"A memoir of uncompromising honesty, our Book of the Year 2025 reveals a story of survival. A raw and dignified look at past relationships, unconscious motivations and a musical partnership within a perennially popular band who have transformed so many music lovers' lives."
Memoirs, oral histories, photographic journeys and subcultural manifestos - 2025 has been another rich year for music in print, from Budgie’s raw and reflective The Absence, to Evan Dando’s sharp recollections. Alongside heavyweight icons like Ozzy Osbourne and Yusuf/Cat Stevens, we also celebrate deeply personal narratives from artists such as Rebecca Lucy Taylor (Self Esteem) and Debsey Wykes, proving that the written word can cut as deep as any record. Our list also shines a spotlight on collaborative histories and visual storytelling, check photographer Dennis Morris’ incredible career retrospective, or favourites Sports Banger and The KLF pushing countercultural energy into print.
Scroll on down to discover 20 beautifully produced books which have stood out as the best reads of 2025, including Rough Trade Exclusive editions, signed copies, special posters or postcards and unseen photography.
Budgie – The Absence: Memoirs of a Banshee Drummer
White Rabbit
Signed hardback plus exclusive fanzine.
"At the heart of The Absence is Budgie's decades-long romance with Siouxsie Sioux...even during their most shocking excesses, it's a compassionate, relatable love story of a boy who lost his mother meeting a girl who lost her father, pursuing the optimistic hope of finding unconditional, uncomplicated love"
Miki Berenyi
Drummer, icon, survivor. Peter Clarke, better known as Budgie, the legendary drummer for Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Creatures, recounts his lived experience as an artist navigating the late 1970s and early 1980s post-punk scene. Reflecting on the loss of his mother as a young child, Budgie bravely explores the impact this absence had on his life, his relationships, identity and addiction. The musician's creative partnership and relationship with his band collaborator and ex-wife, Siouxsie Sioux, comes under the lens, as well as the emotional cost of relentless touring and artistic devotion.
"A memoir of uncompromising honesty, our Book of the Year 2025 reveals a story of survival. A raw and dignified look at past relationships, unconscious motivations and a musical partnership within a perennially popular band who have transformed so many music lovers' lives. It's been a pleasure getting to know Budgie over this year, hearing him speak in Conversation with Miki Berenyi at Rough Trade East and his book reading at Rough Trade Berlin. This book has been received with much acclaim throughout our Rough Trade community and continues stick in our minds as a defining read of 2025."
Rough Trade
READ NOW: In Conversation with Budgie
Kevin Rowland - Bless Me Father: A Life Story
Signed hardback + bookmark.
A confessional and uncompromising memoir, Kevin Rowland charts his life story, from his troubled teenage years and Irish Catholic upbringing to the early days of the New Romantic scene in the late ’70s, right through to finding commercial success with Dexys Midnight Runners in the early 1980s. A very honest and revealing reflection on mistakes made whilst achieving great success, conquering addiction and the challenges of exploring gender identity in a more hostile world in the 90s.
Keith Cameron – 168 Songs of Hatred and Failure: A History of Manic Street Preachers
Signed bookplates.
Journalist Keith Cameron traces the volatile, political, and poetic story of the Manic Street Preachers, combining interviews, archive material and personal reflection. Cameron explores how the band turned anger into art. A perfect read for both current fans and newcomers of the band, helping really understand how four Welsh outsiders redefined what rock could mean.
Evan Dando – Rumours of My Demise: A Memoir
Faber
Signed by Evan Dando + Rough Trade Exclusive postcard.
The Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando delivers bittersweet humour, ruminating on his experience of personal ruin and redemption, addiction and fame. Dando's lyrical storytelling style reclaims his perception of living for the music alongside his decadent party lifestyle, providing a real insight into the 90s grunge scene instead of the inflated rumours. A huge year for the indie rock icon with the release of The Lemonheads first album of original material in nearly two decades.
Dan Jennings – Paul Weller: Dancing Through the Fire -The Authorised Oral History
Signed copies.
Told through the voices of collaborators, friends, and fans, this authorised oral history paints a rich portrait of Paul Weller, the man behind The Jam, The Style Council, and a celebrated solo career. Journalist and former radio presenter Dan Jennings curates a mosaic of perspectives that reveal Weller’s evolution from mod icon to enduring British songwriter with great access to family, friends, bandmates and long-time collaborators for a real insight into Weller's creative mind.
Dennis Morris – Music + Life
Signed hardback plus postcard.
A lifetime of photography, which began as an East End schoolboy who found himself on tour with Bob Marley. Dennis Morris would become one of the most active photographers documenting the diverse culture of 1970s London. This visual memoir combines stunning photography with personal anecdotes about music, identity, and rebellion to really help writers understand the deep personal connection he had with each of his subjects, a talent which allowed for a truly honest insight into the lives of many, including punk bands such as The Sex Pistols and reggae legends such as Lee Scratch Perry.
K2 Plant Hire Ltd, Sports Banger and TowerBlock1 – BUY NOW DIE LATER
L-13 Light Industrial Workshop
50 (ish) page 27.9 x 21.6 full colour zine, a 12” single and a poster signed by Jimmy, all packed in a labelled 12” card mailer.
A riotous collision of art, activism, and anti-consumerist satire, BUY NOW DIE LATER unites Sports Banger, The KLF’s K2 Plant Hire, and TowerBlock1. This multimedia project chronicles creative rebellion through bootlegs, protest fashion, and culture-jamming stunts. It’s anarchic, funny, and defiantly anti-establishment - a story of British dissent told through T-shirts, slogans, and surrealist spectacle.
Debsey Wykes – Teenage Daydream: We Are The Girls Who Play In A Band
Signed copies.
Debsey Wykes, of Dolly Mixture fame, tells the untold story of female musicians navigating the punk and post-punk era. A captivating structure with each of its twelve month-long chapters beginning with an entry from Wykes’ diary and a letter from a fan before reflecting on the path that had taken them here. This diaristic memoir captures the joy and frustration of carving space in a male-dominated scene. A love letter to friendship, DIY culture, and the power of persistence. Rock history is rewritten from the lesser-heard female perspective, an important read.
Sofia Coppola – The Virgin Suicides
Exclusive poster.
Sofia Coppola’s adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ haunting novel comes alive here through her perspective as a filmmaker and storyteller. Edited from fashion photographer Corinne Day’s original negatives, this volume, which launches alongside The Virgin Suicides' twenty-fifth anniversary, gives mesmerising and unprecedented insight into Coppola’s enigmatic staging of the Lisbon sisters and their suburban trappings. A delicate and cinematic intersection of film and literature.
Roddy Bottum – The Royal We: A Memoir
Signed plus postcard.
Faith No More’s keyboardist Roddy Bottum presents a candid, witty, and deeply personal memoir about art, sexuality, and survival in the rock world. From confronting fame to forming Imperial Teen, Bottum explores identity and creativity with disarming honesty. His story traverses faith, friendship, and freedom - told with the dry humor of someone who’s seen it all. A rare insider’s take that’s equal parts outrageous, heartfelt, and spiritually resonant.
Mark Hoppus – Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir
Sphere
Exclusive postcard.
Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus offers a relatable memoir, a funny yet vulnerable account of coming of age and founding a pop-punk band. Balancing sarcasm with sincerity, Hoppus addresses his battle with cancer and a fight to stay optimistic when everything falls apart. Digging into the origins of some of Blink-182's classic tracks, some real behind-the-scenes context for longtime fans.
Audrey Golden – Shouting Out Loud: Lives of The Raincoats
White Rabbit
Signed copies.
Audrey Golden’s meticulous and heartfelt book celebrates The Raincoats, pioneers of feminist punk and avant-garde pop. Through interviews and analysis, Golden explores the band's early days, releases, their milestone as the first punk band to play behind the Iron Curtain in Warsaw, through to their later renaissance in the 90s, where they continued to lay down the riot-grrl blueprint via experimental music and DIY design.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens – Cat: On The Road To Findout
Exclusive postcard.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens retraces his spiritual and musical odyssey, a memoir that also acts as a guide to living meaningfully in a noisy world. Yusef recounts how, after a life-threatening illness and several near-brushes with death, a pursuit of religion soon influenced his lifestyle and music, delving into explorations with Buddhism, Zen, Hinduism, and astrology to finally find a home with Islam. A definitive deep dive via the humble and poetic tales and never-before-seen reflections from the man himself.
Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill with Graeme Thomson - Our Secrets Are The Same: Friendship & Fame at the Heart of Simple Minds
Signed postcards.
This dual memoir captures the enduring friendship between Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill. Co-written with journalist Graeme Thomson, it intertwines personal narrative with the evolution of a band that helped define the 1980s. Beyond fame, it’s about loyalty, creative chemistry and an arc of working-class aspiration. Along the way, there are brushes with David Bowie, Bob Dylan, U2 and breakfast with Alice Cooper.
Mark Ronson – Night People: How to Be a DJ in 90’s New York City
Penguin
Signed copies.
Mark Ronson revisits his early days spinning vinyl in downtown New York clubs before global fame. His memoir captures the birth of modern DJ culture, the fusion of hip-hop, funk, and fashion, and the pulse of New York nightlife. Full of insider stories about collaboration and Ronson's creative curiosity.
Mike Joyce – The Drums
Signed plus Rough Trade Exclusive postcard.
The Smiths’ drummer Mike Joyce offers his version of events with The Smiths with dry wit and understated honesty. More than a band memoir, The Drums explores integrity, identity, and the cost of standing by your principles. A behind-the-scenes and overdue look into a commonly mythologised group from a new and important viewpoint.
Ozzy Osbourne – Last Rites
Includes exclusive postcard.
The Prince of Darkness's moving reflection on mortality, madness, and music. In Last Rites, Ozzy confronts ageing and legacy with clarity, revisiting wild tales with new wisdom. Equal parts chaos and compassion, it’s a final word from one of rock’s most outrageous survivors, who tragically leaves this memoir as his last written legacy.
Daniel Rachel – This Ain’t Rock ’n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich
Signed copies.
From Bowie and punk to contemporary provocation. Daniel Rachel examines the uneasy intersection between pop culture and fascist imagery. Deeply researched and provocative, it asks why artists flirt with dangerous symbols and what that says about society’s memory. This is history, ethics, and pop theory colliding in one compelling study. A must-read for anyone who believes music can challenge as well as charm.
Jamie Taylor – Studio Electrophonique: The Sheffield Space Age, from the Human League to Pulp
Signed + Rough Trade Exclusive bookmark.
Jamie Taylor’s book uncovers the unsung home studio that birthed Sheffield’s synth-pop and indie revolutions. Drawing on original interviews with Jarvis Cocker, Martyn Ware, Mark White, and others, Taylor draws on oral history celebrating DIY experimentation and the quiet genius of local scenes.
Rebecca Lucy Taylor (Self Esteem) – A Complicated Woman
Signed copies.
A Complicated Woman is both memoir and manifesto—charting her journey from indie obscurity to pop power and self-acceptance. Taylor's prose mirrors her music: unflinching, witty, and empowering. An artist's guide to unapologetic living, proving that complexity isn’t a flaw - it’s a power.