Beggars Group is a British record company that owns or distributes several other labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, and XL Recordings. The companies’ roots stem from the Beggars Banquet record shops, which first opened in 1973 with a shop in Earls Court, London. In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DIY aesthetics of the British punk rock movement (then at the height of its
popularity), the shop founders decided to join the fray as an independent label and release records under the Beggars Banquet imprint. The first band on the label was English punk group The Lurkers; the first ever release on the label was The Lurkers' punk classic "Shadow"/"Love Story" 7" single. Later in the decade and into the early '80s, hits with Tubeway Army and Gary Numan secured the label's future. Having since been trading for over four decades, Beggars Group remains owner-run (by Martin Mills) and its musical focus remains fiercely alternative. Artists currently working with the above labels include Adele, Antony & The Johnsons, Atlas Sound, Basement Jaxx, Beck, Belle & Sebastian, Beirut, Blonde Redhead, Bon Iver, The Breeders, Camera Obscura, Cat Power, Fu**ed Up, Jarvis Cocker, Dizzee Rascal, The Hold Steady, Holy F**k, Interpol, Mogwai, M.I.A., My Morning Jacket, The National, The Raconteurs, Radiohead, Lou Reed, Scott Walker, Sigur Rós, Sonic Youth, The Strokes, Stereolab, Super Furry Animals, Thom Yorke, TV on the Radio, Vampire Weekend, Voxtrot, The Veils, The White Stripes and Yo La Tengo.
