Today, National Album Day announces a host of brand-new champions, Catherine Marks, Jeff Wayne, Liam Fray from Courteeners, Nova Twins, Jazzie B of Soul II Soul, and Travis. They will join the already announced Shed Seven for this year's National Album Day which is set to return on Saturday 19th October 2024 and will celebrate Great British Groups.
The newly appointed Album Champions will take centre stage in promoting National Album Day and are set to unveil a series of promotional activities around National Album Day as the day draws nearer.
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 to celebrate and promote the art of the album.
This year’s theme, Great British Groups, aims to highlight some of Britain’s most influential music groups and bands.
Spanning genres and styles from punk and metal to pop and hip hop, they have all helped build Britain’s varied musical landscape and global reputation for classic and contemporary albums. The new champions of varying genres and styles showcase some of today’s Great British Groups, and more names are to be announced soon.
Catherine Marks is an internationally renowned Producer and Mix Engineer, with over 17 years in the industry. Catherine won MPG Breakthrough Producer of the Year in 2016, MPG Producer of the Year in 2018 and 2024, and in 2023, Catherine was named Producer of the Year at the MBW A&R Awards. Catherine produced and mixed Wolf Alice’s GRAMMY nominated ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’, mixed GRAMMY award-winning album ‘MASSEDUCTION’ by St. Vincent, and has produced/mixed six Top 10 UK Albums, including ‘the record’ with supergroup boygenius in 2023, which achieved UK #1 album status and won 3 GRAMMY’s for Best Alternative Album, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance. Cementing herself as a global leader in production, Catherine’s credits include: Wolf Alice, Foals, Manchester Orchestra, boygenius, The Killers,St. Vincent, Oscar Lang, The Wombats, Palace, The Mysterines, Frank Turner, Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, Alanis Morissette and The Amazons.
Catherine Marks says “I’m so honoured to be a part of the 2024 National Album Day. The album, as a form, is how I fell in love with music. While I remember singles on the radio or music videos on a Saturday morning, albums were a world I get lost in - they are how we forge deep connections with the artists we love. Albums allow artists to stretch out creatively and dig deeper into what they’re trying to say. I love being a part of helping artists build their album worlds – inhabiting a studio and capturing, forever, a special moment in time. As music consumption becomes more single-driven, it is even more important we celebrate full-length albums, the incredible people who make them and the amazing studios where they were made.”
Jeff Wayne, is an American composer, conductor and producer, whose musical interpretation of HG Wells’ ‘The War of The Worlds’ has achieved international acclaim, winning two UK Ivor Novello Awards. With 16+ million record sales (and counting), it is also amongst the longest-running albums in UK chart history, over 330 consecutive weeks, and in 2018 was ranked No. 32 on the Official Chart Company’s Best-Selling Studio Albums of All Time. Throughout his career Jeff has worked in numerous collaborations, and has become a champion this year as he holds expert knowledge on the album format, alongside successfully bringing his album to life over the past 20-years through his The War of The Worlds live arena tour; The Spirit of Man tour kicks off March 2025. On the day of National Album Day, Jeff will be attending a signing at HMV in Oxford Street. Fans can attain entry by buying the special NAD product ‘Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds: ULLAdubULLA - The Remix Album’ or the re-press of the HMV Day ‘War Of The Worlds’ album.
Jeff Wayne says: “When my musical version of The War of The Worlds was released in 1978, I had no idea how it would be received. It was the height of the punk revolution and disco was King of the dance floor, yet I released a double album with no cuts, narrated by a Welsh actor.
Amazingly, it charted just days after its release and stayed there for 330 weeks. Over the years, it’s inspired many different ‘iterations' including arena tours since 2006. From vinyl to the stage, conducting in front of live audiences has shown me first-hand the exhilaration it offers and how magical it can be.
The power of an album is a true art form, enjoyed for generations. As the Martians exclaim ULLA!, big thanks to the BPI for naming me a National Album Day Champion for 2024.”
Courteeners are Liam Fray, Conan Moores, Michael Campbell with touring members Joe Cross and Elina Lin. Since releasing their debut album St. Jude in 2008 - which recently reached No. 1 in the UK Album Charts fifteen years after its original release - they have become one of the most cherished bands in Britain. As well as achieving consistent commercial success, they have built a huge community around their sold out epic live shows that see them play to packed houses and fields up and down the country. ‘Pink Cactus Café’ is Courteeners’ 7th studio album which follows 2020’s critically acclaimed ‘More. Again. Forever.’ and will be released on 25th October. Their most collaborative, pop-leaning and exploratory work yet, Liam Fray co-produces all tracks, with the album featuring contributions from friends of the band including DMA’S, Brooke Combe, James and Ian Skelly (The Coral), Pixey, and Charlie Salt (Blossoms) amongst many more.
Liam Fray, frontman of Courteeners says: “I’m honoured to be a Champion for National Album Day. When I started making music, I didn’t dream I’d write enough songs for an album... I thought it would be a couple of riffs with my childhood friends, coupled with some bad rhymes from my phone. But then, as you develop, and grow, you realise it could, with some luck and a lot of hard work… be an album. The album is the canvas, and every corner should be painted. The album tells the whole story that the singles entice you with. In the age of immediacy singles belong to the ear… But the album belongs to the heart.”
Nova Twins – Amy Love (vocals/guitar) and Georgia South (bass) – are the bold, genre-defying duo rewriting the rules of alt. rock. Their debut album, Who Are the Girls?, marked them as outsiders on the rise, while their critically acclaimed, Mercury Prize shortlisted follow-up, Supernova, solidified their reputation as musical innovators. Renowned for their mind-blowing live shows, Nova Twins have toured the globe and conquered stages at major festivals, earning co-signs from artists like Elton John and Tom Morello. Their relentless drive has brought top accolades, including two nominations at the BRIT Awards in 2023. On the day of National Album Day, October 19th, Nova Twins will be working with Metropolis and Jack Daniels to perform a mix of songs all recorded straight to vinyl.
Nova Twins say: “We’re so excited to be part of National Album Day! Albums have meant everything to us for as long as we can remember. They’re more than just music, they connect you to the artist. Once you fall in love with an album it becomes yours forever. Even in today’s fast-paced, short-attention era, the album is the truest reflection of an artist’s craft. This is why they should be celebrated.”
Soul II Soul is an iconic band that emerged from the vibrant UK soundsystem culture in the mid 1980s. They introduced their unique Funki Dred style with the first seminal album ‘Club Classics Volume 1’ in 1989, which included their hit singles ‘Keep on Movin’ and ‘Back to Life’. The group collaborated with top musicians including Sinead O'Connor, Nas and Destiny's Child. Evolving from a soundsystem DJ collective, Soul II Soul expanded into a remarkable 25-piece band, earning an iconic status globally with their impact crossing borders, selling over 10 million albums in more than 35 territories. As well as being the driving force behind Soul II Soul, Jazzie B's production contributions have also been accredited on over 35 million albums across 100 territories.
Jazzie B says: “When put like that it sounds amazing and I’m really grateful for the journey we’ve had as Soul II Soul. But really, what we were doing was reflecting the environment, musical and social, that myself and Nellee and the crowds at our gatherings , grew up in. When we made Club Classics, we knew we could blend in all sorts of influences like hip hop, lovers rock, pop, dub and soul and funk as that’s what the people we saw around us had in their record collections – a little bit of everything. Because we made our own music to play on our sound system we were free to do that and they embraced it, so this is a triumph for them as much as it is for the Soul II Soul collective.”
National Album Day is partnering with Black Story, an initiative dedicated to celebrating iconic UK Black music and addressing the underrepresentation of Black artists in the industry. In collaboration with Universal Music Recordings and Warner Music’s Rhino label, the campaign will honour Black artists who have shaped the music landscape but often remain underappreciated. It highlights artists who laid the foundations of their genres, celebrating their lasting influence. As part of the campaign, nine classic Black UK music albums will be re-released on vinyl, including Soul II Soul’s legendary 1989 debut, Club Classics Vol. 1. Soul II Soul will also serve as one of this year's Album Champions, reinforcing National Album Day's commitment to the cause.
Formed in Glasgow in 1990, Scottish songwriting giants Travis first came to prominence in 1996 with their debut EP ‘All I Want To Do Is Rock’, before their 9xPlatinum selling album, The Man Who lifted them to unimaginable heights. Their unbroken lineup of Fran Healy (vocals, guitar), Andy Dunlop (guitar), Dougie Payne (bass) and Neil Primrose (drums) have seen millions of albums sold, multiple wins at the BRITs, Ivor Novello and Q Awards, and acclaim from the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John and The Killers, who they toured with this summer ahead of the release of their 10th album, L.A Times. This album became the UK's No.1 Independent album and hit No.2 in the Official Albums Chart upon release.
Travis say: “We're delighted to be champions for the 2024 National Album Day. As a band we've always believed in the album as an artform and it feels extra special to be celebrating it this year, having just released our 10th album, L.A. Times, 25 years on from The Man Who.”
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.
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, and is backed by the wider recorded music community, taking in UK record labels, AIM, PPL, managers and other trade associations; independent record stores and specialist chains including HMV and online retailers and digital services including Amazon, Spotify and YouTube.
