The Livescape Group today announced that its highly anticipated rock platform, Rockaway, will be making a return this year.
The festival which took a break for the last 3 years, is dubbed as Malaysia’s premier rock festival and has in the past featured the likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Dashboard Confessional, You Me At Six, Sum 41, and Paramore among many others.
Rockaway’s return in 2016 however, will be marked by not one but 2 major festivals. The first, a 2-day event to be held at Sepang International Circuit on 29th and 30th October. The event which will be branded as the “Rockaway Weekender” will feature legendary rockers Scorpions, local legends Wings, and Muzza’s Mayhem on Day 1 (29th October).
Day 2 (30th October) will see the likes of Wolfmother, and regional acts such as WTNSS, Daarchlea, and Artefacts. According to organisers, they will be looking to add “one or two more international headliners” for this day.
With over 10,000 fans expected on each day, the Rockaway Weekender will be held at the B Hillstand at Sepang International Circuit that overlooks turns 13 to 14 of the track. This allows concert-goers to also watch the MotoGP race from the Rockaway Arena.
Following on from the Rockaway Weekender, the 2nd Rockaway festival, dubbed as Rockaway The Saga Continues, takes place on 19th November at Extreme Park, Bukit Jalil. Rockaway The Saga Continues will see the likes of Third Eye Blind, Taking Back Sunday, and The Get Up Kids performing live in Malaysia.
The 2nd Rockaway festival will also feature a nostalgic return for local heroes Butterfingers, who will be putting on their first full performance in close to 7 years which also marks their 20th anniversary show at Rockaway The Saga Continues. Other nostalgic performances include Zainal Abidin (30th anniversary show), One Buck Short (13th anniversary show), and the return of Alleycats.
The festival will also feature a one-of-a-kind collaboration between the founding members of OAG and Hujan where they will be sharing a stage in a live “band battle”. Reunions are also in place for iconic rockers LyMe who will be returning for a one-off performance at Rockaway.
UPDATE (4th October):
So many acts, so little time!
The Livescape Group today announced the addition of The Darkness, Oh Chentaku, and Deja Voodoo Spells feat. Bumblefoot and the 11 Piece Book of Spells Orchestra to the Rockaway Malaysia MotoGP Weekend; a 2-day event held at Sepang International Circuit on 29th and 30th October. The Rockaway Malaysia MotoGP Weekend is the first of 2 Rockaway festivals set to take place this year.
Oh Chentaku, a Malaysian band formed in 2007 gained mainstream recognition and won the hearts of many as the “indie darlings” after joining the hit reality TV program “Versus” in 2013. Oh Chentaku will be sharing the stage with legendary rockers Scorpions, local legends Wings and Muzza’s Mayhem on Day 1 of the Rockaway Malaysia MotoGP Weekend on 29th October.
Day 2 of the Rockaway Malaysia MotoGP Weekend on 30th October will see the addition of British hard rock, glam metal band, The Darkness, bringing a quirky vibe and a different sound to the lineup. Malaysian 3-piece band, Deja Voodoo Spells, will be making an appearance on the Rockaway stage again since 2011 this time featuring guitar virtuoso, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and the 11 Piece Book of Spells Orchestra. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal was one of the 2 lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses and is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer. These talented musicians will share the stage with the likes of Wolfmother, and regional acts such as WTNSS, Daarchlea, and Artefacts.
Tickets to both festivals are available for sale now via www.galactix.asia.
Alternatively, fans can head down to A Sunday Rockaway Affair at TREC Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 28th August, to purchase tickets at a 15% discount. The promo is valid for one-day only. Tickets are available from RM98 in the categories of single day passes, two-day weekend passes for the Rockaway Weekend or a Rock Passport for all 3 shows.
UPDATE (21st October):
Both the Rockaway Malaysia MotoGP Weekend shows will be merged into a 1-day explosive rock festival on 29th October at B Hillstand, Sepang International Circuit. The festival, which was originally meant to be a 2-day affair, will now see Scorpions, Wolfmother, The Darkness, Wings, and Muzza’s Mayhem share the stage. The venue remains unchanged.
Organisers said the decision to merge both show was due to scheduling conflicts.
“We have decided to merge the 2-day festival to just a 1-day event due to a scheduling and production conflict with one of the headlining acts. However, this may well be a blessing in disguise as our fans ultimately benefit from this. With the merger of both shows, single-day ticket holders will now also be able to catch more international acts on a single billing,” Rahul Kukreja, Director of Live Events of The Livescape Group said.
Tickets purchased for both single-day passes either for Day 1 (29th October) or Day 2 (30th October) are still valid and will be granted entry into the merged show. Refunds however will be provided to those who purchased single-day Day 2 passes (30th October) and cannot make it to the festival on 29th October. For more information, fans are encouraged to contact Livescape at ask@livescape.asia.
For more information, visit Rockaway Festival’s Facebook page.
