For many musos, one of the best ways to kick start the New Year is a trip to Rockaway Beach; an indoor Boutique Music Festival, featuring a sparkling core of iconic legends and a handpicked array of cutting-edge, emerging artists. It’s one of the best places to see your next favourite band before they hit the big time. The independent, intimate event is winter’s biggest alternative weekender and a tastemaker for the rest of the year. For their tenth anniversary in January headline artists include electronic pioneers Leftfield, shoegaze legends RIDE and gospel space rockers Spiritualized, who performed at the very first festival in 2015 and return for this landmark birthday. Over the years we have been blown away by the fact that they continue to champion bands across the cultural and genre divide. On their 10th anniversary, founder and curator Ian Crowther spoke to GIITTV about the Rockaway journey so far.
How do you manage to find the next big bands? Is it instinct? Huge names with specially curated emerging artists seems to be such a unique and winning formula.
“I try to immerse myself in as much new music as possible, attending gigs and staying alert to what’s happening out there. Tuning into the radio helps too, but what really matters is paying attention to the feedback from the audience and guests. We take note of comments and have conversations about what people are currently enjoying. Whether it’s publications like this or a random chat outside a venue at 2am, gathering diverse perspectives is invaluable. Over time, you start hearing the same names cropping up, and from there, it’s about trusting what feels right for us. Everything we book goes through discussion, reflection, and ultimately, a high standard of quality control – whether that’s the new stuff or bigger, established names.“
Who have been your most memorable acts? You have had such an immense range of artists from Peter Hook, Fontaines DC, Self Esteem, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Suede, Gary Newman, JARV IS, Johnny Marr, Echo & The Bunnymen, Public Service Broadcasting, Young Fathers, Nadine Shah to name a few. What have been your highlights?
“Oh there are so many – even from the ones you’ve listed there. The Smiths got me through my teenage years (with a little help from Band of Holy Joy, Bradford, Joy Division, The Wedding Present and others). So having Johnny Marr play the first ever Rockaway Beach felt like a real coup. And I vivdly remember getting goosebumps when Hooky and his band played “Love Will Tear Us Apart” at Rockaway Beach. Going to school in Yorkshire in the ’80s, The Wedding Present were one of the first bands I saw live (and possibly the band I have seen most often) – but every time they remind me what an exciting live band they are with an incredible repertoire of love songs.
Amongst the many emerging artists that I’m proud to have got on the bill at Rockaway Beach, I did feel a thrill when Big Special brought their unique blend of West Midlands Blues Punk Poetry and Noise. Don’t listen to what they say though, it is big and it is special. In 2023 VLURE were a huge highlight for me – I don’t know if anyone was prepared for what we got. Just a week after Maxi Jazz had left us, it was the middle of the afternoon but VLURE made it feel like 2am at the most amazing club you’ve been to – with an electro-punk band covering God is a DJ . Phenomenal.
One more special moments for me from 2023 was the Sonic Boom and Panda Bear show. I’m a long time fan of Spaceman 3, and of course Spiritualized, but also a huge admirer of Pete Kember‘s innovation through different incarnations. So I was delighted to confirm Sonic Boom to play Rockaway Beach, and when I got the call to say that instead of a solo show he wanted to play with Panda Bear (I think the first time they’d performed their record together in the UK) I knew we were going to get something outstanding – it was the perfect dreamlike, almost spiritual, way to end the festival.”
How does it feel to have reached this landmark?
“When Rockaway started it was a bit of an experiment, and it’s amazing that people have come along with us on the ride this far. Ten years has really crept up on me – it’s honestly quite humbling that we get to do this, and we’ve got this far. I’d say I feel thankful“
It definitely feels like the kind of festival that artists want to play at.
“I hope that over time it’s got a good name for being a place where bands can play, be first or last on, and really make a dent. I hope the artists get as much out of playing as we do watching.”
I heard many artists from the stage saying how long they have wanted to play at Rockaway. Was it always like this or did it take time?
“That reputation took some time for sure. It’s great that bands get that buzz from being here. When you’ve been going for ten years inevitably you’re getting new bands coming through who hadn’t even formed when we started. So maybe some people have come as punters and are now in the bands we really want to play – that’s quite exciting. Certainly compared to year one, it’s much easier now to ask people to play. They know what they’re in for. “
Gig-goers have a real trust in the festival, buying tickets before the line-up is announced. What do you think has built that positive trust and reputation?
“As I said, we discuss and argue about every artist that plays. There’s nowhere to hide on a Rockaway line-up. The way we run the stages, when a band is on – THAT is the band that is on. It’s a live mixtape. We’re all watching the same stuff, for the most part. In that there’s a great responsibility to the programming, and to all of you attending. Never want to abuse that trust. The love we put into the line-up each year is maybe what keeps people coming back. That and the MarioKart, and swimming pool parties, and all that odd extra stuff.“
Are you a big Ramones fan? Did the name of the festival come from their song?
“It did come from the song, yes. And of course I’m a big fan. What not that many people pick up on is that all our branding and logos over the years have been stylised on the New York subway system, in homage to the song, the place, and a bit of CBGBs.”
What inspired you to start this festival? Did you have a mission statement at all?
“To create a live mixtape in a weird setting. To make something quite grown up, but in a big kids playground, that older fans could get excited about. Not staying in a tent helps. From there it was about creating a space for older and younger fans to share the same experiences – and not feel like either was on the other’s turf. “
The festival used to be in October in 2015 and then changed to January of each year from 2019 onwards. What made you change it to the beginning of the year? For us, it feels like a real tastemaker for the rest of the year.
“If I’m boasting, I would say it was a genius marketing move. If I’m being coy, I’d say it was somewhat not our decision to make. So the truth is somewhere in the middle. We definitely didn’t think it would come to define the new year as much as it has done.”
How does it feel to have Spiritualized playing again for your anniversary gig after playing at your first festival?
“We were adamant we wanted somebody back from the first year. And then ‘Everything Was Beautiful’ came out, and it wasn’t a very hard call to make.“
What have been your proudest memories of the last 10 years?
“I’ve been a huge fan of Self Esteem for many years – I know everyone says that when an artist gets big (haha). But when they played in January 2020 I think a few people were surprised to see them on the bill, but then enthralled by the show. Of course no-one was surprised when Rebecca was back in 2024 on the headline stage where she belongs.
I am proud that we took the bold move to book a headliner in Fontaines DC that was relatively unknown – I’d seen them live twice and heard a handful of recordings – and sometime you just know you’re experiencing something special. It’s joyful to see the band go from strength to strength, and get better and better.“
Self Esteem Photo Credit- Tony Jupp
You get the content balance so right at your festival.
“It’s not intentional, but it’s also not unintentional. I find it baffling when rock festivals don’t book enough women, or say the pool of artists isn’t big enough. That’s simply not true. We don’t book people based on their gender, or on any other criteria, so it’s not about looking at a pie chart and thinking – there’s not enough of this or that. We book what we listen to and what we like, and that’s just what we’re into. We’re conscious of it only to the point that if we did look at the line-up and think it’s too samey, well, that’s probably not right and we need to have a think. People should feel like they have some representation in their live community. If you only book one kind of person, that’s not going to fly.”
You seem to platform so many great bands before they hit the big time. What is your secret?
“Going to a lot of gigs and trusting our ears. To add to that, we’re in the luxurious position that tickets sell out, so we don’t have to pay over the odds to book a sure thing just for the sales. We can take a risk, and sometimes that really pays off big time. When we announced Fontaines (DC), which was before their debut album had come out, the comments were full of people asking who they were, and asking what the hell we were thinking. We knew they were something special though. Hopefully people give us some grace when it comes to that kind of thing”
Fontaines DC Q&A in 2020 with Conor Curley and Carlos O’ Connell (credit- Carmel Walsh)
Rockaway feels a festival for people who are drawn together by a love of quality music. Was this the intention?
“The bookings are kind of like that. One minute it’s a young hip hop band, and the next thing on is a 70’s punk icon. We book with a wide angle, and that doesn’t pigeonhole us on genre or anything else. We’re all on the ride together. We like to push the crowd and challenge them sometimes. Often we’ll announce something and it’s bleak in the comments to be honest, but then after the show people are saying it’s their favourite new thing – and they’d have never gone to see that anywhere else. Those moments are always the best pay off. That’s why we do this.“
How have you always managed to be so ahead of the curve with bands like Nova Twins, Bob Vylan and Self Esteem? I can absolutely see Fat Dog going the same way in the future.
“Just stubbornness to try and see as much music live as I can. With Fat Dog, I was at The Great Escape maybe around 1am last year. We were going to go back to the hotel but we had just enough steam left for about another 30 mins, one final show, and we were walking past the pub anyway. And it was incredible. That’s what’s annoying at times. You never know when the next thing is going to smack you over the head, so you can’t miss any opportunity. Loved them, and we put an offer in. They’re already absolutely storming ahead. “
During the pandemic we kept looking back at pictures of Rockaway Beach early in 2020 and dreaming of going back to live music events.
“We got lucky in 2020 that we were the only festival that happened, maybe anywhere in the world. One last hurrah before everything kind of fell apart. We all missed live music in 2020 and 2021 – it was devastating. That’s why we ploughed on in January 2022, even at the height of the Oimicron variant, and about a third of the line-up had to be rebooked in the weeks leading up to it. We just didn’t want to miss being back together. It’s tragic how many festivals and venues didn’t get out of all that unscathed. Too many communities have lost their thing, and that’s a huge blow to live music and future generations. You have to support your local grassroots music venues, scene, and everybody doing good stuff because it’s all way too fickle and might not be there next week. If grassroots live music disappears we’re all fucked.”
What are your plans for the future of Rockaway beach?
“The first ten years has gone by so quickly, I’m sure the next ten will go by just as quickly. If not quicker. What we do next… I’m not sure. Maybe try out some new experiments – some new ideas in new places and for new crowds. In terms of Rockaway, we’re just hoping to always have the best line-ups. That’s our only real goal. That in a few years you’re asking “How did you get THEM!?” and it’s a different band every time.“
The Jesus and Mary Chain 2020 ( Credit- Carmel Walsh)
Self Esteem Photo Credit- Tony Jupp
