Rough Trade

Rough Trade was a Canadian new wave rock band in the 1970s and 1980s, centred on singer Carole Pope and multi-instrumentalist Kevan Staples. The band was noted for their provocative lyrics and stage antics; singer Pope often performed in bondage attire, and their 1981 hit "High School Confidential" was one of the first explicitly lesbian-themed Top 40 hits in the world.

The band began in 1968 in Toronto, when Carole Pope and Kevan Staples began performing in a group known as "O" with their musical partner Clive Smith. In 1970, Smith left the group and the remaining duo changed their name to "The Bullwhip Brothers", and performed as a largely acoustic duo at Toronto art festivals and at private events. In 1974, the band expanded to a full line-up and became Rough Trade, adding Jo-Ann Brooks, Rick Gratton, Hap Roderman, John Lang and Marv Kanarek to the lineup. The band, through their combination of hard-edged new wave rock and raw sexuality, became a popular draw on Toronto's live music circuit through their regular shows at Grossman's.

They were the first rock band to record a direct to disc album, with 1976's Rough Trade Live. By this time, the band's line-up was Pope, Staples, Michael Fonfara, Peter Hodgson, Jo-Ann Brooks and Rick Gratton. The vast majority of the album's songs were written by Pope and Staples.

In 1978, Tim Curry would issue a cover of the Rough Trade song "Birds of a Feather". Pope and Staples were also involved in writing music for film and television soundtracks, and in 1978 they picked up a Genie Award for their work on the made-for-TV film One Night Stand.

This group's second album, Avoid Freud, was released in October 1980. The first single was the deliberately controversial "What's The Furor About The Fuhrer?", but radio stations flipped the single over and the B-side "Fashion Victim" became a top 40 hit in Canada.

The controversy surrounding the raunchy lesbian-themed second single "High School Confidential" helped propel the song into the Canadian top 20, and made the band stars. The band sang this song on a notable 1981 appearance on SCTV, a prominent Canadian comedy show that also aired in the US.

The band's next album was 1981's For Those Who Think Young. The LP's first single, "All Touch", was the band's most successful single on the Canadian charts during their career, peaking at #12. "All Touch" also became their only US chart hit, peaking at #58.

Shaking The Foundations spawned a top 20 Canadian hit in "Crimes of Passion". Dusty Springfield sang backing vocals on the album, and would also cover two Rough Trade songs that same year on her album White Heat. Many years later, Pope would reveal that she and Springfield were in a relationship around this time.

The band's 1984 album O Tempora! O Mores! would be Rough Trade's final full-length original release. They released a greatest hits compilation, Birds of a Feather, in 1985, and their final full scale tour took place in 1986.

Rough Trade has performed several reunion shows, with varying personnel supporting Pope and Staples. In 2001, Rough Trade undertook a mini-tour of a several venues in eastern Canada.

Since the break-up, Staples has busied himself as a composer for film, television and theatre, and still lives in Toronto. Pope lived in Los Angeles for a time, and has issued a few solo singles and EPs, and one full-length solo album. She continues to play occasional shows and street fairs in Toronto and Montreal, and now lives in New York City.

Music Videos

 * All Touch
 * High School Confidential