The Vibe of the Festival
I can safely say that my three and a half hour trip to New Jersey for SEA HEAR NOW was absolutely worth it. The weather was gloomy but the festival was not. It was vibrant and welcoming and had a little bit of everything for everyone. This year marked the eighth edition of SEA HEAR NOW and it’s easy to see why fans of the festival come back year after year.
A parade of intricately designed floats headed my way down the board walk before I even entered the festival. Apparently, the magic of SEA HEAR NOW starts before you even step foot onto the festival grounds.
The festival boasts three stages and ample space for vendors, activation stations, bathrooms, merch tents (and not to mention a surfing competition) all happening in the same place. Festival goers could enjoy cuisines from a wide variety of vendors. Whether you were in the mood for pizza, tacos, or Bánh mì, SEA HEAR NOW and its vendors had you covered. I especially enjoyed the art exhibit set up in the sand on the beach and watched people mill about, enjoying the display for a few minutes.
The weather should have caused hours of delays. Rain and high winds were in the forecast, but the festival felt none of that. Any bad weather is apparently unprecedented for SEA HEAR NOW as they have had stellar conditions every year since they began. I guess the universe really wanted to hear some Rock, Folk and Punk because there were only a few mild drizzles and a cold breeze passing through. The weather could have been detrimental to the experience of festival goers but all I saw were smiles, waving hands and nodding heads all day and well into the night. Nothing that a poncho, good music and a good attitude can’t fix!
The Performances
ALICE PHOEBE LOU
I started my day off at Alice Phoebe Lou’s set at the Park Stage. The South African artists’ live vocals sounded almost identical to her studio recordings. Her set started off with some minor technical difficulties which were quickly remedied and we were back to listening to her fairy like music. Her style of performing is so simple. No flashy outfits, or running and jumping and dancing, but her set felt just as full as any other action packed set.
DIE SPITZ
Die Spitz might have been my favourite performance of the day. The Austin, TX based quartet has incredible stage presence and the crowd was loving every single moment. Their red lighting set up was the perfect background for their heavy vocals and instrumentals. They feel like a real band, like they’re all working together as one. One weird, talented, heavy metal machine.
KIM GORDON
If I could be as half as cool as Kim Gordon, I could die happily. The ex Sonic Youth band member came out on the stage stone faced and ready to entertain the crowd. Her set included songs mostly off of her solo album “Play Me.”
THE GOO GOO DOLLS
I enjoyed The Goo Goo Dolls set from front of house and got to watch the crowd go crazy over their performance. They ended their 14-song set with the iconic “Iris,” which I heard floating over from the Surf stage, as I was waiting for Moby to take the stage.
MOBY
Moby knows how to command a stage and crowd. From the moment he stepped out the energy at the Park stage was high. His set was part musical performance, part insane light show. The strobe lights almost blinded me through my camera but I can imagine how great it looked from the crowd.
THE STROKES
Julian Casablancas and his glove brought us home. I expected The Strokes to start off with some of their older songs but they jumped right into their newest album with the track, “Lonely in the future” and then transitioned into “Hard to Explain.” You could hear the growth and difference in their music over the years in the transition between these two tracks. In the contrast of 2001’s muted and 2026’s auto-tuned vocals, you can hear the stylistic choices and risks the band has taken over the years. Their career spanning set closed out the night perfectly.
If you weren’t at SEA HEAR NOW 2026, we hope this made you feel like you were! We can’t wait to see what the festival has in store next year. Maybe we’ll catch you at the shore?
