…when we met Sonic Youth

On 5th March 2019, we met two of our all-time musical heroes. And we got to give them our beer!

Silver Rocket Brewing is named after the song Silver Rocket on the album Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth

By a glorious coincidence, ‘Sonic Youth: 30 years of Daydream Nation’ was touring cinemas in the UK in early 2019, just a few months after we'd started our tiny brewery. Two of the band (Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley), plus filmmaker Lance Bangs and the band’s archivist Aaron Mullen, showed films and did a Q&A at Duke of York’s Picturehouse in Brighton.

Thanks to the guys at Duke of York’s we got to meet the band and give them some of the beer they inspired. They signed Matt's ancient LP and even some of our beer bottles. And obviously we took some cheesy photos.

This is what Matt wrote to Steve from the band as he walked home that night, a bit drunk and as giddy as a school kid:

“Hi Steve, this is Matt from Silver Rocket Brewing. It was amazing to meet you all tonight.

Ben and I have been fans for decades (I saw you in Leeds, with Pavement, in 1992). It means the world to us to have shaken your hand and given you our beer (I hope you enjoyed it).

We’re a tiny brewery based out of my house and we’ve only been going 6 months. To meet you guys on the anniversary of the album that inspired us and gave us our name has, quite frankly, blown our tiny minds.

Thanks so much for a great night. The young lad who bought Daydream Nation some 25+ years ago would be boggled by what just happened.

Take care and thanks for all the amazing music.

Matt & Ben, Silver Rocket Brewing”