Rare test pressings by over 160 artists are to go to auction in aid of The BRIT Trust on 6 June, 11.00am.

The collection includes signed LPs by Bryan Ferry, Celeste, The Cure, Chase & Status, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Gaz Coombes, New Order, Nova Twins, Robbie Williams, Sam Ryder, Steve Winwood, The 1975, Therapy?, Thin Lizzy, Travis, Van Morrison and Vangelis.

Highlights include The Cure’s Disintegration, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, Acoustic Hits, Wish, Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds, Faith, Pornography, The Top and The Head on The Door all signed by Robert Smith, along with a very rare test pressing of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Welcome To The Pleasuredome signed by all five members, a signed copy of New Order’s Movement, two signed Brian Eno albums and six solo albums signed by Bryan Ferry.

The White Label Auction in Aid of The BRIT Trust – the world’s only known auction of “white label” test pressings – takes place next month on Tuesday, 6 June 2023.  This year it will have more than 200 lots of highly collectible ‘white-label’ test pressings – the most offered in the four editions of the auction to date since it began in 2019.

The online/on-site auction is once again being hosted by music memorabilia and vinyl records specialists Omega Auctions from their Newton-Le-Willows (Greater Manchester) base. The full catalogue can be accessed here.

There will be more than 160 artists featured in total, ranging from Diana Ross and Janet Jackson to John Mayall and Eric Clapton; Koffee and Sandie Shaw & The Smiths to The Spice Girls and Paloma Faith; Led Zeppelin and Genesis to Sex Pistols and The Slits; The Specials and Madness to Eurythmics and New Order; Neneh Cherry and Soul II Soul to Iggy Pop and Paul Weller; Pulp and Gaz Coombes to The Stone Roses and The Charlatans; Manic Street Preachers and Blur to Linton Kwesi-Johnson and J Hus; and Laura Marling and Emeli Sandé to George Ezra and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man; and Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. See below for a full list.

The UK’s record labels led by Universal Music UK, who founded the event with the BPI, along with BMG, Domino Recordings, Cherry Red, Sony Music Entertainment UK, Warner Records and others, each year join forces to curate a broad selection of white label auction lots to raise funds for the vital work of music industry charity The BRIT Trust – which promotes education and wellbeing through music and the creative arts to support causes that include the BRIT School and Nordoff and Robbins. In January the BPI reported that vinyl albums had recorded a 15th year of consecutive growth in the UK, with over 5.5m LPs purchased in 2022.  

This rising demand for vinyl has in turn resulted in a growing archive of white label test pressings – so called because there is no sleeve artwork at this early stage – which record labels produce ahead of the full release of an album to ensure its audio quality. With only a handful produced, these first-off-the-press copies are snapped up by collectors on the rare occasions they become available, as evidenced by the huge interest in the three White Labels Auctions to date, which between them have raised around £100,000.    

White label test pressings by the following artists:

a-ha / Arcade Fire / Asia / Black Grape / Blind Faith / Blossoms / Blur / Bobbie Gentry / Brian Eno / Bryan Ferry / Budgie / Buzzcocks / Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa / Calvin Harris, Katy Perry & Pharrell Williams / Calvin Harris & Sam Smith / Camel / Caravan / The Charlatans / Chase & Status / Chemical Brothers / Christy Moore / Coldplay / Corinne Bailey-Rae / Cream / The Cure / Daryl Hall & John Oates / Declan McKenna / Deep Purple / Derek and The Dominoes / Dexy’s Midnight Runners / Diana Ross / Dio / Dirty Pretty Things / Donovan / Doves / Duffy / Dusty Springfield / Ed Sheeran / Emeli Sandé / Eric Carmen / Eric Clapton / The Ethiopians / Eurythmics / The Fall / Fairport Convention / Frankie Goes To Hollywood / Frightened Rabbit / Gary Moore / Gaz Coombes / Genesis / George Ezra / Graham Parker / Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five / Gregory Isaacs / Helloween / Inspiral Carpets / Iggy Pop / J Hus / Jacob Collier / Jake Bugg / The Jam / Jamie T / Janet Jackson / Joe Cocker / John Martyn / John Martyn & Beverley Martyn / John Mayall / Joni Mitchell / Julian Cope / Justin Hayward and John Lodge / Karl Hyde / Kate Nash / Katie J Pearson / Kelis / Ken Boothe / Kid Creole / Kings of Convenience / Koffee / The LA’s / Laura Marling / Level 42 / Led Zeppelin / Lindisfarne / Linton Kwesi-Johnson / Louis Tomlinson / Ludovico Einaudi / The Lumineers / McAlmont & Butler / Madness / Manic Street Preachers / Marianne Faithfull / Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus / Mark Knopfler / Meat Loaf / Melt Yourself Down / The Members /  The Mighty Diamonds / Mike and The Mechanics  / Mike Oldfield / MJ Cole Moby / Monty Python / The Moody Blues / Motorhead / Mott The Hoople / Nathaniel Rateliff / Nazareth / Neneh Cherry / New Order / Nicholas Briteli / Noah and The Whale / Nothing But Thieves / Nova Twins / Orchestra Manouevres in the Dark /  Pale Fountains / Paloma Faith / Paul Weller/ Penguin Café Orchestra / Pete Townshend / Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane/ PiL / Pulp / Quincy Jones / Rag ‘n’ Bone Man / Rainbow / Rhys Lewis / Richard & Linda Thompson / Rick Astley / Rick Wakeman / Rizzle Kicks / MJ Cole / Rico & The Rudies / Robbie Williams / Robyn / Roger Waters / Ronnie James / Rory Gallagher / The Ruts / Sam Cooke / Sam Ryder / Sandie Shaw / Sandie Shaw & The Smiths / Sandy Denny / Scissor Sisters / The Scorpions / Scott Walker / Selecta’s Choice Series / Sex Pistols / Shed Seven / The Silvertones / Simple Minds / The Skatalite / Sparks / The Slits / Soul II Soul / The Specials / The Spice Girls / Squeeze / Status Quo / Stereophonics / Steve Winwood / The Stone Roses / T-Rex / Tame Impala / Tangerine Dream / Teardrop Explodes / Tears For Fears / The Teskey Brothers / Therapy? / Thin Lizzy / Tom Odell / Tom Speight / Travis / UB40 / The Undertones / Underworld / UNKLE / The Vaccines / The Vamps / Van Morrison / Various: Blue Note / Various Folk / Various Dance – John Morales and others / Various – Little Big Lies / Various – NOW Yearbooks 1980 – 1985 / Various – The Wanderer / Various – Soul / Various – Sound of the Suburbs / The Verve / The Wedding Present / The Who / Wilko Johnson / You Me At Six / Others …….