The internet has brought together fans as never before, providing safe spaces for communities to flourish. The music industry would be nothing without fans. From Frank Sinatra and the ‘bobby-soxer’ teenage hordes who followed his every step, on through Beatlemania, punk, hip-hop, and beyond, fans have helped curate and define sub-cultures, while propelling their idols to world fame.
The 21st century may have completely changed the way we consume music, but those shifts have simply reinforced the pivotal role fans play. K-Pop fan armies criss-cross the globe, Taylor Swift tours are capable of enacting profound economic shifts, and the Oasis reunion has united generations across months of historic headline shows.
Spotify’s Fan Life campaign aims to both explore and expand on this. Across two instalments the global endeavour pinpoints the movement, sound, and energy of fan communities, looking at fandoms who coalesce around artists as disparate as Charli xcx and Sleep Token, Lil Uzi Vert and Pitbull.
Arriving from Brighton, Megan runs CreepyCrawlerHQ, a safe space for fans of Warrington alt group The Crawlers. “I mean, from my point of view, fans run the industry. They’re the backbone of it,” Megan asserts as the shoot gets under way.
Megan first stumbled across Crawlers in 2020, hearing their inspired single ‘So Tired’ on social media. Adding it to her own Spotify new music playlist – which currently stands at 52 hours and counting – she began exploring their catalogue in greater depth, and quickly became obsessed. “I loved the songs, and I really resonated with the political aspects of their work. It wasn’t just social politics – it was the politics over women’s bodies as well.”
The band swept across social media with their 2021 release ‘Come Over (Again)’, while singer Holly Minto had a cult following on social media. When Megan was made the lead on CreepyCrawlerHQ, it felt like a natural fit. “I want to keep it as a safe space,” she nods. “What I’m trying to do on the account is show the world why people need to listen to this band – everyone needs to feel included.”
Megan takes it a stage further – she rolls up her sleeve to show off a Crawlers tattoo, with each member having helped draw the initial design on her arm. It’s clear that this sense of connection is a pivotal part of what transformed these young people from casual listeners into full-blown fans.
“Everyone’s been so, so supportive,” Megan observes on her time leading CreepyCrawlerHQ. Fans have come from as far as Australia to catch the band live, and the social account forms a fulcrum for meet-ups, support, and vital information. “The band has become such an integral part of my identity… it’s evolved over the years, but they hold a special place in my heart.”
Megan was gently teased at school by friends who just couldn’t understand what Crawlers meant to her; through social media, she’s built connections with people who have also been touched by their trailblazing alt genius. “It’s a safe space,” Megan says of CreepyCrawlerHQ. “It’s such a close community, that when new fans come in we want to make them feel like they’ve been here for years… because we’re all family. Doing this has helped me find my passion for music – it’s really, truly kick-started my passion and drive to want to be in the music industry.”
As the day comes to a close, we ask Megan if she’d recommend fandom to other young people – and the answer is unequivocable. “Yes!” she gasps. “You get to meet so many new people. You get to meet so many new friends. You get to create a sense of community around yourself with people who love the same artist that you do. And it’s such a beautiful thing to involve yourself with… and kind of just say, Fuck it. Do it. Because, why not?”
Take a look behind the scenes with Meg on our ‘Fan Life’ cover shoot…
Read our full ‘Fan Life’ interview HERE.