Rough Trade Nottingham keeps Hockley spinning with records and free gigs

On Record Store Day 2026, an early queue formed outside 5 Broad Street in Hockley, with music fans hoping to grab exclusive limited-edition vinyl and rare releases. It was a familiar sight at Rough Trade Nottingham, which has been a fixture of the city for just over a decade.

The store sits in a three-storey Victorian building and combines two things Nottingham loves under one roof. The ground floor is a record shop, while upstairs there is a bar and an intimate live room that has become a proper grassroots stage for the city.

Record Store Day on 25 April showed it at its best. The team upstairs hosted a free, all-day line-up spanning genres, including jazz act Eponine, indie band Silverstate and pop punk band Autumn Fires, while DJ Robin Hearn played in the bar. Sunflower Thieves, Kaliko, Melanie Baker, Solar Eyes and George Gadd also performed. Bar and events manager Tijen Fahri told LeftLion that "Rough Trade celebrates its 50-year anniversary this year", and said demand for live music and physical retail is "going nowhere".

The gig calendar backs that up. Rough Trade Nottingham hosts in-store sets and intimate headline shows, often tied to new releases. Recent visitors in 2026 have included Yonaka, Ego Ella May and Lime Garden, while local favourites such as Revenge Of Calculon, Kid Kapichi and Yazmin Lacey have played the room more than once.

The shop has also been a loyal friend to Nottingham's charity music festival. It has hosted a Hockley Hustle stage almost every year since it opened in 2014, programmed with LeftLion, with the record shop staying open downstairs while bands play above.

It is a welcoming space, too. The upstairs room is reached by a lift, the bar counter is accessible and assistance dogs are welcome. Staff can arrange seating or a quieter spot on request.

In an age of streaming, there is something reassuring about a place where you can flick through the racks, buy a record and then head upstairs to hear a band you have never heard before.

Rough Trade's website lists upcoming in-store events and gigs in Nottingham.