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We arrived a few days before the festival itself to catch the end of Tattooed Lady holiday which was taking place all week before. So on 8 February went to see 'Nicotyna' from Mexico, a wild and still very young rockabilly band. Quite a few people came to watch this relatively unknown gang.
They played for well over an hour, which went down very well with the rockabilly crowd. The guys (and girl) from 'Nicotyno' have solid songs and tunes and will be rockin' stages with their energy for many years to come.
On 9 February at 10 O'clock the doors to Rockin' Race were officially opened. DJs were playing 50's and modern rock 'n' roll and rockabilly.
The first band of the festival was The Union Avenue from Scotland. They play rock songs with the Johnny Cash famous chica boom sound. Their version of Ace Of Spades become record of the week on the main Radio station of the UK, Radio 1.
The Scottish mean-eyed cats met a huge response to their music at Rockin' Race, playing a very strong set which earned them an encore.
Then it was time for The Barnshakes to take the stage. Their sound was very similar to on their CDs. Their set was featured many dancing and a few strolling tunes which were wel-received by the audience.
After a short DJ set, the famous Rapiers went on stage to huge applause from the crowd. Suddenly many teddy boys and rockers appeared, cheering the band throughout thie entire Rapiers performance. Great music well performed, mixing British style Rock 'n' Roll with Shadows inspired guitar instrumentals.
At 3-ish it was time to go bed, as the legs could dance no more, and we needed to recover for the next day.
The second day of the festival started at 4 o'clock with a gig of The Vibrants at the local bar. The place was absolutely packed, and the sound was good. The band played surf and rock 'n' roll classics. Check them out when they play near you!
Then after short freshening up we went to the main hall for the last night of Rockin' Race 2007.
First on the bill were The Mean Devils, famous with their wild Rockabilly stage show. They played over an hour and the rockers didn't want to let them go!
Next was Marti Brom, backed by The Barshakers for this festival, singing red hot tunes and heartache numbers for the audience.
After her there was supposed to be Mike Sanchez and then Lee Rocker, but because of the early departure of Lee back the US next day, his set was moved forward.
DJ Bronx from Switzerland prepared rockabilly cats and dolls for Lee's rockin' set with his blend of obscure rockabilly records and boppin' rhythms.
Lee and his band gave an awesome powerful performance, showing again that he has some of the best rockin' musicians with him. A lot of energy, good lyrics and unforgettable songs!
The last act of the festival was Mike Sanchez. The great showman played for around two hours and kept the festival rockin' until after 3am. Jiving, strolling, rock 'n' roll & rhythm 'n' blues tunes were keeping us dancing until the early hours of the next day. His show has massive energy and constant interaction with the audience. If you see his show once, you will want to go again! Not your ordinary rock 'n' roll performance!
Sadly the festival finished and we had to leave the Spanish sun and head back home to rainy England.
Next year, if you want to escape the winter blues, come to Rockin' race in Torremolinos for a great rock 'n' roll festival, warm weather and beautiful scenery.
Thank you to Guillermo and the team for the great time! We'll be back again in 2008.
