After 10 years of rocking out with families and schools across the UK, Frome-based family rock band and workshop legends Rocktopus are preparing to take their final bow.
Formed in 2015 when primary school teachers Tom Veck and Andy Hawkings first met and discovered a shared passion for music, performance and creating songs with children, Rocktopus quickly evolved into Frome’s number one rock band for kids.
“It’s truly been an incredible journey,” says Tom Veck, co-founder of Rocktopus. “Back in the early days we were dashing around Frome, visiting four schools in a day, writing rock songs in assemblies and then getting the kids along to our shows to sing them live; it was so exciting. In collaboration with local schools, we turned that experience into full-day workshops and since then we’ve written nearly 1,000 songs with children in school halls all over the country.”
Now, Rocktopus are offering one final live performance, a family workshop as part of this year’s Frome Festival, taking place on Saturday 5th July at 10.30am in The Old School Room at Rise, Whittox Lane. The session will combine everything the band does best, including spontaneous songwriting, live music, dance moves and full audience participation. Families will get the chance to co-create a brand-new rock song on the spot, with parents and children singing, dancing and even joining the band with simple musical instruments.
“Live shows have always been at the heart of what we do,” says Andy Hawkings, co-founder of Rocktopus.
“We’ve filled the Cheese and Grain, played the Big Top in the Kidzfield at Glastonbury and rocked out the Southbank Centre in London; it’s always been such a buzz. But for our final event, we want to come home and celebrate collaborative creativity with the families of Frome. I can’t wait to see what we create together and to rock out one last time!”
Over the past decade, Rocktopus has become a much-loved part of life for children and families both local to Frome and up and down the UK. Their live shows will be remembered as a child’s first ever rock gig, their two albums have soundtracked countless car journeys and their school workshops have inspired young people across the UK to make music, form bands and write songs of their own.
“We’d love to see some familiar faces at our last workshop and hopefully a few new ones too,” adds Tom. “It would mean a lot to finish on a high and bring inspiration to a few more families before we hang up our tentacles.”
Pictured: A Rocktopus live show
