Rough Trade

Probably my favourite record shop now that sister Ray on Berwick St has downsized. It has a great selection of vinyl and music. Even a photo booth which is popular, and my favourite selling point being a gig most evenings from various acts from around the world (if you manage to get a wristband). Has a café u front too with relaxed at attentive staff. An East London fav.

A classic institution that one must visit while in London.
Before visiting this east side installment of Rough Trade, the only one I’d been to was in Brooklyn. While they do great things, there’s just nothing like this particular location. Tons of music in all shapes and sizes (well, from vinyl to CD), lots of apparel and music posters, and maybe best of all, a fun photo booth you have to snap a picture in before you saunter off. It’s pricey, but it seems like a rite of passage.
Buy a tote bag on the way out or get the complimentary one if you actually buy some music. You can toss it over your shoulder and brag to all your friends back home.

My favorite thing about this place isn’t the records — I know that’s weird, after all it’s a music store, right? But really, we visit for the photo booth. While I know the staff seem a little tired of people visiting purely for it, how can we resist? The lighting is perfect, it’s really reasonably priced and it’s loads of fun to see how many people we can squeeze into the booth at any given time.
That aside, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Rough Trade. While other record stores have closed down around us, these guys have stuck around and given us music nerds a place to get lost for a few hours among the cds & lps.
There’s a great little book store area and coffee shop which are worth checking out too, plus the awesome in store gigs they have on weekly are not to miss!

There’s nothing like a visit to Rough Trade to make you feel uncool and totally out of touch with what’s hip and happening.
I will fully admit to feeling a little more at home at Sister Ray in Soho but Rough Trade is much closer to home and a must on any Sunday stroll though Brick Lane. Don’t be intimidated by the store picks of new releases from bands you’ve literally never heard of (if you have, give yourself a hearty pat on your own back you trendy trendy person.)
Obscure trendy music aside (can’t list names, not that cool), Rough Trade have a great selection of classic LPs very helpfully labeled as such. You’ll find the likes of Nirvana, The Cure, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles etc. included in this selection and each one has a small orange sticker to indicate its status as a necessary part of your vinyl collection and musical education. There’s a lot of stuff I have never been able to track down here but if you’re desperately in need of every Mercury nominated album ever, you’re in luck. If Rough Trade doesn’t have it, no one will.
There’s a good selection of CDs if you’re so inclined as well as a book section. The small coffee shop at the front is a great place to be seen. Don’t forget to wear your beanie hat and nose ring, lest others suspect you don’t belong!

Rough Trade es una mítica disquería y de las mejores que se puede encontrar en Londres. Largas hileras de cds, vinilos y dvds como podrán ver en pocos lados, encima está en una especie de callejón dónde a sus alrededores hay distintos locales de comida, de ropa y varias obras artísticas callejeras. Es un lugar con mucha onda que se encuentra en un barrio más que copado.
El lugar respira rock y está realmente bueno, pero lo más interesante es que en este local muchas veces se realizan recitales dentro de la propia disquería y eso es lo máximo. Recuerdo que cuando tuve la suerte de ir pude ver en vivo nada más y nada menos que a Roddy Frame, ex vocalista de Aztec Camera. Todo un lujo, luego la gente enloquecida hacía largas colas para que le firme cds y vinilos. La verdad que es un lugar único y recomendable, tanto si es que buscan comprar algo o simplemente vivir la experiencia de conocer este local.

Yes, Rough Trade is a great place to visit and check-​out the latest releases while sipping on some delicious coffee. The staff is friendly and they have a decently good selection. They even have a (not free) photo booth!
Im sure this is an unpopular opinion but the truth is — Rough Trade is OVERPRICED. I get a lot of records online (Discogs, Insound, JunoRecords, BandCamp) and also in stores. Rough Trade is by far, the priciest. In terms of UK, I find the records to be anywhere from £2 to £10 more expensive than other stores in SoHo and online UK sellers. And this adds up when you are buying multiple at a time.

I’m going into Rough Trade… Kbye, see you in a few days.
Get lost in here/​hear! Don’t leave without buying a record or at least without visiting the multiple listening stations throughout the store. If you’re lucky enough you may catch an in-​store appearance. For example, Jarvis Cocker was around for a Q&A after his film a week or so before I was in town.
Rough Trade, you rule.

Okay okay — I’m not usually a frequenter of places like this because I don’t consider myself hipster enough, nor do I necessarily want to hang out around hipster people with snobbish pretenses in music. It was a stereotype that was burst when I finally managed to step in and immerse myself in there.
The closest thing I can compare it to is Vintage Vinyl in St Louis on the Loop — as I spent my college years just down the street. Lots of things going on inside, lots of tourists, and most importantly lots of good music.
I naturally made my way to the jazz section. I judge a store by how it’s jazz section stacks up (I know I know — who sounds pretentious now?). They had the standards there — but they also had some awesome picks that got me really excited. Wow! These people knew what they were doing — and that’s probably why all the snobbish people (like me when it comes to jazz) come here — because it’s awesome.
Next to jazz is soul. Both Charles Bradley CDs were there. My eyes got wide and I looked around to show my excitement to someone. I met an employee’s eyes, he smiled and nodded that knowing nod — «yes, I know. It’s awesome.»
The cherry on the cake was the poster for a Big Daddy Kane concert that would be happening in a few weeks time. I had no idea he was still performing and instantly made a note to go.
When it comes to Rough Trade, there ain’t no half steppin’ — that’s for sure.

Como não gostar de um lugar onde você, num dia de sorte em 2009, assistiu o The XX tocando dentro da loja?! Comprei até camiseta! «Live East and Die Young»

They had a booth at this years Primavera festival 2014. They carried most titles by most artists. What caught my attention was that they had the uncensored Morrissey book for 9 Euro which his the cheapest I’ve seen it. I am from Canada and we have the censored version for $ 30. This was a steal. Now I have to find some room in my suitcase to bring it back home.

SO with a few poor reviews for local London spots lately I thought I’d turn my attention to a more positive aspect and remind people of some of the good that can be found in London. This brings me to the indie music store Rough Trade Music. Although many people do not appreciate records in our digital age if you are a fan than you know that nothing beats wandering into a good vinyl shop and loosing all sense of time. Its a simple pleasure that is becoming more difficult to indulge in — making me even more grateful for Rough Trade and other bona fide music stores.

Coming from America where people just give me confused looks when I say that my favorite kind of music is something called «indiepop,» I was REALLY REALLY EXCITED that Rough Trade had a whole section devoted to it. It was a small section, sure, but I still managed to find a few albums by bands I like that I simply couldn’t live without. Getting out to the store from where I was staying did sort of feel like I was trekking to the end of the earth, but it was so worth it.
Now I guess I should go check out the Brooklyn branch…

Great selection of vinyl, friendly staff and a inexpensive photo booth facility, great for a group day out.

They sell agnes b totes with rough trade on. heavy metal X parisian chic. Whhaaaaat?!
It’s got morbid and humorous books and LINES of vinyls, cds and just generally music that is not mainstream, or was mainstream but not anymore.

Whether its getting a free coffee with your first check in on foursquare, attending one of their several free concerts a month, scoring a heart shaped supremes album, or squishing into the photobooth for a 3 quid adorable memory, Rough Trade East has delivered happiness every time.

Mein absolutes Lieblingsgeschäft in London inmitten der etwas wildgewordenen Brick-​Lane Area. Der Laden existiert erst seit wenigen Jahren und ist stylish und wirkt fast schon wie ein Museum oder wie eine Galerie, ist natürlich aber ein Musikgeschäft. Neben allen Neuerscheinungen gibt es ein riesiges Angebot an allen interessanten Musik-​Genres, Vinylplatten, T-​Shirts, Taschen und eine Sektion mit DVDs und was interessant ist sehr viele Bücher zum Thema Musik. Es gibt eine hauseigene Hitparade die monatlich aktualisiert wird und in einem kleinen Heft mit weiteren Empfehlungen und Artikeln kombiniert wird. Man kann rechts an der Wand innerhalb des Ladens sein Fahrrad abstellen (sehr cool. hab ich auf diese Weise noch nirgends gesehen), es gibt Kaffee und andere Kleinigkeiten zu kaufen und ehe man sich versieht sind 1 oder 2 Stunden in dem Laden vergangen. Die Preise sind okay und häufig sind Sachen preiswerter als in Deutschland. So habe ich ein limitiertes Album der Liars für 11 Pfund bekommen und ein anderes limitiertes von Moderat für ebenfalls 11 Pfund, wobei das erste in Deutschland ca. 18 Euro kostet und das zweite in Deutschland (obwohl die Band von hier stammt) gar nicht erhältlich ist.
Der Laden ist wirklich aus vielen Gründen eine Empfehlung!

Viel zu teuer!
16,99 Pound Sterling für eine CD sind ca.
21, — Euro; und so toll ist die Auswahl jetzt
auch nicht.
Total überbewertet;
Das Einzige was mir da Spaß gemacht hat
ist die
Photobox

I LOVE ROUGH TRADE.
Take Vintage Vinyl from the STL, add free in-​store exclusive concerts, and transplant it in the heart of hipster central: Brick Lane!
I went here to buy the new Polica album to receive wristabands for the only concert she is doing in London, when I’m in town, that wasn’t sold out. The guy behind the counter helped me find it in the American Music section (Yay we have our own section!), rang me out, and then happily gave me TWO wristbands. I was only expecting one.
Amazing service, nice and helpful workers, and there’s a café with free wifi. C’mon: that’s more than bi-​winning!

First International review? No I’ haven’t dissapeared on a plane.
Okay, this dosen’t really count, as I haven’t been there for 4 years,
but I have the photo to prove it. I remember it was near a Chesire
street, and two retail stores on the other side facing it. I found it
by going «oh, what’s down the street?» The result of which, upon coming
back to melbourne, a friend told me he’d been searching for it,
for a while, yet I’d found it be accident.
It’s off a side street in Bricklane. Also immedieatly near by is a Arts college
thing, which i went to, and saw some gradudating visual arts work in a show
called «Love and Rabbit stew.» Anyway, 2008. Umm it has it’s own record
label and some cool records inside, well of course! It’s similar to Ployester
records in Melbourne. Akin to those stores with no «commercial» crap music,
andlots of lndie and otherwise great artists. Looks like a cool place anyhow.

A very cool record store. While visiting, it was packed, lots of people. Came specifically to pick up the EU version of DEVO’s «Something For Everybody» on vinyl. This store was the only one in London that had a copy and I grabbed their last copy which made me very happy. I’ll be back.

Oh hi there giant music store. You’re a dying breed in America.
Rough Trade is something special, though. Not only can you peruse the large selection of music, but also a fantastic selection of niche-​y books. I kept thumbing through the street art collection.
You can buy a Monmouth coffee at the door, along with some small bites. And sit down on the benches and play board games!
But wait! You can also get an incredible CHEAP meal outside at one of the many street vendors.
The stores across the way are kind of unnecessarily expensive, but it’s a great area.
People watch to the max.

I love this shop. For the bands they promote, the laid back atmosphere and the events they organize. However, I went there yesterday as the venue was on the Photo Month trail, supposedly holding one of the photo exhibitions. I entered the shop, I asked the guy behind the counter where I can find it. He had no clue, he called his mate, he didn’t have a clue either, but he offered to find out. I lost him in the crowd of customers, but I was expecting him to be back soon with the information. 5 minutes have past and I’ve noticed that actually the photos I was about to see hang along the alley high above our heads (and he had no idea!). So I thought I’m gonna find him and tell him I found what I was looking for, when I spotted him at the end of the shop he was. behind another counter serving customers! How rude

All the indie band goodness you can find in one store. This place has an AMAZING selection of music and a great atmosphere. They’ve got unique CDs and vinyl records, arty books, a coffee shop inside (with free wi-​fi), a giant calendar (with a pamphlet version) letting you in on all the live gigs (with some sweet bands), workshops and film screenings they have throughout the month. I love hanging out here for hours and just listening to music without being bothered.
If you’re on the East end and you haven’t visited Rough Trade yet, you are missing out. Seriously.

When I arrived at Rough Trade I was completely tuckered out. Ready for a nap. Yet I still somehow managed to spend 2+ hours browsing the store and £110 on 7″ records and other music. The prices for vinyl are a bit ridiculous £1−3 and in Canada those same 7″ would cost at least £6 ($ 12 CDN).
Earlier that day I saw a cool looking couple at Burroughes Market carrying Rough Trade tote bags stuffed with goodies, so I had to ask them where the store was. They assured me it was within 20 minutes’ walking distance, and while this was an outright lie, I did have a nice walk through the city while on the goose chase trying to find the elusive Rough Trade.
I asked hipsters.
I asked police officers.
I asked tuck shop owners.
I asked essentially anyone who looked like they would even remotely know what a record store was, let alone a juggernaut like Rough Trade, and nobody knew what I was talking about or how to get to it. WTF.
Make sure you print a map if you’re visiting from out of town or you’ll never find it! It’s really, really hidden.
Love the fact that you get free internet access with purchase. There are computers set up at the back (Macs) and when you get your receipt they give you a login password so you can browse for a bit. That really made my day!