Records will always be associated with Sheffield’s fondly remembered Leadmill live music venue. On the Suffolk Street side of the venue Rat Records set up possibly the same time as The Leadmill re-opened in 1982, with a door onto the street – though I think you could also access it from the venue when it was open.
Frustratingly details are scarce, so if anyone (or the owner Nick’s family!) can help do get in touch. It is not a shop I recall going to, but then it was a trek down from the city centre (and a steep climb back).
Being associated with The Leadmill, they did co-promote some shows and flyers. They also got Leadmill poster designer Martin Bedford to do their flyer design and the art used on their shop bags. This survives in a huge collection of Bedford’s work currently being conserved at the Sheffield Archives, and curator Cheryl allowed us to snap the art one one of their flyers too. I do have a shop bag in the SMA collection which I will dig out anon. She also found the rare photo of the shop from the Picture Sheffield collection.
We think Nick went on to open He later opened another one on Abbeydale Road called Tangerine Records / Play It Again records in Sheffield. PS There was a Rat Records in Camberwell until 2022, no relation.
Back to the list of Record Shops and Music Shops – if you have any information or images about this shop, we’d love to hear from you.
