Swiftogeddon: An Exclusive Interview with Founder Dave Fawbert

What can fans expect at a Swiftogeddon event?

What inspired the creation of Swiftogeddon? Was there a Blank Space in the market for a Taylor Swift-themed event?

“I’ve been a huge Swiftie since 2010 and the release of Speak Now; I knew Love Story of course before that, but Speak Now was my gateway album where I realised what an incredible songwriting talent she was. I remember listening to the first four tracks, thinking how great the songs were, but then track 5 came on – Dear John – and I was absolutely floored by how brilliant it was.

From that point on I was all in. In terms of Swiftogeddon, it was back in August 2019 when the idea first came to me, I honestly just thought how much fun it would be to do a club where you only played Taylor’s stuff; at that point she only had six albums, but I knew how high quality all of her music was and I thought even if no one bought a ticket then I’d really enjoy hearing those songs out loud on a club PA myself. I thought if I could get maybe 100 other people along that’d be fine! I never for one moment thought it would turn into the juggernaut it is now, but then I also didn’t anticipate just how prolific Taylor would be herself in the following years (though I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised really).”

You Belong With Me: Community seems to be a big part of Swiftogeddon. How do you foster a sense of connection among attendees?

“First off, everyone involved with Swiftogeddon is a huge fan of Taylor. It sounds obvious but we love her and we love her music and therefore I’d like to think we understand what a fellow fan would want from our night. From a DJ perspective we are constantly changing up the set, responding to the fandom and the songs they love, and what Taylor’s playing live; trying to find the best transitions/mixes and being really creative with what we play – we have such a range of songs to choose from now that you can really do sets that go in all sorts of sonic directions.

We only work with great venues where people will feel safe and looked after, and we lead from the front – there is no sense of ‘being cool’ or having to ‘fit in’ at our nights – we jump around and sing along to every song and look like idiots so that everyone there can feel free to also look like idiots and not worry about it – to lose their inhibitions and lose themselves in the music too and just have the best possible time. This, I hope, creates a really safe environment where people can just be completely free to be themselves, celebrate Taylor’s music and to make new friends.”

Change: How has Swiftogeddon evolved over time?

“In terms of venues/cities, it’s just been about growing – I only ever thought we’d do the odd night in London, maybe Manchester – but as soon as I started it of course it became clear that Taylor had fans everywhere; so anywhere there’s fans, we’ll go! So now we do nights in more than 40 cities across the UK and Ireland. In terms of music, what we play has constantly evolved, particularly as Taylor has released so much new stuff since we started.”

Shake It Off: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in launching Swiftogeddon, and how did you overcome them?

“I wouldn’t call it a challenge, but I have been keen from day 1 to make sure that everything we do is a positive for Taylor and her fans and could not in any way reflect badly upon her or her music. She is a genius, one of the greatest songwriters of all time and we want to give her the respect and adoration she deserves.”

What marketing strategies did you find most effective in promoting Swiftogeddon and reaching your target audience?

“It’s the oldest and the best marketing strategy but I’ve always found you cannot ever beat word-of-mouth. And how do you get word-of-mouth? By making sure every show you ever do is the best it can possibly be and you make sure everyone who comes along feels looked after. If what you do is good enough, then people will come back, and they’ll bring their friends with them, and there’s no better recommendation than your friend telling you something is great.”

Blank Space: How do you select the venues for Swiftogeddon events?

“I remember when I first started that people often assumed we’d be doing them in high street, mainstream, glitzy clubs, kind of on that prevalent, lazy assumption at the time that she was ‘just another pop artist’ so you’d do it in a ‘pop’ venue. I was always adamant that the nights should happen in ‘proper’ venues – venues where the focus would be on the music more than anything like the cocktail selection or stuff like that (though there’s nothing wrong with having a great cocktail selection of course!) I felt Taylor’s music deserved to be heard in the same venues where cool indie bands or whatever would play – when we started Taylor didn’t really have the critical acclaim that she now deservedly has (particularly post-Folklore) and I wasn’t going to stand for that.”

How do you ensure the events never go out of Style and keep them exciting for returning fans?

“As I say Taylor has such an extensive catalogue that no two sets are ever the same, there’s always songs that are going in and out of the set and of course we keep an eye on what she’s playing live; she’s also been insanely prolific in the last few years so there’s always been new songs to play.”

Epiphany: Swiftogeddon spans across the UK at various locations. What motivated you to adopt this touring model for Swiftogeddon events?

“Traditionally I’d always been involved with clubs which were monthly or weekly but I realised after the first few Swiftogeddons that actually a) there was no need to tie yourself into that kind of relentless pressure to get people along and b) having them as one-offs made each one feel much more special and unique. Also, as I say there was just demand everywhere – everyone wanted me to do shows where they were, so I thought it was only fair to go everywhere and space out the shows a bit more.”

With Swiftogeddon events spanning across the UK, how do you ensure each one maintains its unique charm while resonating with diverse audiences in different cities?

“Every city is different, every crowd is different – one night there might be a particular energy and you think ‘OK it’s loads of uptempo bangers tonight’ and another night the more emotional/downbeat songs might really resonate so you go down that rabbithole more instead. We’re so lucky that Taylor has the depth and breadth of catalogue that you can really shape the set to be whatever it needs to be for that night and audience.”

Is there anything you Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve done differently if you were to Begin Again?

“I would have bought a few more t-shirts when I went to the Red, 1989 and Reputation Tour dates as all of my t-shirts are falling apart now after wearing them at so many Swiftogeddons!”