Rough Trade Nottingham is 10 years old! The beloved record shop and live music venue has played vital role in our city's music culture for a decade, so we were thrilled to join their party to celebrate...
It is quite unfathomable that Rough Trade has been in Nottingham for 10 years. I remember when I was just a youthful 17-year-old college student when the leading record label decided to set up shop in our city.
At first, I thought it was quite a strange decision to open a record shop of such stature here compared to cities with more of rich musical history. However, it has proved a huge success and ever since the shop/venue has established itself at the heartbeat of Nottingham’s alternative culture.
Much has changed in those 10 years. The bar upstairs has expanded itself into a bar and venue that attracted the attention of many notable acts such as Everything Everything and The Hunna to local giants Amber Run and Sleaford Mods. As a venue on the Hockley Hustle circuit, it has become the place to be for those who want to explore the area in more detail and uncover its many oddities.
The record shop has catered for everyone's taste whether it is for modern classics to latest releases and those who want more than just records with many music books and posters to choose from to spruce up one’s bedroom walls and shelves.
The changes I've come to notice are to Rough Trade's aesthetic have been major, too. The colours seemed to have flipped around and the plywood has been replaced with music gear boxes. This pushes the emphasis on the music side from the social bar element when there was a much lighter tone. The shop’s Instagram page recently uploaded a post that shows a night and day contrast from a mellow-toned atmosphere that brings a comfortable vibe to one that is dominated to darker, much more intimate tones that put out a statement: bring on the night!
The party to celebrate such a milestone was much anticipated as a festive night to display how much Nottingham and its music scene has changed by showcasing acts that have become well-established and those who are just popping their heads above the surface to be seen by the outer realms of local audiences. It was also a milestone for me as I hadn't been invited to any anniversary or birthday well… since I was 10 so that made me feel just a tad special.
The amount of people in such a cramped space wasn’t an ideal start to the evening and there seemed to be three tributaries feeding into the queue for the bar and toilets in addition to the space for those eager to get a decent view of the stage. The lack of lighting didn’t help in guiding people to manoeuvre their way to the stage. I was finally able to get a view that didn’t annoy the short ones among us who kick up a fuss about a 6ft+ man being right in front of them.
The lack of lighting in a birthday setting usually denotes an element of surprise; that's just what we got when Amber Run frontman, Joe Keogh, showed up with just an acoustic guitar for a stripped back set. He jokily acknowledged that, being the only one from the band, “the others have had enough of me and so they’ve told me to f*** off”. In addition he announced that he had recently become a father (the only one from the group to be so) and so that, in his view, was enough to abandon him. Joking aside, Amber Run has become one of the true successes of Nottingham’s musical output in recent times. Their debut album, 5AM, soon became a national favourite and the hugely popular single I Found has over 100 million streams to its name.
This was also a double anniversary as Amber Run are due to tour the 10th anniversary of 5AM in the new year and had Rough Trade not taken any interest in them in their early years they may not be in the position they are now.
The risk of performing songs as the only member of a band on stage: you are left in a vulnerable position if the crowd or music critics are watching; they can soon be reading (or writing for the latter) your last rites. However, the muted but content crowd go along with it. Keogh performs hits old and new with Fickle Game and I Found featuring in the short set. While there was a lot of audience interaction that bounced back at times, I had the feeling that this was a set that should have been a “sandwich set” in between in two other acts. The mood was heavy and intimate but more energy was required to get people going and to create a proper party atmosphere.
The second act, Raining Blue, were keen to add some vibrant colours to the stage with cobalt blue and neon purple creating a cosmic image that would also be reflected in their sound. The duo combine dream pop with shoegaze riffs and are very captivating when you focus on their musicianship. It’s music that gently will send you into the midnight hour with an ethereal aura that simultaneously keeps you awake in the moment. The music is cosmic and with Camille’s haunting vocals beaming out from a telephone there is a feeling of loss and naivety that there will be a voice to pick up and answer over the phone. The character she plays on stage is someone lost in time, in space; maybe in love.
To end this landmark birthday we had Midnight Rodeo, a band on a mission to provide people with a sense of adventure when the hour strikes 12. The group’s image is largely influenced by 60s psychedelia with western undertones and a cool homage to The Doors and The Modern Lovers with more modern influences sensed around The Nude Party, Thee Oh Sees and early Parquet Courts.
I am fixated on the size of the lead guitarist’s lapels and shirt collar, helicopter blades incessantly spinning with the danger of poking your eye out being a real possibility. The band’s energy is as it is in the name title except no one standing beside me is wearing a bootlace tie or boxy shirts with tassels.The multitude of musicians on stage have a great chemistry even with various instruments to their ensemble playing a different role. The distorted riffs resemble rattlesnakes straight from the California desert and Korg synthesizers straight from art school. The song Daisy really hits me. It's melodic and pulsating to the point where a mirage is a field of flowers with some devilish thorns on the stems to reflect the sharpness of the guitar riffs. Midnight Rodeo are the perfect party band and they bring a sharp contrast to the fuzzy warmth of Amber Run. It feels great to have that last dose of excitement before the party’s over.
Rough Trade’s stamp on Nottingham has been impactful in so many ways. How, in the last 10 years, has this happened? The dedication of inquisitive music fans and those seeking something different from the mainstream have contributed to the growth of Nottingham as a new hub for alternative music. There are too many people to dedicate to the success of Rough Trade here, but I think the answer is pretty simple - the people. It’s them who make the place successful. The vibe. The style. The culture. Everything. The people are the ones who make things happen.
Without a doubt it will be the people who will see Rough Trade celebrate another 10 years in the city where everyone is called “Duck”.
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