Legendary record label London Records announce brand-new podcast and double-CD Hit That Perfect Beat
Today, London Records announce the launch of a brand-new podcast, Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story - an immersive, star-studded deep dive into one of pop’s greatest untold stories: the confidence, chaos and cultural impact of one of the UK’s most influential record labels.
Starting with the rise of the label through the early ‘80s — London Records’ defining era – the series transports listeners right back to its stratospheric heyday and goes on to course through three decades of music supercharged with hits, misses and bold reinventions that reshaped the pop landscape forever.
Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story places the label firmly amongst the ranks of pop culture legend: a powerhouse combination of DIY-driven, maverick spirit and an almost unfair knack for turning bold ideas into global hits.
From early success with Bananarama and Blancmange, international domination with Bronski Beat and Fine Young Cannibals, street savvy antidote to 90s manufactured bands (East-17, All Saints) and onto Orbital, Goldie and the UK dance music explosion, this brand-new, tell-all podcast delves into the risk-takers, rule-breakers, unlikely triumphs and some spectacular failures that defined the sound of a generation.
Host and journalist Siân Pattenden is joined by an all-star line-up of London Records signings including Goldie, Paul Hartnoll (Orbital), Sara Dallin and KerenWoodward (Bananarama), Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama, Shakespears Sister), DanniiMinogue, Shaznay Lewis (All Saints), Reverend Richard Coles (Communards), Tony Mortimer (East 17), Roland Gift (Fine Young Cannibals) Neil Arthur (Blancmange) and many more, including broadcaster Miranda Sawyer, and former London Records staffmembers, novelist and screenwriter John Niven, DJ and A&R Supremo Pete Tong, and DJand broadcaster Sean Rowley.
Across five episodes, together they unearth the punk ethos that coursed through London Records’ distinctive style of pop; the risk-taking, art-school attitude behind its sometimes undercelebrated hits; the rave revolution and dawn of hip-hop and drum & bass; the anarchic hedonism that threatened to split the label apart; and finally the label’s renaissance in recentyears, with exciting new talent such as Alewya and Joalin and new music from original legends like Goldie and Orbital.
Featuring revelatory interviews and all of London Records’ best known tracks, Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story is the greatest record label story you’ve never heard.
Weekly episodes drop at 6am every Wednesday.
Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story is produced by Podmasters, home to the likes of Talk 90s to Me and The Bunker, and one of the UK’s leading independent podcast networks with a reach of well over two million monthly listeners.
Laura Kelly, London Records MD says: “The London Records Story podcast traces the roots of a label like no other; its meteoric success, notorious excess and the extraordinary artists and records that shaped music culture. As London Records moves into a new era, balancing emerging talent with legendary names, the podcast unpacks the label’s original DNA and takes listeners back to a time when the music industry was at its most electric, revealing what it was really like to work inside a record label at its peak.”
John Niven, author, screenwriter and former London A&R added: "Working at London Records was like going on an SAS raid performed by the cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
Sioban Fahey (Shakespears Sister / Bananarama) says: “I’ve worked with London Records throughout my career, from my days with Bananarama through to two albums with Shakespears Sister, even reuniting with the label again for a new EP in 2019. The label’s history is one of both spectacular hits and epic misses, with a cast and crew like no other. Listening again to this podcast reminds me just how extraordinary and sometimes unlikely this journey was!”
Coinciding with the podcast’s launch, London Records will also release a 2CD / digital compilation Hit That Perfect Beat. The ideal companion to the brand-new podcast, the new compilation will be released June 12 and showcases the incredible success, breadth and variety of London Records — featuring over 40 top 40 hits, 20 top 10 hits, 15 top 5s and 5 number 1s.
Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story launches on 6 May 2026 across all streaming services, with new episodes released weekly. The Hit That Perfect Beat is out digitally on 6 May 2026 and available on 2CD from 12 June 2026
The first episode of Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story drops on 6 May 2026.
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.