Are you a music history fan who likes free stuff? An exhibition of memorabilia from Mick Jones of The Clash’s personal collection opens this weekend.
Don’t hang about as it’s not on for long either.
From Saturday 13th September to Thursday 18th, pop culture pieces from Mick Jones’s collection will be on show at the Art Pavilion gallery space in Mile End.
It’s dubbed the Rock & Roll Public Library, and will be open to all from 11am to 8pm, giving you a chance to pop in after work if necessary.
The Rock & Roll Public Library has been about a bit. Earlier this year, it was on display at the Farsight gallery in London, after stints in Mexico City, Venice and elsewhere in the UK, charting all the way back to 2009.
It’s intended to be much more than just a Mick Jones autobiography told through a series of objects.
It’s “an archive encompassing many varied items, including books, comics, magazines, musical equipment, literature, art, clothing, ephemera, as well as music and film in every format, revealing a wide network of influences.”
The website describes is as “a cultural history told by context, connection, and juxtaposition. It is an extensive collection which is ever-growing and always evolving. “
The exhibition is here to support the release of the second RRPL magazine, which goes on sale on September 11th. It follows the first issue, which came out in March 2025 and was also supported by another exhibition, then held in Soho.
The magazine is all about DIY culture, “from punk rock fanzines to fashion, art school to dole queues, four-track home cassette demos to high-tech studios.”
You can still pick up a copy of the first issue of RRPL Magazine, for £15 direct from the official shop.
While we’re yet to experience the Rock & Rock Public Library first-hand, reports from previous outings suggest it’s a slightly chaotic jumble, but one The Clash fans should not miss. The collection is also ever-changing, with each showing representing just a small fraction of Mick Jones’s entire collection.
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