Hail to the city of Oxford as National Album Day research names Radiohead’s birthplace the UK’s top location per capita for launching rock artists

02 October 2025 - Press release

Manchester is runner-up thanks to Oasis, The Smiths and Stone Roses – ahead of Liverpool, Sheffield and Glasgow.  Greater London is the UK’s biggest rock region overall.                       

  

• New research for National Album Day reveals Oxford is the UK’s top rock city  – punching above its weight on a per capita basis for producing successful rock artists.

• More than a dozen releases by Oxford artists including Radiohead and Supergrass are among the top 500 rock studio albums by UK artists over the last three decades, based on Official Charts data.

• Greater Manchester’s immense contribution to the UK’s rich rock heritage is highlighted by Oasis’s home city of Manchester and Salford (Joy Division, Happy Mondays) ranking among the UK’s top rock destinations – ahead of Liverpool, Sheffield and Glasgow also in the top 5.

• Greater London is the UK’s biggest rock region or nation overall in actual terms, with its vast contributions including Blur, Coldplay, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

• National Album Day takes place on Saturday, 18th October – this year with a ‘Rock’ theme – and is presented by the BPI and ERA in association with official broadcast partner BBC Radio 2.

 

 

In exclusive new research for National Album Day on 18th October, Oxford has beaten iconic music destinations such as Manchester, Liverpool, and London to be crowned the UK’s most successful city per capita for producing rock artists. 

The university city achieved the prestigious first after its music talent, which notably includes the groups Radiohead,  Supergrass and Foals, outranked artists from every other city on a per capita basis (reflecting population size), on a chart of the biggest-selling and most-streamed UK rock studio albums over the past three decades.  Oxford took the title ahead of Manchester, home to Oasis and The Smiths, and so many other great rock bands, Liverpool, the birthplace of The Beatles, Sheffield and Glasgow.  See sections below.

Mick Quinn from Supergrass, who hail from Oxford, said: 
"Oxford's always had this vibrant music scene with a mixture of interloping students and locals. It's far enough from London not to be competitive but amongst its many diverse achievements; the Thames Valley Shoegaze scene still seems to cast a long shadow. Ride, Radiohead and all the usual suspects seem to have started there.”

The research has been carried out ahead of this year’s National Album Day, which takes place on Saturday, 18th October with a theme celebrating Rock music. 

Radiohead’s OK Computer leads Oxford charge as UK’s top city for launching successful rock artists
What the research reveals is that successful rock artists have come from every region of the UK. However, it is Oxford with its population of around 163,000 people – more than 50 times smaller than that of London and about one-third of Manchester’s – that has the greatest pedigree of any UK city when it comes to producing successful rock artists. Its dominant position is led by Radiohead, whose nine studio albums all finished among the UK’s top 500 rock studio albums by domestic artists, led by their 1997 UK chart-topper OK Computer and also including The Bends, In Rainbows and Hail To The Thief. Oxford is further represented by three albums from Supergrass, including the group’s studio debut I Should Coco, while the same city’s Foals also have a trio of albums on the top 500, headed by their 2013 release Holy Fire. 

UK’s top cities for rock artists (calculated on a per capita basis)

Pos.     City

1. Oxford

2. Manchester

3. Liverpool

4. Sheffield

5. Glasgow

6. Leicester

7. London

8. Leeds

9. Salford

10. Brighton 
Source: National Album Day based on Official Charts data (up to chart week 32 2025)

This top-10 ranks UK cities according to their chart sales (physical and digital download sales plus streaming consumption) on a chart of the 500 biggest rock studio albums in the UK by domestic artists since February 1994. This was when the Official Charts Company began. The figures are presented on a per-capita basis according to Office for National Statistics 2022 population estimates.

Dr. Jo Twist OBE, Chief Executive BPI, and Kim Bayley, Chief Executive ERA, the organisations behind National Album Day, said jointly: 
“As National Album Day themes go, it’s hard to think of one in which British artists have excelled more than rock.  Just this summer, the amazing Oasis concerts and the outpouring of love for Ozzy Osbourne have reminded everyone of our unparalleled rock heritage. But it’s not just the past we are celebrating, but a vibrant future being shaped by brilliant contemporary artists like Sam Fender, Wolf Alice, Sleep Token, Wet Leg, Nova Twins, The Last Dinner Party, and countless others, who underscore a rock scene that is in rude health, with success coming from every part of the UK.” 

Greater Manchester’s rock firepower highlighted by Manchester and Salford
Ahead of it hosting next year’s BRIT Awards with Mastercard, the first to be held outside of London, Manchester is named the UK’s second biggest rock city on a per capita basis. It no surprise to find that Oasis – currently undertaking their first tour since 2009 – make a significant contribution to their home city’s score. The group’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory is the most-consumed rock studio album by a UK artist over the last three decades, while their six other studio albums also figure, alongside non-band releases by Liam Gallagher (top album As You Were) and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (led by their self-titled debut). In total, 29 albums by rock artists from Manchester make the cut, including releases by The Charlatans (led by The Charlatans), James (including Laid), The Smiths (all four studio albums, including The Queen Is Dead) and Stone Roses (both The Stone Roses and The Second Coming).

Fellow Greater Manchester city Salford ranks ninth with its impressive rock credentials including albums by Black Grape (It’s Great When You’re Straight…Yeah), Happy Mondays (Pills ’N’ Thrills And Bellyaches) and Joy Division (Unknown Pleasures and Closer).

As the home of the most successful group in history, Liverpool finishes as the UK’s third top rock city, with two dozen albums on the chart. Although the chart only covers sales and streams since 1994, a quarter of a century after they stopped recording, the enduring appeal of The Beatlesmeans 12 of their original studio albums make the cut. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road are their biggest, joined by solo releases from John Lennon (Imagine), Paul McCartney (Band On The Run with Wings) and George Harrison (All Things Must Pass). Liverpool is also represented by artists including Cast (All Change), The Wombats (including A Guide To Love Loss & Desperation) and The Zutons (led by Who Killed the Zutons).

Sheffield’s decades-long record of nurturing world-conquering rock artists helps it to fourth position, which includes Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I Am Not and the Arctic Monkeys’ six other studio albums, as well as albums by the likes of Bring Me The Horizon(headed by That’s The Spirit), Def Leppard (Hysteria) and Pulp (including Different Class). Just behind in fifth spot, Glasgow’s impressive history of successful rock artists is represented by 11 different acts, including Chvrches (The Bones Of What You Believe), Franz Ferdinand (including Franz Ferdinand), Gerry Cinnamon (led by Erratic Cinematic), Primal Scream (Screamadelicaand four other albums) and Travis (five albums including The Man Who).

Leicester’s sixth-place finish is principally down to Kasabian (six albums, including their debut Kasabian), while London, which would be the number one city on actual basis, makes it to seventh position on per capita terms. The city has been home to a vast number of legendary rock solo artists, not least David Bowie (led by The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars), but it also where countless rock bands were formed. This exhaustive list with their respective biggest studio albums since 1994 includes Blur (Parklife), The Clash (London Calling), Coldplay (A Rush Of Blood To The Head), Florence + The Machine (Ceremonials), Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin IV aka Four Symbols), Pink Floyd (The Dark Side Of The Moon), Queen (A Night At The Opera), The Rolling Stones (Sticky Fingers), Suede (Coming Up), The Who (Who’s Next) and Wolf Alice (My Love Is Cool), as well as iconic metal band Iron Maiden (The Number Of The Beast).

Leeds occupies eighth position with a showing that includes three Kaiser Chiefs albums (led by their debut Employment), alongside releases by Alt-J (headed by An Awesome Wave), The Music(The Music) and Pigeon Detectives (Emergency). On the south coast, Brighton rounds off the UK’s top ten rock cities thanks to acts including The Kooks (top album Inside In/Inside Out) and Levellers (Levelling The Land). 

UK’s top regions and nations for producing rock artists – Greater London comes top ahead of North West England
The chart ranks UK regions and nations based on chart sales (physical and digital downloads plus streaming consumption) on a chart of the top 500 biggest rock studio albums by UK artists since February 1994.

Pos.        Nation/region

1. Greater London

2. North West England

3. South East England

4. Wales

5. Yorkshire and the Humber

6. Scotland

7. East of England

8. South West England

9. Northern Ireland

10. West Midlands             
Source: National Album Day based on Official Charts data (up to chart week 32 2025)

Greater London is the top UK region for producing successful rock artists, followed by North West England, whose showing not only includes successful artists from Liverpool, Manchester and Salford, but also the likes of Bury’s Elbow (top album The Seldom Seen Kid), Chelford’s Tom Walker (What A Time To Be Alive), Wigan’s Richard Ashcroft as both a solo artist and with The Verve (led by the group’s Urban Hymns) and Wilmslow band The 1975 (four albums led by The 1975).

As the third top region, South East England can point to homegrown stars such as Crawley’s The Cure (led by Disintegration), Godalming formed Genesis (most successful studio album post 1994 Selling England By The Pound), Keane from Battle in East Sussex (top title Hopes And Fear), Woking born Paul Weller as a solo artist and with The Jam (headed by his solo release Stanley Road) and Isle of Wight band Wet Leg (debut Wet Leg).

In fourth, Wales leads the nations outside of England. Successes include Catatonia (International Velvet), Manic Street Preachers (seven albums headed by Everything Must Go) and Stereophonics (Performance And Cocktails and nine others). Sheffield and Leeds’ many music successes power Yorkshire and the Humber as the UK’s fifth biggest rock region. Its showing also includes York’s Britpop veterans Shed Seven (led by A Maximum High), as well as the Bailiff Bridge band Embrace (top album The Good Will Out).

Scotland’s sixth-place finish includes not only Glasgow’s many successful artists but also the likes of Edinburgh singer-songwriter KT Tunstall (Eye To The Telescope) and Kilmarnock’s Biffy Clyro (including Only Revolutions). Northern Ireland in ninth is represented by Belfast music giant Van Morrison (led by Moondance) and the groups Ash (1977) and Snow Patrol (four albums, including Eyes Open).

East of England’s seventh-place ranking includes singer-songwriter Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes (Two Suns) and Basildon group Depeche Mode (led by Violator), while South West England finishes eighth with its leading rock acts including Bridport’s PJ Harvey (including her Mercury Prize winners Stories From The City Stories From The Sea and Let England Shake) and Teignmouth band Muse who provide eight of the top 500 UK rock albums since 1994, led by Black Holes & Revelations.

In 10th spot, the West Midlands’ many classic rock artists include Ozzy Osbourne who sadly passed away in July just a couple of weeks after performing at Villa Park in Birmingham with his band Black Sabbath for the final time. The region’s biggest rock albums include the heavy metal pioneers’ first two studio albums Black Sabbath and Paranoid, alongside contributions from legends such as Robert Plant (led by his Grammy-winning Raising Sand with Alison Krauss) and Jeff Lynne and ELO (including Out Of The Blue).

East Midlands’ biggest successes include Nottingham trio London Grammar (led by their debut If You Wait). North East England has produced a number of the UK’s most successful rock stars, including from Newcastle, whose Utilita Arena will host the first Mercury Prize ceremony held outside London on Thursday, 16th October. Both Sting (biggest post-1994 album Brand New Day)and Mark Knopfler (top solo album Sailing To Philadelphia) come from the city, while just a few miles away is South Shields, the home town of Sam Fender. All three of his albums to date have topped the Official Albums Chart, including his most recent release People Watching in February.