today, for a week of non-stop music, conversation and good times.
Presented by Domino's international roster of artists, along with friends and neighbours from the worldwide independent music community, Domino Radio will host a dynamic schedule loaded with individuality, free expression and all manner of sounds from around the world.

Be sure to tune in on Wednesday morning for James Endeacott's show where you will hear the dulcet tones of Rough Trade West's shop manager, Nigel House as well as Rough Trade East's shop manager, Spencer Hickman.

Keep up to date on Twitter!

Hit & Run Night

KUTMAH | THE NEW ERROR | V. 2 LAUNCH PARTY from London Sessions Productions on Vimeo.

Here's a bit of footage from the Hit & Run Night that took place at Rough Trade East on 11th May 2011 to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated ‘The New Error Vol. 2’ the second in a series of mixes from DJ, producer and artist Kutmah aka Justin McNulty.

Listen here

Story The Flowers

We've just had another batch of the brilliant short collection Story The Flowers from regular Brian Eno collaborator, poet Rick Holland. If you haven't seen this in the shop, it's a succinct, poetic distillation of life in and around London, with a palpable sense of travel, place and a unique and deft handling of voice it's a beautiful little collection.
Rick and Brian Eno's recorded collaboration, 'Drums Between The Bells, is set for release in July, so stay tuned for that, as well.

ROUGH TRADE ON TOUR CHEZ AGNÈS B, PARIS

For those of you who live in Paris or visiting any time within the next week, pop in to our temporary paris shop which is open for 7 more working days upstairs at agnès b, 6 rue du jour, Paris 75001.

The shop opened on Record Store Day and offers a typical Rough Trade Shops edit of only the very best music, vinyl, cds and much more. Just as Rough Trade Shops in London are much more than simply places to buy music, but also where you get to see and hear bands live and up close, Rough Trade on Tour will feature live band performances and DJ sets, showcasing talent from both sides of the Channel. The following is still yet to take place...

Friday 6th May
6pm – DJ set from Aladdin

Monday 9th May
6pm – DJ set from Ema

Thursday 12th May
6pm – DJ set from Anika

Saturday 14th May
6pm – Twin Shadow

For the launch of Rough Trade On Tour in Paris, agnès b. has created ‘La Marinière’, a collectable striped t-shirt. Made in France and sold exclusively in the French agnès b. shops and Rough Trade Shops in London.

IN-STORE LISTINGS FOR MAY

More listings of events can be seen by clicking on the following link...

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/instore.lasso

RECORD STORE DAY 2011

Record Store Day 2011 is fast approaching and to celebrate Rough Trade East, West and Paris will have in-stores throughout the day.

ROUGH TRADE EAST
11am Chilly Gonzales
1pm Gaggle
3pm Wild beasts
5pm The Soundtrack Of Our Lives (acoustic set)



ROUGH TRADE WEST
live performance 12pm til 4pm
Pete and the Pirates
Marcus Foster
Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou
plus a surprise guest



ROUGH TRADE ON TOUR chez agnès b, Paris
12pm Josh T Pearson
4pm - 6pm Ed Banger Dj's Carte Blanche & Breakbot

Bet on it...

... Rough Trade's Grand National picks:

NICHE MARKET (IRE)

Former Irish Grand National winner. Owned by larger-than-life Dubliner Graham Regan. Boasts some excellent form in top races, including second in the Aon Chase and a Hennessy third. Jockey is son of showjumper Nick Skelton, and the young rider's brother Dan, who is assistant to the trainer, celebrates his birthday on Grand National day.
Odds: 16-1

And for the boys and girls at Talbot Rd...

WEST END ROCKER (IRE)

This horse was barely on my radar until Monday night when I had a dream. I rarely remember my dreams, but this one was crystal clear. The winner of the Grand National was West End Rocker. People said I was off my rocker when I told them, but has an outside squeak based on two fine wins earlier in the season.
Odds: 40-1

BO NINGEN JUST ANNOUNCED

That's right, the Japanese noise merchants Bo Ningen renowned for their powerful psychedelic live onslaughts are performing live at Rough Trade Warehouse Party at Red Gallery this Friday 8th April.

You can hear the past in their wall of sound and massive melodies, but the past re-imagined - from Butoh to Black Sabbath. They update the j-rock template with elements of kraut-rock, metal, hardcore and funk scratched all over it.

More about the line up can be seen here

Buy tickets in store or online now to avoid disappointment.