It’s surreal enough that the legendary Rough Trade record store — an indie-rock mecca that was born in punk-era London and opened a sprawling location in Brooklyn’s hipster heaven Williamsburg in 2013 that sadly did not survive the pandemic — is now located in Rockefeller Plaza in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, literally in the same building as NBC.
Things will get even more surreal this weekend, when “Indieplaza 2022” — a free music festival co-presented by Rockefeller Center and Rough Trade featuring a bevy of up-and-coming acts — will take over Rockefeller Plaza on Saturday and Sunday. Highlights include an hour-long DJ set from Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, singer-songwriter Claud, rapper-singer Yaya Bey, rockers Horsegirl and Steve Gunn, and many more (the full lineup and set times appear below).
A live broadcast of the festival will be available on sohoradionyc.com on the NYC + Culture channel.
There will also be an “Artist Merch Market” that showcases live art demonstrations from Steve Keene, Jose Berrio, Daniel Shepard, and Madalyn Stefanak, artist signings with Automatic, Horsegirl, and Sessa, and all weekend-long DIY family activities like button making, bracelet making, draw your own 7” record cover, and more.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH – MAIN STAGE
10:50pm – 11:50pm Ali Shaheed Muhammad [DJ Set]
09:40pm – 10:30pm Automatic
08:35pm – 09:20pm Claud
07:30pm – 08:15pm Horsegirl
06:40pm – 07:10pm Yaya Bey
05:50pm – 06:20pm Mary Lattimore
05:00pm – 05:30pm They Hate Change
04:10pm – 04:40pm The Muckers
03:20pm – 03:50pm Sofie Royer
02:30pm – 03:00pm King Hannah
01:40pm – 02:10pm Anxious
12:50pm – 01:20pm The Bobby Lees
12:00pm – 12:30pm Dazy
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18TH – MAIN STAGE
07:50pm – 08:30pm Sessa
06:50pm – 07:30pm Katy Kirby
05:30pm – 06:30pm Aidan Noell of Nation of Language [DJ Set]
04:40pm – 05:10pm Steve Gunn
03:50pm – 04:20pm Cola
02:30pm – 03:30pm They Hate Change [DJ Set]
01:40pm – 02:10pm Say She She
12:50pm – 01:20pm Annie Hart
12:00pm – 12:30pm June McDoom
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH – ARTIST MERCH MARKET
05:30pm – 06:30pm Automatic [Record Signing]
03:30pm – 04:30pm Horsegirl [Record Signing]
11:00am – 07:00pm Steve Keene [Record Signing]
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18TH – ARTIST MERCH MARKET
05:00pm – 06:00pm Sessa [Record Signing]
04:00pm – 06:00pm Daniel Shepard [Live Art Demonstration]
02:00pm – 04:00pm Madalyn Stefanak [Live Art Demonstration]
12:00pm – 02:00pm Jose Berrio [Live Art Demonstration]