The new study was commissioned by Italian band Violet Blend to get a picture of UK music tastes ahead of their UK and European tour dates this summer. For Scotland, the findings revealed that rock music is bouncing back in a big way – 84% of Scottish adults say they like listening to new or classic rock music on a regular basis – and there’s clear signs of a resurgence for the genre among young people (81% of under 25’s saying they enjoy it).
However, the new research blows out the water any notion that rock music is purely the domain of bikers, dark clubs and noisy bars. In fact, the kitchen emerges as the new home of rock music for music lovers in the UK, the soundtrack to a nation of cooks and family meals.
The survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults asked people in which everyday situations they would listen to rock music as tunes to enjoy. Across Scotland, 37% of adults said they listened to rock when cooking.
Giada Celeste Chelli, songwriter and lead singer of Italian band Violet Blend commented: “The UK is an exciting but relatively new market to us and, following our festival debut in Scotland last year, we wanted to do our research before coming over. We commissioned a leading research company to help us understand people’s terms of engagement with a genre of music that we love so much. The findings showed that the UK continues to be the home of rock, the vast majority of people love it, a new generation is getting into it – but also the kitchen is where the action is. I guess it’s uplifting music to inspire creativity for Scots in the kitchen, the soundtrack for gathering with family and friends and having a drink together. The kitchen, after all is the place when people meet, where they get creative and share quality time together. Rock music is a perfect fit being a genre that inspires and unites people - with its great anthems, soaring solos and power riffs.”
“As Italians, food is as synonymous to us as rock music is to our friends in the UK. So when we come over to the UK, we’re going to put together and bring over some special rock recipe cards for our English fans. The best rock spaghetti dishes in the world, power ravioli and some summer treat ideas from Ferruccio’s ice cream parlour here in Florence. And the link between rock and cooking is a healthy one. With so much focus on wellbeing in the rock music scene today, eating well is an important way to support for mental health and wellbeing.”
Beyond the kitchen, other places where Scots said they liked to enjoy rock music this summer included:
· Many want to break free around the home with a vacuum cleaner when doing the chores and cleaning (37%).
· When stuck in traffic jams on the road to hell, 27% of Scots turn to rock music to give them a lift.
· 29% of Brits kick-start their heart to rock music, when doing a workout in the gym.
· The boys of summer fire up the rock classics on the Bluetooth speaker when hosting a summer BBQ for friends (20%)
· Whether it’s the season for a garden party or quiet time in their secret garden – 15% of Scots crank up rock music as the soundtrack to pruning the flowers, planting the flower beds or doing some rock n roll weeding.
· Not everyone’s dog is called Seamus, but 14% listen to rock through their ear pods when walking the dog.