Words by Audra Tracy | Photos by Rod Snyder

The 2025 Sea Hear Now Festival returned to Asbury Park, New Jersey this weekend, and once again, Mother Nature smiled down on Ocean Avenue with nothing but sunshine, blue skies, and cool breezes. With an expanded festival footprint and a few upgrades, the event continued its legacy of celebrating music, surfing, and art, with a lot of New Jersey flair.

Check out the highlights from Day 1 of Sea Hear Now 2025, featuring performances by Hozier, Alabama Shakes, Royel Otis, De La Soul, ZZ Top, Trombone Shorty, Inhaler, Not Yer Baby, Bumpin Uglies, and more.

Inhaler

It was early Saturday afternoon at the Park Stage, and a ton of starry-eyed fans were lined up and eager for some musical dopamine. One avid attendee wore a T-shirt with ‘Who the Feck is Inhaler?’ emblazoned across the front – and the Garden State was about to find out. Hailing from Ireland, rock outfit Inhaler fittingly opened their set with ‘Dublin in Ecstasy’ before wowing the crowd with tunes from their latest release, Open Wide. Songs like ‘Eddie in the Darkness’ and ‘Your House’ invoked the jangly guitar style of garage rock heroes like The Strokes, while lead singer Elijah Hewson’s vocals definitely channeled those of his dad…did we mention he’s Bono’s son?

Trombone Shorty 

“Are you ready to take a ride to New Orleans?!”

Together with his band Orleans Avenue, Trombone Shorty (aka Troy Andrews) quickly got the Sand Stage bouncing with an infectious combination of funk, rock, and soul that defied any one genre. Soon a dance party was in full swing, as the band filled the beach with the sounds of Shorty’s beloved hometown. A true performer in every sense of the word, Andrews easily commands any audience, which was clear during the monumental instrumental, ‘Buckjump’, as well as ‘Lifted’, which featured a crowd-pleasing tease of ‘Iron Man’ by Black Sabbath. ‘Always on tour’, you can catch these road warriors playing the USA through November.

ZZ Top

If you love a good juicy guitar riff, then ZZ Top’s set at the Surf Stage was definitely the place to be on Saturday. ‘That Little Ol Band From Texas’ came armed with a real flashy wardrobe, and a catalog full of legendary American rock songs, too. Founding members Billy Gibbons (guitar/vocals) and Frank Beard (drums) were joined by Elwood Francis on bass for their performance at the main stage, which featured a good run of radio hits including ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’,’ ‘I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide’, ‘Sharp Dressed Man’, and ‘Legs’. 

De La Soul

Golden hour was fast approaching, and hip hop icons De La Soul had the Sand Stage aglow as they performed songs from across their decades-long career. The Long Island natives are a no-frills act, and it seemed that all they needed was a DJ and a backbeat to spread their message up and down the shoreline. Thriving on crowd participation, De La Soul kept fans engaged throughout their performance – especially when they invited their friend Talib Kweli onstage for a rousing take on the tune ‘Get By’. 

Alabama Shakes

“I want to wish everybody here good blessings…I hope your dogs and cats live 35 years. I hope you get that job, I hope you get that raise…”

Brittany Howard brought all the love to the Surf Stage on Saturday evening, performing with her band Alabama Shakes on their first tour together since 2017. Joined by Heath Fogg (rhythm guitar) and Zac Cockrell (bass), the Shakes emanated pure joy, and the audience responded with nothing but mesmerized adoration. Howard’s heart-stopping, soulful vocals were front and center throughout the set, which included the highlights ‘Future People’, ‘Hang Loose’, ‘Hold On’, and ‘‘Rise to the Sun’. You can catch Alabama Shakes at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens this Wednesday!

Royel Otis

Next, Australian duo Royel Otis took to the Sand Stage just after dark, performing with an illuminated Convention Hall as the dreamy backdrop. Bathed in pastel lights and swirling fog, the band helped the crowd bliss out to songs from their buzz-worthy new album, Hickey. This was definitely the ‘chill set’ of the night – fans swayed along with enchanting jams as they soaked up a beautiful September evening on the beach. The hit single, ‘Moody’, was definitely a crowd favorite early on, and any fan of Saltburn got a license to let loose when a cover of ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ slipped into the set. 

Hozier

Powerful. Humble. Outspoken. These are some of the words that die-hard Hozier fans at Sea Hear Now used to describe Saturday night’s headliner. Hozier, aka Andrew Hozier-Byrne, is no rock star, but he sure pulled a crowd at the Surf Stage by being his soulful, authentic self. Under hazy skies, the Dublin-based singer/songwriter took the stage just before 9pm, kicking off his performance with ‘Nobody’s Soldier’. The eighteen-song set featured a full backing band, and a mix of songs from his catalog, from ‘Eat Your Young’ to ‘Work Song’, to the viral hit, ‘Too Sweet’. One thing is for sure- Hozier is not afraid to use his platform to talk about big issues, and this vulnerability has formed a deep connection with his fanbase. Tonight, his gospel-like performance undoubtedly stole some hearts in Asbury Park, too. 

Stay tuned for coverage of Day 2!

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TheWaster.com | Asbury Park
9.15.25