Rough Trade

Rough Trade

Rough Trade is a Canadian rock band centred on singer Carole Pope and multi-instrumentalist Kevan Staples. The pair begin performing together in Toronto in 1968 in a folk group called O, and the act is renamed Rough Trade in 1973.

Canadian rock band

Rough Trade’s core pairing is Carole Pope on vocals and guitars, and Kevan Staples on keyboards and guitars. The early line-up also includes percussionist Chris Faulkner, bassist Bob Jennings and drummer Donny McDougal. The band’s personnel changes frequently over time, with supporting players sometimes replaced wholesale while Pope and Staples remain the central figures.

The group gains success in the 1970s and 1980s with songs and performances built around themes of catastrophic power and sexualised pulp-fiction imagery, delivered by Pope’s forceful vocal style. Rough Trade becomes known as the first rock band to record a direct-to-disc album with Rough Trade Live in 1976, despite the title the recording is made in a studio.

The band’s second album, Avoid Freud, is released in 1980. Rough Trade breaks up in 1988, then later returns for several reunion shows with different supporting musicians backing Pope and Staples.

Other acts with the same name

The name Rough Trade is also used by a Norwegian punk band from Ålesund, who issue a 7-inch record in 1980 and appear on compilations including Anarki & kaos and Bloodstains Across Norway. It is also used by an Australian spoken word artist whose work focuses on homoerotic content.