National Album Day 2024 announces theme of Great British groups

National Album Day returns on Saturday 19th October 2024 and this year will be themed around Great British Groups, following previous editions that included Women in Music, Debut Albums and, just last year, the 90s.

Presented in association with official broadcast partner BBC Radio 2 and now in its seventh year since launching in 2018, National Album Day sees the music community come together once again to celebrate and promote the art of the album.

Since the Sixties the UK has been home to some of the world’s most influential music groups and bands. Whether it be iconic acts that have shaped our music culture, led by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Siouxsie and The Banshees and The Who, or more contemporary artists such as Manic Street Preachers, The 1975, Girls Aloud, Ezra Collective, Wolf Alice and Coldplay. Spanning genres and styles from punk and metal to pop and hip hop, they have all helped build Britain’s bountiful musical landscape and global reputation for classic albums.

From the new wave of the late Seventies led by The Clash and Siouxsie and The Banshees; the ska vibe of London’s Madness along with the Manchester sounds of Joy Division, New Order and The Smiths and the Midlands multiculturalism of UB40 and The Selecter in the Eighties; the heavy metal of Iron Maiden and Def Leppard; the worldwide pop invasion of the Spice Girls and Take That; the Britpop era spearheaded by Oasis and Blur; the raucous sounds of Noughties indie headlined by bands like Arctic Monkeys and Foals, to defiant all-women groups like Sugababes, R&B act FLO, rock duo Nova Twins and breakthrough sensations including Wet Leg and BRITs Rising Stars of 2024 The Last Dinner Party – the rollcall of diverse and exciting talent drawn from different genres is endless.

National Album Day is presented in association with official broadcast partner BBC Radio 2, and will pay tribute to artists who tell their stories behind these significant and influential bodies of work. Artist champions tied into the Great British Groups theme (both heritage and new talent inspired by pioneers), specially reissued albums tied into anniversaries and new releases, promotional events and other activities will be announced in due course, alongside further updates.

Since its launch in 2018, National Album Day has been supported by a broad range of artist champions, including Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes, Sharleen Spiteri, Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, La Roux, Elbow, Paloma Faith, Blossoms, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Mahalia, Toyah Willcox and Jazzie B. Last year Gabrielle, Declan McKenna, Tricky, Nuno Bettencourt, Shola Ama and The Corrs were the latest talents to add their voices as passionate advocates of the album.

Typically benefitting from around a week-long build up, National Album Day has hosted a variety of activities such as listening events with album platforms including Classic Album Sundays, Pitchblack Playback, The Record Club, Tape Notes and Tim’s Listening Parties; live performances, including with charity partner War Child; in-store artist appearances and record store promotions, V&A museum artist in-conversations, and album sleeve artwork exhibitions and street art murals.

National Album Day is organised jointly by the BPI – the UK association of record companies and independent labels (BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize) – and ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association (Record Store Day). The event is supported across Radio 2 and the breadth of BBC Sounds, radio, TV and online channels, and is backed by the wider recorded music community, taking in UK record labels; AIM, PPL and other trade associations; independent record stores and specialist chains including HMV; and online retailers and digital/streaming services including Amazon, Spotify and YouTube.

In a joint statement, Kim Bayley, Chief Executive ERA, and Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI Chief Executive, said: “From the iconic influence of The Beatles and Spice Girls to the dynamic new sounds of BRITs winners Wet Leg, countless artists spanning diverse backgrounds and rich genres make for an exciting celebration of Great British Groups. With so many legendary albums produced by British groups, National Album Day has a brilliant grounding for fans to explore records both new and old, revisiting or enjoying them for the first time.”

Keep track of National Album Day online for regular news updates and for details of how to get involved over the coming months.