“Worst Record Covers in the World” Exhibition Returns to Huddersfield this Spring

Posted By: KLTVon: March 06, 2026In: Cultural Leaders Group TV, News

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By KLTV Newsdesk –

A much-loved and wonderfully ridiculous exhibition is returning to Huddersfield this March, promising laughter, nostalgia, and some truly terrible album artwork.

The “Worst Record Covers in the World” exhibition, created by Huddersfield collector Steve Goldman, will be on display at Hive Cooperative Café for two weeks, bringing together some of the most bizarre and unintentionally hilarious album covers ever produced.

Since its Huddersfield debut in 2021, the exhibition has toured galleries, museums, music festivals and comedy events across the UK, drawing crowds eager to witness the strange, surreal and sometimes downright baffling designs that once graced record sleeves.

Terrible Design, Brilliant Entertainment

What started as a personal collection has grown into a travelling exhibition of more than 700 questionable pieces of music design history.

For the Huddersfield show, visitors will be able to see 188 of the worst offenders, each offering its own combination of awkward photography, questionable fashion choices and puzzling creative decisions.

The exhibition has attracted attention from some big names along the way.

BBC Radio DJ Mark Radcliffe has praised the show, while comedian Stewart Lee and critics from the arts programme Front Row have also highlighted the joy it brings to audiences.

During a visit to the exhibition in Warrington, Radcliffe described the atmosphere to his co-presenter, Stuart Maconie, on BBC Radio 6 Music: “Honestly, it’s lovely because the room is full of people howling with laughter. It’s great.”

From Huddersfield to the Fringe

Over the past few years, Steve’s unusual collection has travelled far beyond West Yorkshire.

The exhibition has appeared in towns and cities including Halifax, London, Birkenhead, Buxton, Northampton and Stoke-on-Trent.

In 2025, it reached a new milestone when it was featured at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time.

The same year, it received the “Spirit of the Festival” Liberty Award at the Leicester Comedy Festival.

Despite its national success, Steve says bringing the exhibition back to Huddersfield always feels special.

“Huddersfield is where it all began,” he says. “It’s been a joy taking the exhibition around the UK and seeing how much pleasure it brings to people, but there’s no place like home.”

A Café with Community at its Heart

This year’s Huddersfield exhibition will take place at the Hive Cooperative Café, a community-focused venue in the town centre known for its welcoming atmosphere and creative events.

The café, which became a non-profit workers’ cooperative in 2025, is run collectively by its staff and aims to provide a safe and inclusive space for the local community, particularly LGBTQ+ residents.

Café coordinator Ben Flexen says the team is excited to host the exhibition and is planning something special to go with it.

“Our café is about bringing people together, and nothing is better for that than humour and terrible art,” he said.

“We’ve had a lot of fun coming up with our special menu. We will be offering some great food inspired by some truly terrible album covers!”

As a vegetarian and vegan café, the menu will take a creative approach to recreating some of the exhibition’s most memorable imagery.

However, Steve jokes that one infamous rabbit-themed cover probably won’t appear on the menu.

Supporting Stroke Survivors

Behind the humour, the exhibition also carries a meaningful message. Steve suffered a stroke in 2020 at the age of 53 and now encourages visitors to support the charity Different Strokes.

Entry to the exhibition is free, but visitors are invited to make a voluntary donation to help support younger stroke survivors and their families.

A Chance to Take Home the “Worst”

Visitors to the Huddersfield show will also have the opportunity to purchase one of the first 50 copies of the “Worst Record Covers in the World 2027” calendar, featuring a dozen of Steve’s favourite design disasters from the collection.