Weather and protests in La Rochelle

This Saturday, October 24, 2026, the coastal city of La Rochelle experienced intense weather and demonstrations, with strong winds and ongoing public unrest. The conditions created a challenging environment for outdoor events but did not stop the SWIM festival from taking place.

SWIM festival proceeds at La Sirène

Despite the weather and protests, the SWIM festival, held at La Sirène, proceeded as planned. The event marks the second edition of the festival and coincides with the fifteenth anniversary of La Sirène, a former 1920s port warehouse that has become a cultural venue supporting independent artists.

Festival programming highlights rock and emerging talent

The festival's programming focuses on rock music while highlighting emerging talent. Attendees traveled to La Sirène via shuttle, encountering a demonstration on the way, which set the tone for the evening.

Zoe Heselton performs with a message

The Club stage hosted Zoe Heselton, a British-origin singer known for her poetic lyrics and blend of folk, blues, and noise influences. Her performance included a dedication to high school students, demonstrators, and those fighting against fascism.

Martial Arts delivers intense post-punk

Following this, the main stage, Le Cap, welcomed Martial Arts, a Manchester-based band known for their raw post-punk energy. Their performance was so intense it caused a guitar amplifier to fail.

Dééfait brings noise rock with multilingual flair

Later, the Club stage presented Dééfait, a French group led by Mexican Ric Lara, offering a unique noise rock experience with multilingual lyrics and psychedelic and krautrock influences.

MEMORIALS blend experimental pop and psychedelic rock

MEMORIALS, a British duo featuring Verity Susman and Matthew Simms, performed an experimental pop and psychedelic rock set, including a notable saxophone passage. The evening continued with It It Anita, a Belgian noise rock group delivering heavy sounds and a lively crowd response.

Heartworms and lttl mort close the festival

Heartworms, a band led by Jojo Orme, provided a theatrical and emotionally charged performance, with Orme's use of the theremin being a highlight. The festival concluded with the energetic performances of lttl mort, a solo project by Jazz Pope, and Koudlam.

Attendees praise festival’s balance and memorable moments

Attendees praised the festival's programming for its quality, balancing expected performances with new discoveries. The event included memorable moments such as a tunnel moshpit during It It Anita's concert, though the strong winds outside posed challenges, with attendees losing many cigarette filters in the harsh conditions.