Portobello Beat - Exhibition Celebrating North Kensington’s Pioneering Record Shops

Portobello Beat ((1884 to 2024))  (An Exhibition Celebrating North Kensington’s Pioneering Record Shops)

For one week only: Free Entry

6 Thorpe Close

W10 5XA

(opening hours 1st till 7th September 2024 12 till 8PM)

This exhibition covers an area focused around Portobello Road, once amongst the most important music trading hubs in London (if not the world).

Exhibition aims to celebrate the record shops that made an impact – Portobello Beat’s shops set up chains and record labels and made things happen.

It was here that Trojan Records – the label that launched Jamaican music in the UK (and beyond) – was founded via a record shop called Musicland in 1966. Musicland went on to be a London-based chain of record shops, specialising in US imports - both soul and blues and underground rock albums. The success of Musicland and its black music specialist offshoot, Muzik City, ensured that the Notting Hill/Ladbroke Grove area became a hub for record shops and labels.

Geoff Travis opened Rough Trade in the Grove in 1976 and this pioneering emporium quickly became amongst the very first punk specialist record shops – Rough Trade launched Rough Trade Records, home to the Smiths and Lankum (amongst many others). Rough Trade is now an international chain of record shops and a now separate but equally celebrated record label: both continue to trade in Ladbroke Grove.

The seeds for Ace Records, the label that gave the world both Motorhead and reissues of rare rockabilly and soul records, germinated at Rock On’s record stall in Golborne Road’s covered market. Today, Honest Jon's continues to trade as both a shop and label. For more than 50 years Music & Video Exchange has generated feelings of loathing and liking depending on how well you do on exchange (and who is serving you). Virgin Records was long based in the Grove (with one of their most popular hippie shops in Notting Hill).

Tributaries off the Portobello Road led to shops like Dub Vendor, Second Hand Music, The Calypso Shop, Plastic Passion, All Change Records and People’s Sounds. And many more!

Come along to Portobello Beat and experience the history of these streets’ record shops. And share your memories.

This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Dave Hucker, a local lad whose passion for music, record shops and Ladbroke Grove illuminated his and many others lives.

Portobello Beat is curated and sourced by the British Record Shop Archive, a hub for info’ & images on the emporiums that once stocked the music that changed your life.

https://www.britishrecordshoparchive.org/

(contribute your memories/donate to support)