I’m writing this on the train after bailing mid-afternoon, heading into London to see Opus Kink. Like previous years, so far, there had been very little original music. Safehouse, put a shine on the early afternoon and I’m happy to pay the reasonably priced festival ticket, just to see them. But there appears to be very little else worth staying around to see in the evening. The rest of the lineup was almost entirely cover bands. The few original artists still to play, I had seen a few times. So I quickly booked a ticket for Opus Kink’s album launch show and bailed.

This isn’t a slight on the organisation of the festival or to suggest it isn’t successful. There was a buzz around Stevenage. Lots were clearly enjoying the music on offer in the glorious sun, across the well run stages in pubs gardens and on the high street.

It just is not for me. I don’t find cover bands particular interesting, and in an event like this, they often cover songs from the same popular artists. It becomes boring after a while.

All I want to see is a few stages of local bands being given a chance to put their music in front of a larger audience. After seven years, I think it is safe to say that’s not going to happen and I’m not really sure the audience would make the effort to listen to them either.

So next year, I will give this a miss. They won’t notice that I don’t turn up and it is not a slight on what the organisers have been created. They have done an excellent job of creating a festival for the Old Town that brings people into the pubs. But it’s just not for me. I will leave this event to for people who are happy to sit in the sunshine having a drink listening to covers of music they are comfortable with. That after all, is what the pubs who support this event really want.

The influx of delegates and the queues that came with it growing to become ‘the industry event’, stretched my patience with it. However, it now feels it has stopped growing and we have reached a balance between delegates and fans and I think I can live with the current queues.

With the arrival of SXSW London, I was concerned that London might draw the music industry and artists away from Brighton. But after last year’s atrocious SXSW music festival, and this year’s looking even worse, I think the immediate threat has gone away. For the time being TGE remains the primary new music discovery festival in the UK.

This year saw probably the biggest change to the music festival since I started to attend. For the last few years there has been an acknowledgment that many festival goers arrive on the Wednesday night and TGE programmed a small amount of events. This year, they fully embraced the idea of a fourth day, with a packed Wednesday evening, including a full evening of music at TGE’s beach venue.

Luckily for the festival, they had booked a relatively unknown Canadian band called Angine de Poitrine. I assume they were originally part of the Canadian music experience that takes place each year at TGE. However, after AdP’s KXEP performance went viral, the debate in the lead-up to the festival was where would the hyped band play? With the Kooks pulling out of their Wednesday night headline slot, it left the perfect slot on the beach stage available for AdP. Having become ‘one of the obsessed’, I had to be there. 

My TGE got off to a great start with the excitable Girl in the Year Above playing an excellent set, opening the Beach stage. Blending soaring vocals with reflective lyrics. They are one to watch.

Luckily I managed to be on the barrier for Angine de Poitrine. I was happy I didn’t bother to ask for a photo pass, as the pit was like the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark with the snakes in the tomb. There were bodies everywhere, as photographers climbed over each other to find an angle to photograph the band of the moment.

I have to admit, I was quite late to Angine de Poitrine. When their KEXP video appeared in my Youtube feed, I assumed they were a novelty act. With Mr Blobby on drums and the nightmarish Mr Noseybonk from 1980s children’s TV (he gave me nightmares when I was a kid), on guitar. It was only the multitude of reaction videos that appeared a few weeks later, that drew me in to their weird world of microtonal looping. Part of the joy of watching them has been trying to work out how they are creating their music.

And this is the point that maybe works against them…

The joy has been watching the intricacy of their musicianship from videos captured in small venues, where all their actions can be seen. From this point on, they will be playing big venues, and much of the performance will be lost and they risk turning into a novelty act, as the theatrical side of their performance becomes the audience’s focus. Being on the barrier, it was amazing to watch their performance as these two talented musicians weaved their microtonal magic. An absolute highlight of this year’s festival. But weirdly, I left feeling that I didn’t want to see them again if it meant watching them at a large venue.

The alternative-Escape felt bigger this year. With so many bands playing off-festival sets, it bolstered the amount of music and it made it easier to catch some of the buzzier bands. After the alt-festival bailed out the festival in 2024, when bands pulled out over Barclays. This year it felt like the festival embraced the alternative events. For me, this is the best way for the festival to grow and gave us more options in the evenings when there are more delegates who get priority in queues.

I started Thursday at two of these alt-venues. First, I headed to the Inn on the Square, for a terrific performance from Barbican Estate. I have been trying to catch this band for ages. Heavily influenced by psych and unsurprisingly for a band who met at a Thurston Moore gig, Sonic Youth. I loved the way they were unafraid to allow the music to head off in different directions and then return it back to where it started. A perfect start to my Thursday and a highlight of the festivall.

Just up the road, Orchards were playing in Alphabet. This Brighton band seems to have become a staple of my TGE, with their high energy performances, they are always a good way to fill half an hour of my time.

Up at the Bella Union store, hyped band of the moment, Lemonsuckr played to a packed room with ‘one in one out’ and a large audience, including me, watching through the shop’s windows. Many said they were one of their bands of the festival. I didn’t see enough of their set to come to this conclusion. But I enjoyed what I saw.

In the evening, a genuine pleasure was seeing John Mouse play a fun set in the Fiddler’s Elbow. He usually takes a bunch of students to Krankenhaus and I promised I would catch one of his sets. It is always a pleasure when you don’t have to lie about enjoying a set.

I was hoping to catch Madra Salach in Chalk. But the place was rammed and after the first two songs, I decided to bail and catch them in a more conducive environment. I have come to the conclusion that unless you are at the front in Chalk, it is a pretty awful venue. It is just such a weird shape that the sight lines can be pretty bad.

Sadly, the choice of going to Chalk meant it was one in one out at the Latest Music Bar for Walt Disco and I missed pretty much all their set. However, it did mean I was able to grab a good position for one of my favourite bands, LIFE, who returned to the stage after two years away. Playing mostly new material from their forthcoming album. The new songs are more reflective and less high energy than their older material. Tonight, and at the second set I watched the following night, the new material sounded like they were maturing as song writers.

Friday, I decided to have a lazy start to the day by visiting Fabrica, the venue closest to my hotel. DOLDER, stated the day. A pop alt-folk band comprising of twins, the daughters of the drummer in Prefab Sprout. Despite the strong industry buzz about them, sadly they didn’t work for me. It felt like I was watching an embryonic version of Staves. Songs were pleasant, and there’s clearly potential, but I didn’t feel like there was anything to differentiate them from the rest of the alt-folk scene. My view of them was probably also biased by my the fact I think there’s underrepresentation of working-class artists and get a bit annoyed when I see kids with connections being offered opportunities. I know there is nothing DOLDER can do about their dad’s connections. They are doing the right thing and taking the opportunity to do the thing they love. I just feels unfair that some artists have cheat codes to success.

SpaceAcre are one of the more interesting local bands who have played The Horn in recent years. It is a few years since I last saw them. Playing to a decent crowd in Daltons, it was good to see how far they have developed as a band. Their indie rock with pop sensibilities, continues to create catchy indie songs.

I spend a lot of the time off festival in places like the Black Lion. The organiser had dropped a hint that he had a big name later in the day and true to form, current Radio 1 favourites Keo, played to a rammed Black Lion. I don’t feel like they offer much new, but each generation needs bands like Keo to foster the love of rock music

In the evening, the Orchestra For Now, with their expansive music, really impressed. Definitely one to catch again when they play a fuller set in a more appropriate venue.

Talking about how each generation needs artists that invigorate their love with rock music, Rooks, tread the ‘northern lad rock’ line straight down the middle of the road. Derivative of Oasis, right down to their singer mimicking Liam’s singing style. They are a band who felt out of place on a bill of new music. But the north continues to produce these bands and no doubt but they will continue the regional love of lad rock and will find their audience.

But I was there for my second dose of Life. I love this band.

Weirdly, I hadn’t visited two of my favourite Brighton venues, The Prince Albert and Green Door Store. So I started Saturday sampling some of the fair both venues had on offer. Highlight was Why Horses. They played an enjoyable post-punk set. Nothing new, but I enjoyed their set. I keep thinking post-punk is dead. But while there are bands willing to play it and people like me willing to listen, it seems like it is not dying out any time soon.

In Komedia, Yumi and the Weather, a Brighton artist who has played TGE before, but for some reason I have never seen before, played a perfect afternoon Saturday slot. Full of pleasant textures that gave me a spring in my step for the rest of the day.

In the evening, Afternoon Bike Ride in the One church, basically describe their sound. Musically, it was a like a nice bike ride in the countryside on a summers day, lots of pleasant textures, but it is a bike ride with a friend who you felt confident enough discuss some difficult topics. A very enjoyable set.

After Afternoon Bike Ride, I was going to leave One Church. But I decided to stay and watch Greta Svabo Bech. This was definitely the correct decision. It was such a beautiful set.

Listed as playing a late night slot at the off-festival Font, Chest were not the interesting French band who I had seen earlier this year at Rockaway Beach, but a band from East Anglia who were not anywhere near as interesting. I dealt with the disappointment with a few pints.

As is usual with Saturday night, unless I wanted to queue, the opportunities were thinning out. So I closed evening off at Fabrica with a decent set by a band Roomer and headed to the pub to edit some photos. 

After every TGE I question if I should return the following year. As Brighton hotels makes this a very expensive few days. This year cost over £900 for a fours days music. But it was still an enjoyable break. I suspect I will be back next year. In fact I have already booked my hotel at a significantly cheaper price. Okay. Yes, I will be back

This year’s headliner, Deadletter were a great signing, having already sold out venues like Koko. It is great for an established band to revisit venues and help shift tickets. It is a while since I last saw Deadletter play, as I jumped off when they started to play larger venues. With the recent release of their second album, it was an opportunity to see how far they have progressed since I saw them all those years ago playing the Social on a ‘one to watch’ bill (I had also seen Deadletter when they were Mice on Mars). Their new material adds depth to their set, showing the growth they have made as song writers. Tonight, featured many new tracks along with many of our favourites and was a fine way to end a great day.

On the undercard were several bands who might be playing similar size venues in the next year or two.

As always, not all music was to my taste. Arguably the band most likely to be playing bigger venues by the end of the year, Little Grandad, did very little for me. I found them bland, part of that trend of playing alt-country tinged tracks. After two songs I had seen little of interest and bailed to get some food. While, Little Grandad weren’t for me, other bands did stand out.

I had been hearing good things about Makeshift Art Bar, and their set left me wanting to see more. Their driving post-punk featured a slide guitar, that they attacked with screwdriver. Slide guitar is a much underused instrument, and perfect for building up waves of feedback expertly crafted by the band. There was a clear Gilla Band influence, right down to singer’s t-shirt. That’s never a bad thing.

I managed to catch snippets of Leminsuckr at the Great Escape. It was great to see a fuller set. I can see why they are making waves. They are definitely a band I would go and catch at a festival. I’m not sure I would travel into London to catch them. For me, they sit in the Fat Dog adjacent space, with driving, dancy beats, and energetic performances.

Bugbear, have something. Mixing grungy guitars, electronics and textured vocals. I’m not sure all the pieces are in place yet. But they were doing things that peaked my interest. Hopefully, I will catch them on a bill at some point, to see how they have progressed.

Likewise, the awfully named indie pop band, Canned Pineapple, are a band I will keep an eye on. In their singer, an Elvis Costello look-alike, they have a fun presence that made watching them, a joyfully experience.

Sound in the main room down at the front near the speakers, was at times poor. With bass overpowering the rest of the mix. Tanzana’s goth-tinged textures suffered the most. The lead singer’s vocals were really good, but the mix near the speakers lost all the guitars. It was just screeching vocal (in a good way) and drums. However, there was enough about their performance to make me want to see more.

Most of the rest of bands didn’t really do much for me. But that’s music for you. You can’t like everything.

Special mention goes to the always ‘Enjoyable Listens’ who played a full band show and opened the day. They are a staple of this festival and I for one, always love catching up with them. A perfect way to open a festival.

Esquires do a great job putting these all-day lineups together. If you haven’t been to one. They are well worth giving up some of your time.

Other bands playing were Home Counties, Vehicle, Disgusting Sisters and Your Mate’s Ex

(I didn’t take normal camera gear for this. It is easy for this festival to be overpowered by photographers.All shot with a 35mm pocket camera. It was quite nice to not have to drag gear around all day. Unfortunately, I kept out of the way near the speakers. It kind of limited what I could do)

As usual the music was a buffet of music styles to sample. Not all of it was to my taste. But for me, that’s not the point of these all-dayers. It’s a chance to catch new bands without the need to traipse between stages. Highlights for me the gothy Velvetine, Spanish Horses, St Clair, the last minute subs, Sounds Mint and the Adult DVD.

Before the music even starts I have already booked for Rockaway Beach 2027. Is this the perfect way to start the New Year, or is there actually something wrong with me? If this is an addiction, I am not sure it is one that I want to fix.

This is the earliest a Rockaway Beach has started. If I am honest, it is too close to the New Year for me and there were notable absences amongst friends who felt the same. A few years ago, I missed one due to COVID and I now tend to be careful in the run-up to the festival and restrict my activities a few day before it starts. Being so early, it put a slight damper on the end of my Christmas holidays. The early start, also didn’t give me any chance to work off some of the Christmas excesses and I have to admit, after nearly two weeks of sitting in front of the TV, I found the whole weekend a bit of an effort. Next year, the festival is at the end of the first week of January, which should work much better.

This year’s Rockaway Beach departed slightly from their usual template of legacy bands headlining and younger bands playing during the day. With two relatively young bangs headlining the Friday and Sunday, in the form of Soft Play and English Teacher, with PiL playing the Saturday night. I think this is a really positive move. I much prefer to see a new band, than a legacy band and it gives young bands the opportunity to move themselves up the booking lists for summer shows. It was great to see both young headliners, stepping up. But more on that later.

Arriving on site, it was clear that Butlins also found this to be an early start. They had literally just kicked out their New Year’s party guests and during the Friday, there were signs everywhere of the New Year festivities. I think everyone must have had streamers, they were everywhere, even the photo pit. (My room was clean through). However, as always, the wonderful Butlins staff managed to clear away the mess and by the evening, only the festive lights and the cold, reminded us that we were still in the Christmas holiday period.

Friday started a little bit later. Several bands had pulled out due to illness. The big risk for a January festival. I imagine the organisers dread every email and phone call their receive over the Christmas break. The later start meant the venue was probably the busiest it has been for the first act. Y, opened with an an impressive set of catchy songs that really warmed up the audience. I have seen Y a few times. But this was their best performance so far. A really excellent way to start the weekend.

This year, Rockaway continued to use the Centre Stage for the daytime music and the big warehouse-like Studio 36 for the evening headliner. The sound in both these venues is good. However, the problem remains that Studio 36 is pretty soulless. Several people I spoke to wanted to go back to Reds. But like me, they were the same people who complained about the poor sound in that venue. As much as I miss Reds, I think this is the better compromise.

The bigger stage also allows the young bands to hone their stage craft. Several of the bands said that Centre stage was the biggest crowd or stage they had played. I think Rockaway is becoming a winter training camp to ready bands for the summer’s festivals.

Stepping up at the last minute and the winner of Rockway Beach 2026 was ELLIS-D. A late replacement for one of the bands who had called in sick. ELLIS-D was new to most in the audience. Like Denmark, who in 1992 came from the beach to replace Yugoslavia in Euro 1992 and went on to win it. ELLIS-D completely owned the big stage, blasting through a tight set of his gothy post-punk psychedelia. When he said he only had one more song, there was a genuine sound of disappointment, only to be matched by the joy of him telling everyone it was 10 minutes long. I hadn’t seen ELLIS-D for about 18 months. On this evidence. The band have stepped up to another level. A really excellent performance.

Opening Studio 36, Idlewild left me bewildered. They were going down a storm with the audience. Some of whom had only come to the festival to see the band. I have to admit, I must have been missing something. They were tight. But they left me feeling disengaged.

Headlining the big stage were Soft Play, previously the Slaves. I have seen them numerous times, right from their very earliest days, when they played to an empty room at the Horn in St Albans. I love the energy these guys put into every performance. By the time I had left the pit, Laurence had split kicked several times and had already gone into the audience. I have seen them headline stages at other festivals. So this wasn’t anything new for them. However, they were playing to an audience who in the main didn’t know who they were, and they had the Rockaway crowd in the palm of their hands.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see much of their set, I headed back to Centre Stage to catch Mandrake Handshake with the intention of shooting a few songs and then returning. However, the pit closed as I got there, and heading back to Studio 36, I got waylaid by friends. But this is what is great about Rockaway. Rockaway has become the winter meeting point of so many summer festival goers. I think one year they need to play a festival version of the ‘Kevin Bacon separation game’. I’m pretty sure everyone at the festival can relate themselves to another person within two or three degrees of festival or local gig scene separation.

Closing the evening on Centre Stage, Antony Szmierek was in full ‘red coat’ mood. Fully embracing his end of evening slot, to bring some fun before we headed to bed. I think somebody should have given him a red coat. He was clearly enjoying the experience.

Opening up Saturday’s activities, Bruise Control took no prisoners. Everyone was shuck awake by their powerful performance of direct punk songs.

The next two bands gave people turning up with a hangover, more of a chance of easing themselves into Saturday. Returning to Rockaway Beach, Winter Gardens sound had grown more expansive. Atmospheric, gothic, with a moments of intense wailing guitars. It was a perfect palate cleanser after the directness of Bruise Control. Whitelands, who followed, continued with an excellent set of Shoegaze.

A new discovery for me, French band, We Hate You Please Die, at times reminded me of Sonic Youth, with a touch of the angular guitars Gilla Band used so well. If I didn’t know they were French, I would have sworn they were another Irish band produced by Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox.

I have seen Gans several times. Always on a small stage. They effortlessly shifted up a gear to make their set work on a big stage. I can see them having a very strong 2026 and I expect them to be playing venues like the Kentish Town Forum by the end of the year.

Over at Studio 36, a band I have had the pleasure to see develop from their Shacklewell days. Dry Cleaning brought their weird presence to the vast warehouse space. Their big draw is Florence’s spoken word stories. While the guitars swirl in the background, Florence performs her musings with minimum movement, but maximum expression. I never expect this to transfer to big stages. Through the camera lens, her performance is engaging and fascinating, but you need to be close to appreciate her acting. How does this transfer to a big audience? I honestly don’t know. But it does. While I briefly dipped out to see TV Smith on the second stage, I headed back to catch the end of their set. One of my highlights of the weekend.

Saturday headliner, PiL, played their usual game of requiring photographers to sign away copyright. I have done this in the past and if this was their gig, fine. But it’s a festival. Given I make every photo free under a Creative Commons license. It shouldn’t really make any difference to me. However, I don’t like the person John Lydon has turned into, so out of spite, I left and headed back to the Centre Stage which gave me a chance to finally catch Walt Disco, who played an excellent set of new music. This was my first opportunity to catch them and they seem to have toned down their glam flamboyance. But it was still a fine set.

Closing the evening where two Fat White family related bands. The first, Insecure Men seemed an odd late evening booking. Arriving on the stage smoking, pissing off the Bultins team. They proceeded to play a rather bland set. Thankfully, the excellent Moonlandingz got the party going, to close the evening.

Sunday had a more laidback feeling. Baggio, who seemed to have dragged half of south London’s musicians with them, played laid back ‘clever’ musician music. You know that noodly stuff that has been leaking out of London’s music schools for the last few years. It’s not my thing. But they sounded pleasantly clever and were suitable for those nursing heavy heads from Saturday night.

Shadowtail impressed me before Christmas. Ethereal vocals over textured layers of shoegaze isn’t usually my thing. However, I’m a sucker for bands who play guitars with a violin bow. Apparently, last year they changed their lineup. This new lineup has a lot of potential and I will catch them again.

Closing Centre Stage for another year, Inspiral Carpets, did little to inspire me. I found them bland in the 90s. They were just as bland here. Thankfully, over on Studio 36, Coach Party really stepped up to the big stage. I have only ever seen them play small shows and small festival stages. They have great energy, but I honestly never expected them to be this good on a big stage. Their set was probably a bit long and maybe they need to tweak the running order. However, they had their air of a band ready for the challenge to become an arena band. It impressive to see how much they’ve developed.

Closing the festival were English Teacher. I am going to be honest, I think English Teacher are overrated. However, I was so pleased to see Rockaway give them a chance to headline. They did a great job of expanding their sound to the larger stage. Lily’s vocals were immaculate and at times stunning. While they didn’t change my opinion of them, I prefer more energy from my headliners, they are clearly ready to play the biggest stages. Maybe they need a touch more stage craft so that there is a performance to be seen at the back of a big crowd. But they appeared to be ready to step up. Rockaway is the perfect festival to offer new bands the opportunity to headline a big stage. They had sold 50% of their ticket for 2027 before the end of the weekend. Many of us return for the experience. The music is a bonus.

Another successful year and Rockaway has revitalised me after Christmas and wetted my appetite for what the 2026 music scene will deliver. There still remains issues with accessibility in Studio 36 that needs to be sorted out. But Butlins staff continue to be brilliant, in pretty much every other way. The festival has now pretty much nailed the January format and this has become the perfect post-Christmas break. I will be back next year.

So are their queues? Well I didn’t experience any.  Although I did hear there were occasional queues at the Prince Albert and Hope and Ruin. But that’s pretty good going. This is nowhere near The Great Escape levels of queuing. All good? Well kind of. So let’s get the negatives out of the way before I talk about the positives. 

When you look at the lineup poster, the bands at the top that have been highlighted in bold, basically play at the same time. You have to choose who you want to see. That’s how they achieve the queuing sleight of hand. If you are choosing this festival over all the other options around, be aware of this. This may seriously change how interesting you might perceive the festival. What made me attend was that lots of my favourite bands were listed – but they all played at the same time. On Friday, DITZ up against Dry Cleaning, IST IST and University. Saturday, Lambrini Girls, Big Special, Benefits and Courting up against each other. It meant some difficult decisions.

Despite these difficult choices, I managed to finally catch IST IST, who were everything I hoped they would be. Benefits and Lambrini Girls brought their own takes on the state of society. I discovered a few excellent bands. For some reason, I had never seen Aint. Their set was enough to convince me that they are to be added to my must see list. Sadly, the other band who stood out, Golomb are from Ohio, so it might be difficult to catch them again.

Overall, it was an enjoyable festival. With a late afternoon start on the Friday and with most venues finishing relatively early on Saturday, it felt short compared to the Great Escape. TGE is much better value for money. However, it was nice to not have to queue. And with the festival taking place in November, hotel prices were much cheaper. Approaching the weekend, as a short weekend break in Brighton with some music, it worked. I suspect I will be back. However, I will wait until the lineup is announced.

Then the courts cases with local residents started, and if that wasn’t enough, headliners Kneecap created controversy at Coachella, by simply suggesting that killing kids isn’t a good thing and became ‘the story’ for a few weeks, with the bastions of free speech, the British media, trying to cancel them. Sadly, it looked like this might be another year where I snoozed into June.

Thankfully, everything worked out and the festival went ahead with their headliners. However, the court cases clearly impacted sales, with a flash half price sale the night before the festival opened. It is truly a great London festival and it would be a pity to lose it. So I made a last minute decision to upgrade my ticket to VIP. (even though I also had a photo pass that gave me access to the VIP area anyway)

The day started with a bunch of artists I hadn’t seen before. RIP Magic and UGLY on the Wide Awake stage warming up the early crowd in the glorious May sun. I only caught a small bit of Famous’s set, but really enjoyed what I heard. On the Moth Club stage Gaye Su Akyol cast pleasant psychedelic middle eastern vibes.

The Shacklewell stage, again lived up to its name, with a lineup of artists you will hear much more of throughout this festival season. The first I saw was Hello Mary with their NY shoegaze indie. I find shoegaze leaves me in a contented state. It rarely disappoints, as I rarely have expectations, so it kind of plays to itself. Hello Mary were another in a long line of bands who I enjoyed, but that I don’t think I would go out of my way to see again.

Gurriers, who followed them on the Shacklewell stage were a different proposition. I had very high expectations and they are very much my thing. They smashed my expectations by the end of the first song. Energetic, post-punk, taking a leaf out of Gilla Band with frantic guitars that screech like alarms. The crowd responded with a mosh pit and Dan jumping into the crowd. The only annoying thing about their set was knowing that despite having a ticket for one of their earlier show, I missed them and annoyingly, I’m going to have to miss their performance at Bedford Esquires. They’re too good to miss. They will have a very good festival season. 

Back on the Bad Vibes stage, the party continued with Warmdusher causing the audience to jump around in the warm afternoon sun. They’re the perfect festival band, they lift the energy of any festival.

On the main stage, Jeremy Corbyn talked earnestly about the plight of the Palestinian people

Nadine Shah following him expressing her own support for the Palestinian people. I always find it annoying when people say keep politics out of music. Music has always been a vehicle for protest. You don’t have to agree with somebody else’s views, but you shouldn’t stop artists from having them. As usual, Nadine Shah’s performance begged the question as to why hasn’t she been given a headline performance. She is such a powerful performer. 

Over on the Bad Vibes stage, SPRINTS once again showed why they are a must-see band. They smashed Rockaway Beach earlier in the year, showing they can more than hold their own on a big stage. Today was no different. They are a great live band. Carla is an excellent front person. She finished the set, held aloft by the mosh pit. 

Tonight something clicked. It was the first time I had photographed the new generation of female artists who are indie adjacent, attracting hordes of young female fans along with some 6Music dads. CMAT playing before Kneecap’s headline set and had transformed the front few rows into a mass of young women, complete with beaming faces. Having just seen Carla smash her stage, this was a different audience. A much more inclusive audience. One not being forced to mosh if you are at the front enjoying the music and you know what, there was a beautiful warmth. While CMAT wasn’t my thing. She put on a really good show and was clearly inspiring many young women. It clicked with me that so much of inclusivity I have been supporting, really has been on men’s terms. I guess dad’s introducing their daughters to our music, guitar drive, moshy music, encouraging them to play music that they assume men will like. I finally understood that this generation of young female artists are doing things their way, not their dad’s way, and it was a privilege to glimpse and honestly has changed my view of these artists.

Fat Dog kept the party going on the Bad Vibes. Musically, I have tried to get into them. They just don’t work for me. For me they’re a live band. You only appreciate them with a willing audience, and tonight the audience were there to party.

With all the controversy surrounding them, the pit for Kneecap was suddenly a throng of photographers. Here to feed the baying media with their daily Kneecap story in an attempt to keep the real story out of our consciousness. Pity some of these photographers couldn’t be arsed to cover the talented artists who had played throughout the day. But I guess this wasn’t really a music story. And to some extent Kneekap have never been a music story. I’ve never found their music remotely interesting. Their politics and irreverence has defined them more than their music.

The audience, full of Palestinian flags and messages of support, reacted to their entrance. The lads have a lot of support for their actions. Sadly, their music continued to leave me wondering where they would be if it they hadn’t courted controversy since day one. After a few songs, I had had my fill and left to catch the train before the rush.

The Bad Vibes/LNZRT team continue to curate amazing lineups of the best new indie music. This is a great London festival. With this year’s problems it seems to have stretched the festival’s finances. I really hope they ended up making a profit and are able to continue. This is such a great festival. London needs it to continue.

A mature festival like SXSW, running for the first time in London, has some serious expectations to meet. SXSW is unparalleled in size, using Austin’s big convention centre, numerous hotels, cinemas, and music venues, but with a remarkably compact footprint. You can overdose on music, films and interesting talks, without straying too far from the convention centre or hotel. Austin seems to have a density of music venues, probably unparalleled outside of Nashville.

London’s iteration announced that it was going to be based in Shoreditch. There are obvious synergies. The ‘New Media’ industries that based themselves in Shoreditch over the last 20 years, are always in attendance and Austin has clearly influenced Shoreditch over the last 20 years.

However, there are fundamental problems SXSW London needed to address and sadly, they go beyond there being no breakfast tacos. My first concern was simply that I’m not sure Shoreditch is capable of hosting a festival of SXSW Austin’s size. London as a whole is. It has the conference centres. It has more music venues than Austin. It has more cinema screens. But it is also a massive city compared to tiny Austin. Its conference centres are spread across the city. Its music venues sprout up in little creative hubs across the city and while say Leicester Square could handle the film festival, they would be too expensive and big for the festival to use and the smaller arthouse cinemas are spread across the city.

Another problem, unlike Austin, where it takes place over 10 days and Interactive finishes and music takes over, this festival was going take place over 6 days. The overlap between ‘interactive’ attendees and music has always been remarkably small, with the interactive attendees seemingly on company expenses, leaving at the start of music, so there’s no competition over venues. Clearly squashing everything into six days, across an unknown number of venues – with no conference centre in Shoreditch meant that the perceived value of conference badges was far less. You might therefore expect the badges to be cheaper. But they weren’t. The Platinum badge for London was more expensive than the last badge I bought in 2019. They even tried to pull a US trick that us in the UK aren’t used to. Quoting ticket prices excluding VAT.

Given all these unknowns. You would assume that SXSW London would try to cover them off to encourage ticket sales. With regular news about speakers, the venues they were using, featured films and artists playing the music festival, etc. Instead, it seemed their main approach was simply to offer discounts to previous SXSW attendees and to stay quiet about what we should expect for our money. There was no way I was purchasing a full badge for what was clearly going to be a second-class experience.

When they finally announced the list of artists. The lineup wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting it to be full of the best new indie talent from around the UK and Europe. Instead, there were slim pickings. I guess in an effort to reflect the more diverse music of London, there was much more R&B and rap. In fairness, this was the right thing to do, this diverse mix of music reflects London’s music scene. But to sell tickets, you need to provide something to entice the usual gig attendees. The lineup was so unappealing that none of my gig buddies bought tickets. These are the very people you would expect to jump at buying wristbands, people who gig across London most nights and attend festivals like the Great Escape. Their argument were that there was more than enough good stuff happening in London and with no clear draw, it was easier to do a normal gigging week.

I’m of the belief that London is crying out for a multi-day, multi-venue festival. Other UK cities have them. Many, like The Great Escape, seem to have modelled themselves on SXSW and I expected SXSW London to be in prime position to become the London multi-venue festival. However, after this first festival, they have a lot of work to do to make this happen.

A few weeks before the festival started, they finally announced venues and music wristbands. The wristbands were very reasonably priced. £100 for the six day music pass. The venues, were pretty much what I expected. XOYO, Village Underground, Old Blue Last, Rich Mix, Strong Room Bar, Jaguar Shoes, Colours. There were some surprises, such as Shoreditch Town Hall.

On the surface it didn’t look too bad. Not brilliant. But not bad. There seemed to be no late licenses. So venues would finish at 11pm meaning I could travel in each day and go home to my own bed.

However, in reality, there was a lot of walking for very slim pickings. At SXSW I can see 35 bands in a day jumping between venues on Reds and 6th Street. At SXSW London, I was seeing less than 10 bands a day. I see more at The Great Escape and I’ve spent years moaning about the venue density.

What surprised me most, was how little impact SXSW had on Shoreditch. On the first day, walking down from St Pancras, through Angel, down to Old Street, I didn’t see a single poster or sign. Even in Shoreditch, it wasn’t prominent. Most bars, shops, cafes and restaurants seemed oblivious to SXSW with no signs encouraging SXSW attendees into their establishments.

The second day, I got off at London Bridge as I wanted to visit WEX on Commercial Road. Walking up Brick Lane to the main conference hub at the Truman Brewery, you wouldn’t know anything was happening. Basically the first SXSW sign I saw was at the Brewery. This isn’t a SXSW I’m used to. You can’t move in Austin for SXSW branding. Austin breathes SXSW.

Despite some backing from Sadiq Khan, the festival was almost invisible. This isn’t unusual for London. Even big football matches can have little impact on the city. But you expect the local area to embrace the event. Shoreditch seemed oblivious the event was happening. This has to change for the festival to be successful. London needs to do better. Sadly, with some venues seeing really low footfall, they might have a problem convincing existing venues to participate next year.

During the week, the lack of venues proved problematic. Some had dual use. During the day they were conference venues, in the evening music venues. At times there were only half a dozen venues in use and given the diversity of music, it meant at times there wasn’t much to listen to. That isn’t to say I didn’t try other music genres, but none of it really excited me. At one point on Friday afternoon, there were only three venues with music on. That’s just not good enough.

One advantage of the low key first year was that despite there being few venues, most of the time it was easy to get into venues. This was a real positive. If I’m dragging myself 20 minutes across Shoreditch, I need to know I’m getting in. Other than one event, even the Village Underground was easy to get into – and with none of their usual security search shenanigans.

Hopefully, they can grow the venue density over the next year by enticing some of the pubs to host gigs while increasing the audience. If they just increase the audience, then there simply isn’t enough venues and everyone will be queuing.

One massive positive was that the British Music Embassy put in a short but welcome appearance. The BME is sponsored by industry and the DTI to promote the British music industry in the USA. So you wouldn’t expect them to be hosting a venue in the UK. I think there was a realisation that maybe SXSW London needed a bit of a helping hand and they spun this up at the last minute. Anyone who’s been to Austin knows that the British Embassy team are one of the best. Taking over Devonshire Square for two days, featuring some of the hottest bands who played their Austin venue, such as Gurriers, they provided a real showcase venue. Hopefully, they will be more involved next year.

Sadly, SXSW London hadn’t enticed any of the national groups who put on SXSW events in Austin. The Aussies are still taking their music to The Great Escape. SXSW London seemed to have missed a great opportunity to encourage the European music industry to bring their country’s artists over.

Not everything was within the control of SXSW. Unfortunately, like Austin last year, SXSW London experienced some controversy. Several artists signed up to SXSW without researching what SXSW is. Pulling out when they realised that the main conference featured talks from politicians and companies with connection to activities they didn’t agree with. Then the usual peer pressure caused artists to drop out at the last minute when they decided Tony Blair speaking at the conference, didn’t fit with their morals.

I don’t have an issue with artists pulling out of events when they are caught off guard or protesting when they don’t agree with something. Many argued SXSW Music told them that there wouldn’t be anyone controversial giving keynotes. There seemed to be a feeling that the different SXSW stands were keeping each other in the dark and that SXSW Music were unaware Blair was speaking. Personally, I don’t buy this. I don’t think SXSW perceived Blair as an issue and they are hardly going to tell bands that their big surprise was that they had arranged for ex-Prime Ministers to talk. It’s also hardly surprising that there might be individuals on panels who might have connections to things artists don’t like. I always feel artists should play and make it known that they disagree. But they shouldn’t don’t pull out due to peer pressure. In this case, many just look like idiots who had not bothered to research what SXSW does.

Rant over.

But it was annoying.

Some lineups were devastated, with massive gaps in the running order. When many of the stages had hand curated their lineups, trying to encourage representation. Artists pulling out denied opportunities to other who may have benefitted from the exposure. From my perspective, at times it meant very little music. Given most stages tried to be diverse, alongside numerous lineups that defaulted to diversity, such as two stages of South Asian music and several LGBTQ+ stages. There were points in each day when there were zero indie artists. Best way to illustrate the issue was Scottish music brought no indie artists. Probably fulfilling their arts funding, they brought a diverse selection of artists. But when everyone else was doing the same, it meant the lineup didn’t appeal to the average ‘6 Music’ gig goer.

Next year they need to tweak the formula. Increase the number of venues to get more of the normal traditional indie fare on the bill. They shouldn’t reduce the ratio of artists from the diverse musical and social backgrounds by increasing the indie representation by adding new venues. They need to keep the number of venues with none indie music as I think this could be SXSW’s key unique selling point compared to all the UK indie festivals. Maybe they need to encourage some of the notable indie venues around London and the UK to bring local lineups, so the traditional indie audience will buy tickets. Personally, I think it would also be good to get London-based Loud Women involved who seem to strike a good balance pushing inclusivity.

Musically, it could have been stronger. If this is the standard next year, The Great Escape will feel relieved. Many of the artists I saw, I had seen before. New artists that stood out were Bethia Beadman, August Charles, Cosmonaut, Uncle Junior, Karma Sheen, HMS Morris. But there were slim pickings. A weekender at the Windmill would have a stronger lineup.

There are some things the festival can’t fix, the main one being the weather. It wasn’t fun trekking between venues in the pouring rain. Maybe next year there needs to be SXSW branded umbrellas? It was most definitely not the Austin experience.

What was most disappointing, by the time Saturday came round I think the corporates were heading home. With heavy rain that day, I think people headed home and footfall was atrocious and by the end, Benefits, the last band of the day had maybe a dozen people watching them in an empty 93 East. With such poor turnout at these venues, SXSW may have a job convincing them to take part next year.

SXSW is definitely a ‘work in progress’. It felt like it was a pencil sketch of a potentially good idea. Apparently SXSW London operates as a franchise and has a multi-year contract. The talk at the festival was that there is a Berlin addition planned. If that’s the case, London needs to quickly turn its pencil sketch into a more realised version. Berlin sounds more attractive to me. My feeling after this year is that it has a long way to go to convince the UK that this is the default place to find new music. It may end up having to drop live music from the festival and accept it is simply an ideas festival.

Artists seen

Amelia Coburn, Anaiis, August Charles, Ava Joe, Baby Said, Benefits, Catrin Finch and Aoife Ni Bhrian, Beauty Sleep, Bethia Beadman, Charlie Austin, Christopher Clarke, Clara Serra Lopez, Cosmonaut, Cucamaras, Eden J Howells, Ella Jinks, Ellor, Enjoyable Listens, Florence Road, Gia Ford, GIFT, Girlband!, Gurriers, HMS Morris, Hollows, Hornet, Jay Chakravorty, Joviale, Kaoti, Karma Sheen, Kay Greyson, Korda Korder, Levitation Orchestra, L’Objectif, Lucky Iris, Orchards, MONO, Mystery Time, Nikitar, PRITT, Robinson’s Village, Samuel Sharp, Salvana, Sm*sher, Sol Paradise, Stay In Nothing, SUDS, Sunflower Thieves, Taliable, Tatyana, The White Gates Band, Thistle, Trisha Tan, Uncle Junior, Vegas Water Taxi, Vulva Voce, Wave Machine, Wildes, Yasmin Umay

The format of the festival remains the same. Up and coming acts during the day, with legacy acts in the evening, taking place on indoor stages with no need for camping. This leads to it attracting an older audience than many festivals. Think of the festival as a festival for the ‘6 Music’ audience.

With this being an anniversary festival, many expected a ‘greatest hits’ festival. I was hoping for a headliner from the upcoming bands in 2015, such as Nadine Shah, Young Fathers or Public Service Broadcasting. Sadly, they stuck with their formula of legacy headliners and I knew, Spiritualized, Leftfield and Ride would unlikely be my thing and was faced with the prospect of filling large gaps in each evening.

After last year’s festival, which was full of artists I like. This year had a number of artists who have previously left me cold. But that is always the risk with every festival. Not letting this put me off, I approached the festival with the view that this gives me another another chance to reconsider my thoughts about these bands.

Friday

Arriving early on Friday, it was clear the New Year at Butlin’s had been fun, with confetti in the corridors of the hotel. While I had to wait until 2pm to get in my room, this was still earlier than they advertise and gave me enough time to unpack before heading into Centre Stage. By the time I got back to the hotel in the evening, all the corridors were clean and in general, I find Butlins staff do their best to make your stay welcoming and deal with issues you raise. (My safe was locked and they sent somebody up to unlock it) If you arrive early, don’t be afraid of asking if you can check-in, Butlins staff try to be accommodating.

This year saw a change to the stages. Centre Stage had previously been used as the evening stage for headline acts. After complaints about the sound and timings in REDS, Rockaway decided to use Centre Stage as the day stage and Studio 36, Butlins new multipurpose event space, for the headliners.

I can’t say I was looking forward to the change. Large venues aren’t my thing. Scala is usually my jump off point as bands become more popular. Pre-festial, I was unsure if the change was going to be a good thing. Despite sound issues, REDS worked well for the smaller bands and had its own weird charm.

However, I was fortunate this year to be given a photo pass. So I knew it would be much easier getting photos without having to hog the barrier throughout the day, as I did last year.

Did Centre Stage work as a daytime venue?

Amongst the people I chatted to, there was a general feeling that the sound on Centre Stage throughout the weekend was good and the space worked better than expected. Acts weren’t completely lost on the bigger Centre Stage. While some of the immediacy and weird charm of REDS was lost, there were some positives right from the off. I can’t remember ever seeing it so busy on the Friday for the first act, which was one of my mains worries, that bands would play to an empty room and it seemed busy all weekend. All in all, I think it worked. I would prefer REDS with decent sound. But if this is the new format. I’m happy with it.

Up first was The None. What a cracking start. Right up my street. Comprising of Kaila Whyte (Blue Ruth, Youth Man) on vocals, bassist Gordon Moakes (Bloc Party, Young Legionnaire), guitarist Jim Beck (Cassels) and drummer Chris Francombe (Frauds). Their brand of uncompromising noise rock was just what we needed to prove the sound system on Centre Stage worked.

Underground indie darlings Man/Woman/Chainsaw followed, spinning their intricate musical patterns that take right turns and drift off in a different direction. They remind me of early Black Midi and BCNR. An enjoyable set from a talented bunch of young musicians. I expect them to go on to bigger things this year.

One of the challenges of festivals around the New Year is illness. Christmas seems to be a time for sharing bugs. Many of us get ill after seeing family and friends and I try to be as careful as possible during the holidays, having missed 2022 after catching COVID at a football match. During Christmas, Rockaway’s organisers must dread every email and phone call the receive. Sadly, Liz Lawrence had to drop out. Thankfully Holiday Ghosts stepped in as a last minute replacement. Their brand of laid-back rock ‘n’ roll tinged indie pop, is enjoyable and also not challenging. A nice palette cleanser before heading into the evening.

I think it was during this set that there were some complaints from people on the barrier that we were getting in their way. As I live a life on both sides of the barrier. I understand the frustration photographers are to those at the front. Yes, it is often because people on the barrier want to take their own photos or videos and our heads are in the way. It is also because people have queued to get the barrier position with an expectation of an unhindered view. I usually try and sit on the barrier as much as I can, so I don’t block people. Like me last year, many were hugging the barrier to ensure they were at the front a bands later in the day. I’ve noticed as the festival as grown, the number in the pit have gone from one photographer, to a dozen. It is a reflection of how popular the festival has become and that it is getting a lot more coverage. Sadly, it wasn’t possible to sit down and take photos. In my own attempt to compromise, I decided to only cover two songs before vacating the pit. I can get enough shots in two songs for a review and I don’t want to affect somebody’s enjoyment.

Heading over to Studio 36, I was struck by how big it is. It reminded me of Alexandra Palace. A flat, warehouse-like space. My initial impressions were that it felt soulless and I assumed sound would be poor. I am not a good judge of these spaces, I avoid all Alexandra Palace gigs and generally find most big spaces soulless the further away I am from the front. However, I was pleased to discover the sound was actually excellent. Well done the sound team. After last year’s issues, this year no one had any reason to complain about sound.

One point to note, there had been some complaints in the Rockaway Facebook group about Butlins lack of accommodation for people with accessibility needs. This space could easily have a dedicated accessibility space, next year they should build a temporary raised platform. There is more than enough space. Butlins really need to look at how they accommodate people with accessibility needs, as the view from the seating areas is non-existent with people blocking the view. While I might choose to sit in the seats as a breather, accepting the compromised view, others are forced to accept a poor view for the whole gig, irrespective of how early they arrive. Given how helpful I find their staff, it is surprising Butlins’ management haven’t made appropriate adjustments. They are usually so accommodating.

Hamish Hawk inaugurated the new stage. He previously played Rockaway in 2023 and was a highlight for many. He has the charm and songs to carry big audiences and was a good choice. He started his set with songs from his new album, which his is most introspective yet and I was worried might not have translated to a live audience who may not have seen him before. However, all the new songs sounded great and audience receptive.

This was one of the few clashes of the weekend. If I didn’t have a pass, I would have stayed with Hamish. Hamish is one of my favourite artists. However, I headed over to see Pete Wylie and the Mighty Wah! while the pit was open, who was entertaining the Centre stage with his 80s inspired political songs. ‘Thatcher is blame for everything’. I think he may have a point. But it was a point I had heard many times and headed back to catch the end of Hamish’s set.

One of my problems with the legacy acts is they often seem to be artists that were just a few years before my time. I didn’t really start listening to music until late 80s. In general, artists from the beginning of the decade don’t have a pull for me. Personally, I would rather discover new music and watch a band grow, rather than go back and listen to older artists afresh. While there have been the odd Rockaway ‘new old’ finds, I would be happy with more new bands filling the lineup.

Walking into a now full Studio 36, it felt too big for my tastes. Apparently, its capacity is not much greater than Centre Stage. However, it felt significantly bigger. It looked very wide and Hamish seemed a very long distance away. It really is not my type of space.

I edged my way down to the right hand side of the stage where there I knew there was a lot of space. It was clear as I edged down, the extra space in the venue meant there were comfortable spaces between people and it wasn’t the unpleasant crowded experience of most big gigs. However, the tables and chairs at the side and back seemed to have been almost randomly placed and it was dark in some places and easy to trip over them. Again, going back to the accessibility issues, maybe the venue could do with clearer demarcation and some guide lighting between standing and seated areas.

Surprisingly, even at the back, the sound was excellent. As a big venue, it is actually not bad! This is from somebody who avoids bigger venues. Take this as a big compliment. If they continue to use this venue, I am confident I would enjoy myself with the right acts.

The headliner tonight was Spiritualized. Previously, they left me cold and they didn’t do much for me tonight. After grabbing some photos, I headed to the bar and had a few drinks with friends. Feedback from Spiritualized fans I chatted to, was extremely positive. The large venue with the big screens seems to have worked really well for them and some commented that the addition of a small choir added an extra dynamic.

Closing the evening was Arab Strap back on Centre Stage. Centre Stage had been closed for sound check and it looked like staff from those bars, shifted to work in Studio 36. Queues built up and the doors pretty much opened as Arab Strap went on. This was repeated throughout the weekend, with people missing the first song. Next year they need to tweak when they open Centre Stage. It is a simple tweak and people would be spending money at the bars rather than queuing.

Arab Strap are another act I have never really bothered with. I enjoyed them far more than I expected. I might have to go back and give them another listen. However, I decided to turn in early and sort through photos.

Saturday

Soapbox kicked off the day with energy and attitude. Anyone who were not awake, soon were. Hailing from Glasgow, their songs have a social and political bent. While punk, they are not all po-faced, with humour puncturing the set. Another new band and another highlight of the weekend. It is these gems that make Rockaway worth it for me, not the headliners. I think I would be happier if they left Centre Stage open with small bands playing all night.

During one of the headline sets, I was sitting with like-minded souls, all of whom seem to frequent small venues watching up and coming bands and like me, were not interested in the headliners. Some of them are the backbone of the grassroots music scene. Doing a hundred plus gigs each year, watching bands, most have not heard off. We were discussing the finances of the festival and if this was the reason why the number of acts changes each year? Over the years the number of bands has shifted back and forth between a clashless lineup and there being an overlap with REDS. We surmised that Butlins probably take the lion’s share of the booking and depending on the headliner spend, the amount left sometime means they have to have a smaller lineup. Given that the Butlins price hasn’t risen significantly in the last ten years, we assumed the bucket could be getting smaller each year.

While it is great that the festival makes it possible for bands to travel down from Glasgow and win over a new audience. We wondered if there were local bands who would we willing to turn up for pocket money and pad the festival’s lineup. The festival would then be seen to support the local grassroots music scene and they could leave Centre stage open all night as the ‘up and coming’ stage, giving those of us who don’t like the headliners an option during the two hours allocated to them.

Something else that might be tweaked to help fill the time might be to rethink the talks and to make more of a feature of them. Currently, they are squeezed between acts and very few attend. The Krankenhaus festival also has talks, but they are effectively programmed separately. Also featuring the great John Robb, they are given dedicated time during the morning and are usually packed out. I think there’s some untapped potential to help fill the gaps in the schedule without it costing more.

We also hoped that if the trend continues of the festival selling out before acts are announced, it could be the opportunity to move away from the legacy headline acts to younger acts who are cheaper. It would be risky, but Fontaines DC proved this could work. (Although, I would still love to see Nadine, Young Fathers or PSB headline – and I expect they are quite expensive)

I am not sure if the organisers made a special effort this year to balance female representation after last year’s male dominated lineup. If so, they did a great job of bringing more female fronted acts to the festival. The lineup was much more balanced and showcased the great female fronted bands around at present.

The Pill are a case in point. Hailing from the Isle of Wight. People have made the obvious connections with Wet Leg. I don’t think it is an unfair connection either. They have some of that kookiness Wet Leg have. Mixing in humour and elements of pop to their punk sound. They make a fun festival band.

I had dismissed Brighton-based, CLT DRP the first time I saw them. For some reason, they just did not work that day. I thought they would be one of the gaps in the lineup where I would have to find something to do. However, today they clicked. Full of energy, passion and with something to say. I loved their set. They left me with some hope that the evening’s entertainment might also do the same.

The next artist kicked off some personal reflection. I am of the opinion that acts like Sleaford Mods and Billy Nomates, do not work (for me) on a big stage and it would be good for their music to have a live element – say like Bob Vylan. In Sleaford’s case, I have seen them in a small venue and know their set works best when it is intimate. Frankly, on a big stage, they bore me. With Tor, despite loving her songs and her voice, I have yet to be won over by her performing to backing tracks and dancing around. I found her recent gig with a band, so much more fullfilling.

Dubliner, Meyrl Streek with his confrontational politically tinged music is similar. He performs to backing tracks and the only live dynamic comes from him pacing around the stage. I had seen him first in a small venue. He basically played his set with only a flashlight lighting him. It was intense. I was asking myself during his brilliant performance why I was giving him a pass, when I have not given Tor a pass when she played the same stage? Is it something I need to address? Is there some misogyny at play?

I honestly don’t know if I have an answer to this. I could see some differences. His music is far more confrontational and he spent a lot of time shouting into the crowd. The lighting was kept low so his menacing contact lenses would show up every time the light hit him. He was projecting his performance into the crowd – something that is much easier to do when you have overtly political songs. I also had expectation of him coming out into the crowd, which adds an element of excitement as you wait for it to happen. He does seem to have built a very strong stage presence that works well with his material. There is an underlying anarchist vibe that perforates his songs and his performance, that surprisingly translated to the bigger stage. I suspect if the lights were up. The intensity would have been lost and I wouldn’t be impressed. I think there was a difference between Billy Nomates’ performance and Meyrl’s. But maybe I am a misogynist and treating Tor differently? I hope not.

As a counterbalance to Meyrl, Ebbb’s ambient electronica was good programming. While I loved last year’s lineup. Many felt it was too shouty. Ebbb, a new band to me, offered something for those who like their music a bit more chilled with textured electronica. Many said Ebbb were one of their highlights of the festival. I am afraid I like my shouty music and they did not do much for me, but they were the right choice after Meyrl.

Back to the shouty, or so I thought. I have seen ARXX a few times. With a two piece garage set up or drums and guitar, they have previously been that right side of ‘messy with attitude’ you need for a garage band. Always chatty and engaging, I have a lot of time for them. Tonight, I am afraid I did not enjoy their new stuff. Some of the new songs had processing on the vocals. I find overtly processed vocals are my musical equivalent of scraping fingernails down a blackboard. When they played old stuff without the vocaliser, they were great. But the processed vocals kept bringing me out of their performance.

I had seen and Lime Garden before and as Studio 36 was opening soon, I grabbed some photos and headed over to the other stage.

Over on Studio 36, there was some very odd programming opening the evening. Mim Grey, with her country rock sound, played the cavernous venue to a very spartan crowd. It is not a genre I enjoy. Clearly, she was not a pull for the rest of the Rockaway audience either. I am not going to say that she was the wrong booking. I think festival should take risks and challenge us with other genres, but I left feeling sorry for her and her talented band. It must have felt very empty playing to a small crowd in such a big venue.

I guess part of this was down to the early evening overlap with Ruts DC back at Centre stage. They were helping people relive their teenage years with a well received performance. I enjoyed the bit of their set I saw.

This was the point where things went a bit wrong for me. Neither Georgia or LEFTFIELD do much for me. I had seen Georgia play a support slot at the Roundhouse. That evening I did not want to leave the barrier for the headliner and had to stand through what seemed like an interminably long set. LEFTFIELD’s electronica had bored me back in the day. I was not looking forward to what might be a massive gap in the evening before Bodega came on.

Although I was going to give both a try. After taking a few shots of Georgia and not being won over, I mistakenly left my side zip on my camera bag open and one of my cameras fell onto the floor of Studio 36. My cameras are used to being bashed around and dropped on the floor. But this proved to be one accident too many for this camera and the EVF died. I headed to my hotel to try and fix it, but with no luck. I returned to watch some of LEFTFIELD’s set, which I fairness, really suited Studio 36. Whether it was the my mind being somewhere else thinking about how to fix the camera, LEFTFIELD left me unengaged and I decide to drown my sorrows at the bar – only to find Guinness had run out. (Butlins need to sort this out. It happens every year). I can not say this was my idea of an entertaining Saturday night, but chatting with friends who also had given up on LEFTFIELD helped fill the time.

Thankfully, the ever brilliant Bodega were on hand to close the evening with their New York cool art-punk. Brilliantly opening with their set with the Ramones ‘Rockaway Beach’ (why has no one thought of this before), they played pretty much for two hours, with one danceable song after another. It helped numb the disappointment of the camera.

Sunday

Not letting the camera damage disappoint me. I still had a second camera. Although that camera is also limping along with a sticking shutter, forcing me to use it in silent mode which can suffer from awful bands appearing across photos. I had noticed some of my earlier photos had suffered from banding, ruining some of them, so it was going to be a challenging day. Thankfully, I also had a backup pocket camera, that came off the subs bench so I knew I would have at least some guaranteed shots to fill the a review.

Before the festival, the Sunday’s lineup seemed to hold the most promise. With several never seen bands who I purposely did not listen to beforehand, so as to not colour my judgement.

First up were Jaws the Shark, who I saw play a small show last year. At the time I thought some of the songs were a lyrically a bit repetitive and thought they sounded flat, as the drums were provided by a machine. Here, playing a full band show with a human on the drums, the extra dynamics really added to the sound, making them a very enjoyable start to the day.

Bloodworm from Nottingham, are another new band for me. With their atmospheric gothy post-punk, I think they were a highlight for many, including me. They are definitely now on my radar as ones to watch.

Another arguably odd booking, but one I really enjoyed, were The Jonny Halifax Invocation. A psych blues band with ritualistic beats. Kind of like a blues version of Snapped Ankles. I know some thought they were not right for the festival, but I thought they injected a bit of colour after Bloodworm’s goth.

Another new band were the Dirt. Japanese guitarist Sachiko and partner Jack (the poet Leon the pig Farmer), looked to me like somebody had role-reversed The Kills. With elements of psych combined with the Jack’s socially conscious lyrics, they worked really well. Another new discovery for many.

One band I was looking forward to seeing were the much hyped, The Itch. I was a big fan of the Regressive Left and was impressed by this new iteration when I caught them a few times last year. I have to admit, I was left slightly disappointed by them today. With the Itch, Simon Tyrie and Georgia Hardy shifted their post-punk sound to a much more synth heavy version of their sound. Their music sounds great. But the change from intimacy of the Lexington to a big stage, left me wanting more physicality from their performance. Simon was often hidden behind his bank of synths and while they tried to bring Georgia to the front of the stage, her drums blocked her for much of the time she was singing. My feeling is that for these bigger stages, maybe Simon needs to come front and centre and somebody else takes over on keyboards? Musically though, I can’t fault them and I am sure they will have a very strong 2025.

Closing the Centre Stage for this year, Katy J Pearson was another ‘second attempt’ artist. I saw her a few years ago at the Lexington and found I did not get on with the country influences in some of her work and I am afraid, nothing changed with this performance. She is perfectly pleasant. But this is it. However, it was clear from the audience, that I was in a minority..

Opening Studio 36 for the evening was Miki Berenyi from Lush with her band the Miki Berenyi Trio, her set featured a few Lush songs because as she said, they don’t have many songs. It was clear there were quite a few Lush fans in the audience who lapped up her set.

Finally to my own personal headline act. I know RIDE were coming on last. But the band I was looking forward to the most was Sprints. Well done the organisers for taking a chance and putting Sprints so high up the lineup. It was a year to the day since they released their debut and my favourite album of 2024. I had tickets to see them twice last year and was unable to make the gigs. Having seen them at the Great Escape a few years earlier, it was clear Karla had the presence to carry any stage. For me, this set was one of the best EVER at Rockaway and I even think this big venue, contributed to it. They owned the space from the first minute to the last.

Although for most artists I left the pit after one or two songs. Sorry to those on the barrier, but there was no way I was leaving this performance after two songs. I wanted to experience them from as close as possible. After leaving the pit, I started to make my way over to toward the centre of the stage on the assumption Karla would go into the audience. I got half way there and realised I had left my long lens on the camera! I decided there would not be much point taking that into the mosh, so found some space and just enjoyed the rest of the set.

At one point she asked the audience to form a circle. Somebody afterwards said they felt it was wrong, as it should form naturally. But she had the audience in the palm of her hands. So much so, a bunch of old people were willing to form a circle, even though most of them probably regretted it the next day when their knees reminded them of their age. Karla is an amazing front person and the new material tried tonight, has left me impatient for the second album. It was a cracking performance. The only thing that was a let down, was they weren’t tonight’s headliners so my festival finished on a high. I have no doubt, they will be soon. This was everything I wanted and more.

For me, Sprints were a good way to finish the evening. I have given RIDE several chances in the past. They are very good at what they do. They just do not work for me. After grabbing some photos and giving a few songs a chance. I headed to the bar and sat with friends who also were not feeling RIDE’s pull.

The conversation again returned to the lineup. Given this is a self-selecting group of ‘down the front’ small-venue type people who all did not like RIDE. There was a general feeling that the headliners across the weekend did not appeal to us. However, there was a feeling that the headliners rarely do and we book with no expectations that the headliner will work for us. Although there was a feeling that the lack of alternatives this year, seemed like a backward step. Hopefully, this is something that can be addressed next year. Since the headlining acts get up to two hours and every night, this is a big gap in schedules. Don’t get me wrong, sitting with friends, playing on the arcades, shoving 2ps into the machines, or playing pool in the gaps is a large part of what makes Rockaway so enjoyable. Having some more musical options if you do not like the headliners would be helpful.

(It would also be helpful if Butlins made sure the beer doesn’t run out too! People were making trips back to the rooms to grab beers they had brought with them as there wasn’t much left at the bar)

After 2015’s Rockaway, my perception that there was a lack of artists, meant I didn’t book the following year. It was Sea Power on the bill that made me return and forced me to reevaluate my expectations. Since then, I have grown to love this little festival. I know the headliners are not going to be my thing and I am fine with this. I know there are going to be gaps in the day when I will have to fill my time. But I also know lots of people who attend this festival and every gap is a chance to meet up with people which gives the festival a lovely feeling. It has grown to become the perfect way to start the New Year. Rockaway Beach is just the perfect way to start the new gigging year. Booking next year was a no brainer. I am already looking forward to it.

Rockaway Beach 2026 takes place at Bultins Bognor Regis on the 2-5th January 2026. Tickets are on sale now. See https://www.rockawaybeach.co.uk for more details

Previous Reflections

Rockaway Beach 2024
Rockaway Beach 2023
Rockaway Beach 2020
Rockaway Beach 2018
Rockaway Beach 2015