Rough Trade Essential: Great British Bands
"It’s the sound of a gang meeting life’s slings and arrows with a unanimous grin."
With contribution from Huw Thomas, Rough Trade Used Vinyl Assistant.
The history of British popular music is very much defined by the success and popularity of its bands and groups, a multitude of all-star teams influencing music fanaticism throughout both short and long-lasting careers. Although British band history is somewhat saturated with its groundbreaking success within rock subgenres, guitar bands and the Britpop phenomenon, the history is in fact far more diverse, with a real variety of bands responsible for pioneering a diverse range of important British subgenres, from rock and roll, beat, punk, new-wave or rave music.
As National Album Day returns in 2024, the annual event celebrates the art of the album with a particular focus on 'Great British Groups', defined as 'a band of 2+ members that is made-up wholly or the majority are people who were born, live or hold British citizenship.'
Check out special edition vinyl titles from Dire Straits, The Slits, The Beatles, The Specials, Soul II Soul, Suede and more, released in honour of the National Album Day event and browse our Rough Trade Essential curation selecting 10 of our favourite British bands, featuring both classic and contemporary icons.
From rock to rave music, pop to post-punk, we revisit a selection of ten of the greatest bands to emerge from Britain through the decades.
The Kinks - The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
A brilliant procession of “quintessentially British” bands – The Jam, Madness, XTC, Blur – owe a debt to The Kinks, the scrappy London rock group whose songs defined Britain’s 1960s in real time. Their sixth album, written by Ray Davies under the influence of Noël Coward and Under Milk Wood, explores just what “quintessentially British” might mean. It’s stuffed with classics, not least the title track, a tongue-in-cheek anthem of NIMBYism (“We are the Office Block Persecution Affinity / God save little shops, china cups and virginity”). Though Village Green sold poorly upon release, it has become something of an institution over time, a benchmark in pop songwriting. Not bad for a bunch of Muswell Hillbillies.
Words by Huw Thomas
Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream (1978)
Siouxsie and the Banshees emerged from a group of fans inspired by the Sex Pistols' resolute punk attitude, but intent on shaping their own gothic twist to the punk sound. Formed in London in 1976 by Londoners Siouxsie Sioux (vocalist) and Steven Severin (bass guitarist) the band have evolved through various lineup changes, with Siouxsie and Severin the only constant members. Their debut album The Scream propelled the band to critical acclaim in 1978, desolate music eschewing the cliches of punk, Sixiosie's wailing vocals over beds of experimental guitar, reminiscent of goth queen Nico. A hugely influential band on the wider scene of goth which really took hold in the late 1970s, Siouxsie and the Banshees are credited for profoundly influencing Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Sonic Youth, The Jesus and Mary Chain and more.
“Siouxsie and the Banshees were one of our big influences. The Banshees’ first LP was one of my favourite ever records; the way the guitarist and the drummer played was a really unusual way of playing, and this album showcases a landmark performance.”
The Specials - The Specials (1979)
The classic lineup of The Specials lasted just over two years, but they were one of the most consequential British bands of all. Formed in Coventry, the multi-racial seven-piece fused the energy of punk with the ecstasy of ska music, shaking off the yobbish associations both had accrued. Through their record label 2 Tone and their frenetic live shows, the band were poster boys for a new, positive youth movement they barely had to explain. Their music was multi-generational, too; trombonist Rico Rodriguez, comfortably middle-aged in 1979, was old enough to have played on some of the 60s ska records his bandmates so venerated. Their debut album contains original songs of disaffection (Too Much Too Young) and workouts of ska classics by heroes like Toots and the Maytals, Prince Buster and Dandy Livingstone. It’s the sound of a gang meeting life’s slings and arrows with a unanimous grin.
Words by Huw Thomas
Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth (1980)
Punk was too much of a racket for Young Marble Giants. The Cardiff three-piece favoured minimalism, with brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham rearranging the typical band setup so that bass was king, guitar a percussive backbone and silence an instrument. With vocalist Alison Statton as the numbed, earnest narrator, Young Marble Giants made music for urban existentialists, setting a template for twee pop and minimal wave with their songs of the unemployed, unimpressed and unremarkable. Colossal Youth, recorded in the bible-black Powys countryside and released by Rough Trade Records is the only album they ever made but its hushed sound world remains something to shout about.
Words by Huw Thomas
Sade - Diamond Life (1984)
A new standard for British soul, rock and rare groove. Sade are front woman and band namesake Sade Adu alongside bassist Paul Denman, saxophonist and guitarist Stuart Matthewman and keyboardist Andrew Hale. The band's longstanding relationship is significant to their story. Sade originally sang with a seven-member strong North London Latin funk band called Pride between 1981 and 1983, after being scouted by Epic Records the singer refused to sign any deal without taking Paul, Stuart and Andrew from Pride with her. The English band proved their powerful chemistry with their seminal debut Diamond Life, straddling multiple genres, and showcasing a sinewy after-hours groove, laden with minimalist funk. As the eighties boomed with synth-pop and electro-pop from bands like Pet Shop Boys or Duran Duran, Sade's style was labelled 'sophisti-pop', a new brand of stripped-back sounds for the dance floor which captivated
Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)
How many bands formed on a music course stay together? Stuart Murdoch and Stuart Davis formed Belle and Sebastian at Glasgow’s Stow College, with the encouragement of the Associates’ Alan Rankine, and soon expanded to a ragtag eight-piece. The band recorded quickly and frequently, releasing three albums and four EPs in the 1990s alone. Their tentative, wafer-thin musical style, informed by Murdoch’s experience with ME, has ensured a lasting “twee” reputation, but there’s a delicate power on If You’re Feeling Sinister’s most devastating songs like Fox in the Snow and Like Dylan in the Movies.
Words by Huw Thomas
The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land (1997)
Rave energy, punk aggression and a nonconformist legacy, The Fat Of The Land crashed into 1997 full of huge hits ready to turn leftfield music on its head. A group with a truly unique offering, The Prodigy were a rare band that crossed from rock to rave and back again, predominantly powered by the collective creative talents of Liam Howlett (founder, producer, keyboardist, and songwriter), Keith Flint (vocalist and dancer), Maxim (MC and vocalist)and dancers Leeroy Thornhill and Sharky. Signing to XL Recordings in 1990, The Prodigy's high-volume breaks have had an enduring influence on dance music, with many artists and producers emulating their iconic atmospheric breakbeat sound.
Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005)
Britain's first virtual band presenting imaginative pop and killer hits. The Damon Albarn-led project brings together more musical variety than most bands could manage in their entire career. Created by Damon alongside artist Jamie Hewlett in 1998, Gorillaz provided a departure from the renowned Britpop sound of Damon's band Blur, blending dub, hip-hop, dancehall afro pop and rap into one concoction. Primarily consisting of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Russel Hobbs (drums), yet in real life Jamie Hewlett, Remi (voice of Russell and permanent music producer since 2015) and Mike (live keyboardist) are consistent members of the troupe.
Demon Days is Gorillaz' acclaimed follow-up album, made to prove a point that this virtual band was not a gimmick but a well-oiled machine. 15 tracks full of personality, harmony, infectious rhythm and often cinematic soundscapes - enlisting the moving vocals San Fernando Valley Youth Choir and The London Community Gospel Choir.
The xx - xx (2009)
An indie band for a new generation mastering an intimate blend of rock, R&B and dance music. Jamie, Oliver and Romy are 'The xx', a trio who have been collaborating since childhood, initially also including songwriter Baria Qureshi The group's seminal debut xx is a cult classic of the last decade, with melancholic charm that recalls Portishead's Dummy and a dark, dreamy mystique reminiscent of Burial. Following their last project together in 2017, I See You, the trio have continued their impressive collaboration via their involvement in each other's solo projects. Jamie co-produced Romy's solo debut Mid Air and produced Oliver Sim's debut Hideous Bastard and the two vocalists both feature on Jamie's much anticipated second solo album In Waves. Bridging the gap so perfectly between the beloved British music scenes of indie and dance the xx hold an important place in the history of Britain's musical groups and their return for a fourth studio album in 2025 is, though unconfirmed, very much anticipated.
Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There (2022)
Britain's most unique new indie troupe, championing genre fluidity. The originally Cambridge-based band really established themselves around 2019 after several changes to their lineup. As a seven-piece of Tyler Hyde (vocals, bass), Lewis Evans (vocals, flute, saxophone), Georgia Ellery (violin, backing vocals), May Kershaw (vocals, keys), Charlie Wayne (drums, backing vocals) and Isaac Wood (guitar, lead vocals) the band very quickly rose from a hip secret to one of Britain’s most prestigious bands, releasing a critically acclaimed debut in For The First Time. The arrival of their second and equally acclaimed album Ants From Up There also marked the departure of lead vocalist Isaac Wood from the group, yet the band kept moving forward, entering a new phase yet again.
A unique concoction that traverses classical minimalism, indie-folk, pop and alt-rock, Black Country New Road are undoubtedly one of the most exciting post-rock groups of our contemporary music scene, which we are excited to see more from in future years.
Further Listening
Looking to really indulge in your British bands? We have a further list of icons whom we have celebrated across our shops, still just a small number of the infinite amount of bands making an immeasurable impact on British music culture, but some real gems nonetheless...
Sault, Young Fathers, Dry Cleaning, Slowdive, The 1975, English Teacher, IDLES, Bloc Party, Broadcast, Radiohead, The Smile, The Slits, Foals, Ezra Collective, Wet Leg, Belle and Sebastien, New Order, Joy Division, Blur, Oasis, Massive Attack, The Cure, Stiff Little Fingers, The Rolling Stones, Elastica, The Libertines and many more!