Rob Flanagan: Finding new ways to make music work
Wednesday 07 October 2026
For drummer and Music graduate, Rob Flanagan (1999), a career in music has meant being prepared to adapt.
From starting the band Some Velvet Morning, to navigating a changing music industry and building a career beyond performing, Rob has continually found new ways to keep doing what he loves.
Twenty-five years on, the band are still making music, while Rob has also built a parallel career in music publishing.
As part of our 30th anniversary celebrations, we caught up with Rob to find out how a surprisingly old-school way of finding his bandmates kick-started his career, how his two roles complement each other and how he was almost destined to come to LIPA.
What was your plan after you graduated?
After I finished at LIPA, I moved down to London. As the streets were not paved with gold, I needed an income. After about a year of application letters, I got a job at the Performing Rights Society (PRS). My main ambition, however, was always to be in a band. In the pre-social media days, that meant advertising my drumming services with posters in music shops. Whilst visiting London’s music mecca, Denmark Street, I met the singer of our band (Desmond Lambert). 25 years later, here we still are, releasing our fifth album, Tell the Summer Hang On.
And the band started out on a fairly traditional route?
We signed to a US label called Rhythmbank in 2007, run by Vicki Wickham (Dusty Springfield’s manager) and Nona Hendryx (Labelle). When that label folded, we became one of the first bands to use crowdfunding to make an album. We raised £100,000 in six weeks – mainly due to a lot of excitement in France at the time regarding a new platform called My Major Company.
Since then, we’ve had a lot of success placing our music in film and television (music syncs). Probably the biggest success to date was a Renault Mégane campaign that ran across Europe. As well as being featured in the international trailer for Kick-Ass, we’ve had music used on adverts for Aprillia, Pull & Bear and Volkswagen, as well as in many TV series including The Grand Tour, Match of the Day, Shameless, Riverdale and Geek Girl.
The world of syncs became a major source of income for the band and sat nicely with my rights management experience working in publishing.
When did you set up your own publishing company?
In addition to my work with Air-Edel and Cutting Edge Group in music for media, I set up Rodega Music in 2012, providing expertise in production, publishing, music supervision and licensing.
I have always been passionate about 60s music and over the years I’ve also worked with some real heroes including Manfred Mann, Sandie Shaw and The Yardbirds. Other notable clients include Bill Bailey and Natalie Imbruglia, whom I am currently working with for her new album, Algorithm.
I think the different sides of what I do complement each other really well. Through gigs and the band, I meet people who sometimes need publishing or music industry help. Through my publishing work, I’m able to build relationships with people in film and television. That idea of crossover and networking really goes back to my time at LIPA. In particular, a course run by a visiting lecturer, Dan Kimpel, was a gamechanger for me on networking in the music business.
What have been your career highlights so far?
With the band, probably some of the tours we've done in Thailand, Europe and the US. Probably the best shows we've done were at Wembley Arena as part of an all-day festival, playing on the PRS roof (off Oxford Street) and headlining Massiilia Rock in Marseille on the beach, with the Chateau d’If as a backdrop.
Also seeing your music being used in film and TV has always been exciting. At the time of our second album release, Allies, it was great to be travelling and hear your record on the radio in France. I’ve also really enjoyed some of the live TV and radio shows we have done like Janice Long’s show on Radio 2 and Fearless Music on Fox 5 in New York.
What's your best LIPA memory?
I'm a huge Beatles fan and when I was young, I used to read the Beatles Monthly (a magazine that was originally a 1960s publication and was revived from 1976 to 2003 and featured archive articles along with up-to-date news about the solo Beatles' careers). That's how I found out about LIPA before it even opened. So, it was quite fortuitous that I got into LIPA and one of my highlights has to be meeting Paul McCartney! It was by chance really; I was studiously practicing on a Saturday morning when he came in and I met him for the first time. When he gave his speech at the LIPA opening, I remember he talked about following your passion and that's what I've tried to do.
What's next for you?
For the band, we're looking at tour dates for next year, including shows in the north of England and Scotland. This follows on from a fantastic London show in September at Colours Hoxton, with a new expanded band lineup. I’ll also be helping Natalie Imbruglia continue with her album campaign and hopefully some other exciting projects.
