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Sun, sea and rock’n’roll: how Torremolinos got its groove back
21.02.2024 - 18:21 / theguardian.com
I’m in Torremolinos. Yes, I know what you’re thinking – and you’d have a point. But I’m not here for the sun, cheap booze and a full English, although there are plentiful supplies of all the above. I’m here to relive my well-spent youth (albeit in a decidedly middle-aged fashion) at the 30th Rockin’ Race Jamboree, an international rockabilly festival that takes over Spain’s much-maligned resort for one wild weekend each February – and has been instrumental in boosting the town’s fortunes.
The Rockin’ Race is the creation of husband and wife, Guillermo Jiménez and Vivi Milla, from nearby Málaga, where they also run a record shop and label, both devoted to American music of the 50s and 60s. Like all the best festivals, it started out, back in 1994, as a gathering of friends sharing their love of the music. Three years later they had outgrown their venue in Málaga; the hunt for a new location took them the 10 miles along the coast to Torremolinos.
It wasn’t the obvious choice. In the 90s, London was the white-hot centre of Europe’s rockabilly scene, along with famously hedonistic weekenders at British coastal holiday camps. Spain barely featured on the rock’n’roll map, and some of its Costa del Sol seaside resorts were fading into decrepitude. But 30 years later, the rockabilly and vintage scene has exploded across the continent, and the Rockin’ Race Jamboree is one of its biggest festivals, attracting over 5,000 visitors and more than 40 bands and DJs from across the world.
It’s not just a highlight in the calendar of rock’n’roll fans, but also for the region’s tourism industry. The town’s mayor claims it brings a 40% boost to the local economy, and the event is now supported financially by the Andalusian and Torremolinos authorities, EU funds, Iberia Airline and the Costa del Sol tourist board. This is not an anomaly; other Spanish regions have also realised the value of supporting specialist music festivals as a way to boost off-season travel, including the mod/60s underground festival, The Euro Groovy Weekend in Gijón in January, High Rockabilly in Calafell in September, and the Funtastic Drácula Carnival in Benidorm in October/November – described as “three nights of demented garage punk”. As a British musician and former festival director, this level of support for popular music is staggering – and envy-inducing.
The injection of municipal funding hasn’t affected the vibe though – at the Rockin’ Race the grassroots remain strong, and it still feels like a giant party created by music lovers for their friends. During the day the main action takes place at a pool party and rooftop bar of the mid-century beachside Hotel La Barracuda, and the festival’s night-time venues have expanded to include the
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