In 2004, the Associazione Culturale Indie Rocket initiated an innovative international event in Pescara with a commitment to independent and experimental music: The Indie Rocket Festival (IRF). Paolo Francesco Visci, under Federica Angelosante, directed the Indie Rocket Festival in its inaugural year.
The festival represents the worldwide revolution to bring attention to the newest musical trends, aiming to promote independent and progressive scenes worldwide. Numerous industry partners have joined forces to achieve this goal, including magazines like Vice, Rumore, Il mucchio Selvaggio, e Blow Up, and radio emitters such as Last. FM and Rai Radio 2.
Every year, the festival is structured around a specific title, theme, or topic to provide an evolving calendar of events. The inaugural event in 2004 was titled "Corsi e Ricordi di music altre." It featured performances from renowned artists like Laura Veirs, The Death of Anna Karina, Chris Brokaw, Logan Mader, and Ulaanbaatar at the Pattinodromo Comunale di Pescara Colli. This captivating program consists of concerts with diverse artistic and cultural sectors as well as workshops and laboratories which offer attendees unrivaled experiences at this fabled gathering!
Subsequent iterations of the festival took place in various sites that often had particular relevance to their respective cities, for example, former industrial areas or zones undergoing urban regeneration. One such site was Parco Di Cocco which has now become the preferred venue for this event and showcased an impressive transformation from its original condition.
Over the years, the Indie Rocket festival has welcomed renowned acts like These New Puritans, We Are Scientists, Xiu Xiu, Dirtmusic and Gudrun Gut, and The Field. It also brought Gang of Four to Italy for the first time, Mission of Burma, and Red Crayola. In 2014, to commemorate its tenth anniversary, the Festival of Festivals Awards presented it with a prestigious accolade. Additionally, some editions featured an itinerant program with concerts held in Naples, Bologna, Rimini, and Reggio Calabria.
