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.

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

Despite flooding in the South, the journey to Bognor was straightforward with no delays. Given I had suffered a really poor night’s sleep – I think due to food poisoning, the train gave me a chance to recuperate. On the way down, it is fun spotting the Rockaway crowd amongst the commuters and travellers heading to Gatwick. We are really easy to spot, basically a tribe of middle-aged indie kids who have never grown up and that is part of what makes Rockaway so great. Lots of like-minded people, out to enjoy new music.

As is usual, the rooms were ready before the advertised arrival time and I was able to unpack and have a rest before hitting Reds. The start time in Reds was later this year. I think this was a change for the better, as it meant the room was busy from the start.

Starting our weekend of music and new discoveries were Ghost Car, a new band for me. The majority of songs came in around the three minute mark. Short, sharp 60s inspired garage punk, with but with a pop edge. I recognised Ceci Corapi from her other band Qlowski, a band I’m fond of, so I was already disposed to liking them. While they have disposable fun songs like Sushi Addict, most of their songs do have a message, but they try to make them fun. Sadly, the vocals were too low in the mix. Something repeated throughout the day.

Driving down from my native Teesside, Benefits brought their political industrial noise poetry to Butlins. I’ve covered my love for this band multiple times and their focus on how the working-class get shafted but also continuously shaft themselves, through inappropriate patriotism and fear ‘of the other’. The Britain they hold an uncomfortable mirror up to is living on faded false glories. You could say Butlins is the perfect place for them to play. It is a faded working-class institution. Sadly, few parks are now left and while they’re doing a great job of trying to make the place compete against overseas holiday destinations, it is a struggle. Kind of Post-Brexit Britain in a nutshell.

Sadly, much to my disappointment, Kingsley didn’t turn up as a Red Coat.

I have to admit, I love Benefits. I’m a Teessider. I like their attitude. I have found Kingsley to be completely respectful in all his interactions with me. So I wave a flag for them. But I’m also a realist about their music. The music isn’t to everyone’s taste. I joked with Robbie before hand that they might clear the room. They are well aware of their challenging sound and I think this helps keep them humble. They seem to appreciate those who stay and engage with them. I’ve had friends who didn’t survived two songs at other festivals. Here at Butlins, there were a lot of people who wanted to catch them, stayed and then raved about them later in the weekend. They’ve worked so hard to get their music out. It isn’t easy for a band from Teesside to get heard, especially a band ploughing their own furrow. But they are making a good fist of it and people seem to be open to listening to them.

Sadly, M(h)aol, who were up next, were a slight disappointment. I had seen them play the Moth Club supporting Bodega. I thought they were great. Their singer Róisín had so much presence and Zoe, the bass player, used a violin bow to create a great sound from her bass guitar with an expressive performance. The album they released in 2023 was also one of my most listened to of the year. I hadn’t realised that Róisín had left.

This change has forced a shift in responsibilities. With other members of the band taking vocals. But it has also caused a shift in the dynamics of the band, both sonically and from a performance perspective. Zoe especially is less exuberant, now that she shared vocals duties and drummer, Constance, who shares vocal duties is hidden at the back of the stage, which doesn’t help engagement. Sadly, some of the edge Róisín brought to the band has been dulled.

Many of the songs were new, I guess reflecting the shift in dynamics. I enjoyed the new songs, which seemed more layered and textured. It is brave not to replace the singer with like for like and to allow your sound to drift naturally to new moorings. I would be lying if I didn’t say I preferred the shouty nature of their previous sound. It will be interested to see where their sound heads. I will keep one eye on them. There was still something interesting about what they are doing.

Polish band, Trupa Trupa have played Rockaway. Much of their appeal is singer Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, who appears like an overhyped toddler who can’t contain his own fun, conducting the rest of the band as he plays. Some of their English language songs lack any complexity. But they’re so infectious, it doesn’t matter.

At this point in the evening, options opened up. The bigger Centre Stage opened ready for tonight’s headliner, Selector. Without a photo pass it becomes difficult to photograph the bands, as it is challenging to move between the two rooms and get to the front without pushing – which I try not to do. So I mapped out which bands I wanted to photograph the most and planned mye evening around them.

Belfast band Chalk, were first up on the Main Stage. If I’m honest, I don’t think the big stage was right for them. They seemed very small on such a large stage. With repeating angular, guitars and part-spoken, part-sung vocals, they reminded me of Gilla Band. That’s not a bad thing. I want to see them in a small dark room with strong strobing light where their intensity I think will pay off. They looked a bit lost on the big stage. But they did enough to ensure I will catch them again.

I had intended to watch HiFi Sean but got tied up with something and so headed to see Bob Vylan. It was clear a lot of people wanted to catch them as Centre stage was packed. However, because I wanted to also catch Patrick Wolf, I decided I was only staying for half the set. What I saw was one of the highlights of the festival. Comparisons (and arguments) have been drawn to Sleaford Mods. But musically they draw more from a poppier version of the Rage Against the Machine sound, with punk mixed with rap. Vylan also add in grime and Jamaican influences which means each song has an underlying danceable grove.

My previous reviews of Sleaford Mods and Billy Nomates, have suggested that their dynamics and stage presence could be improved by having live musicians and Bob Vylan vindicates this for me. While, much of the sound is sequenced from a laptop. There was a real dynamic between the two Bobs. Bob the drummer reacting to the performance to give everything a proper live feel. It didn’t really matter that the rest of the music was sequenced.

It also helps that singer Bob has real stage presence. He was comfortable talking to the audience. Joking from the off. Impressively, it never felt he was talking at the audience. At times his performance was visceral. Other times funny. Some have complained that Bob talked too much and they found his views towards the police, uncomfortable. But they’re two young black guys and their experience of the police is probably not what the majority of the middle-age white audience experienced growing up. They’re doing exactly what musicians should do. Challenge us by holding up a mirror to the world as they see it. I felt more connected to them and their music, than I’ve ever done with the Mods.

Heading down to Reds for Pale Blue Eyes, many had stayed downstairs and it was several deep at the barrier. I headed to the side for a few shots, accepting that I had photographed them numerous times, and feeling recovered after the previous night’s nausea, I finally took the opportunity to grab a few beers. Even from the back, it is clear that PBE are a really tight band.

Sadly, at this point, Reds fell behind. I’m sure the guys managing the stage would be the first to admit, they got things wrong during the first day. After all, it was their first festival back after New Year. We all make mistakes on our first day back after Christmas. While the sound was too bass heavy and setup at times slow. So far it hadn’t led to any delays. This finally caught up with them and timings slipped by 15 minutes while setting up PBE. But as festival go, that’s not a really big issue and it’s nothing that couldn’t have been made up.

PBE’s set was great as usual. I’ve said it before. They are so comfortable with each other and they own their sound. They make music seem effortless and convincing. They sounded great while I drank my first beers of the festival.

We were now hitting the big clash in the programme. Patrick Wolf was due to start at the same time as Selector. He was a late addition after a band pulled out. However, he was going to finish first. My thinking was to watch half of Patrick’s set and then head up and catch the second half of the Selector’s set.

It’s probably 18 years since I saw Patrick Wolf. At the time, I really didn’t like him. However, I know a lot of people who do like him and in 18 years both my musical tastes and Patrick have developed. Out of all the bill, I was most interested to see what he sounded like and for me to reflect on my own changing tastes.

Given the short notice, Patrick said he was playing without his full band and he had to devise a new set over Christmas. Clearly he hadn’t worked out how to change over in the 20ish minute gap he would have between bands to set up. Because he single handedly knocked the festival back another 45 minutes. He was like the runner in a 4×100 relay race who drops the baton. He seemed so out of practice setting up for a festival turnaround.

He turned up with numerous instruments, repeat pedals and bags of cables. After PBE finished, the stage was 15 minutes late. By the time he had plugged in his keyboards, guitars, autoharp and violin in correctly, then sound checked everything, he went on 50 minutes late at 2335 and the Selector’s set was nearly finished. He seemed to lack any urgency. If you are the headliner, fine. When you are not top of the bill, you are eating into somebody else’s time.

Of course, at this point, I had to stay to see him. I don’t know if I was in a bad mood at this point. But he didn’t win me over. It was pleasant, but uninspiring. Others said he was boring and shouldn’t have been on the bill. I don’t agree with them. I think he was a good booking. Adding some light to the shade of the rest of the bill and this year’s bill, despite being pretty perfect to me, was all dark. However, he needs to get into rehearsal studio and assemble his kit and work out what is realistic in the 15 minute festival turnaround time and let that dictate which songs he plays. I’ve seen stages at SXSW tell an artist they can’t play when they started to make the stage times slip. What he did was unfair to Hinds as it pushed them back from 12pm to 1am. And despite my earlier criticism of the stage guys. This had nothing to do with them. This was mostly Patrick’s fault.

Giving Patrick enough time to win me over, after four songs, I wasn’t finding any love for his music. Sadly, by the time I headed up to the Selector, they were playing the end of their set. Brilliant, as you would expect. But given my lack of sleep, I had basically been up for nearly 24, I decided to grab some food to give me the energy to survive Hinds set.

While the dual stage isn’t good for me grabbing evening photos without a pass. I do like the second stage and I think the Rockaway team have made effective use of this stage to give headline slots to bands who have the potential to headline the bigger stage. Hinds are a case in point. They are headliners in waiting. Every time I’ve seen them, they are bundles of energy. It is impossible not to to like them. However, I’m not sure their name is a big enough draw for a main stage headliner. Though after tonight I have no doubt, they will make a great headliner. Maybe next year?

Despite having been up since 5am to travel to the festival from Madrid and Patrick delaying their set until 1am, long after they should have finished. Many who wanted to catch them decided to head to their rooms. There was still a reasonable size and warm crowd for them. It is a few years since I’ve seen them and two of the original members recently left and I was worried their energy might have gone. I needn’t have worried, even during sound check Carlotta Cosials was beaming with her infectious smile, joking with the sound guys and trying to warm up the audience. What followed was a customary Hinds set of joyous music. Everyone who stayed went to bed happy.

I thought I would head back to edit photos, but it was nearly 2.30 and I was knackered. They would have to wait. Not a bad first day and I knew better was still to come.

The great thing about Rockaway Beach is that Butlins offers other things to do around the music, like bowling, playing arcades, pool, swimming and go carting. Obviously, Down at the Front headed down to catch Trout in Reds, which started the day with significantly improved sound. Well done the sound engineers for listening to our complaints.

Trout were first. They weren’t for me. They were bit shoegazey. All standing still looking serious. Little to photograph and I tend to find that type of music a bit boring. Although, I admit it was clever sequencing by the organisers. They were the perfect band for dealing with the first hangover of the weekend and they eased us into Saturday.

While Trout were the appetiser. Frozemode were the fiery chilly dish. Anyone not yet awake were soon woken up by Frozemode, three rappers who mix in a bit of noise rock. They jumped around the stage with an energy level that was unhealthy at this time of day. If I’m honest, I didn’t really follow anything they said. But it didn’t matter, they filled the stage with their performance.

Genn, the Brighton via-Malta band, offered a mix of post-punk and a bit of psych, but there were other influences that made them stand out from the crowd. Genn weave Middle Eastern and North African textures into their songs that made them sound fresh and new. Interest was helped by a captivating performance of singer, Leona Farrugia, who had a fantastic voice and danced around the stage, engaging us with their performance. One to watch and my favourite new discovery of the weekend.

Another late addition to lineup was Lonely Tourist. I had considered jumping out to get some food because I didn’t want to miss any of the bands playing the rest of the afternoon. Staying for one song, the Scottish duo won me over with their relaxed engaging style and great songwriting. Lovely little vignettes of the little things in life.

If I’m honest, this time last year, I wasn’t convinced about the ‘one to watch’ hype Heartworms were generating. I had seen them on a full bill, though good, I felt there were better bands on the bill who weren’t generating the hype. But they are as good as the hype. I’ve seen them a few times since and become convinced that those hyping them were right. Jojo Orme is a brilliant songwriter with great stage presence. Her dark gothic post-punk sound feels fresh. The addition of the theremin adds a different dimension to the songs and her performance. Hopefully a debut album is coming soon.

Big Special are one of my current favourites. I think 2024 will bring big things for them. They kind of sit alongside bands like Benefits, Sleaford Mods and Bob Vylan. They have written songs that reflect on modern society. Songs are part spoken with a tongue firmly placed in cheek. Singer Joe Hicklin, has a wry sense of humour and for somebody who talks for most of the songs, a really brilliant voice. I think that’s what makes them different. They have his voice available to add in a different dynamic.

Ditz are a great live band. They know how to work the room. Cal, unhappy the lead on the mic was really short and that bands aren’t allowed to bring drinks on to the stage, paced around the stage looking like he was being wound up like a coil ready to spring. This was going to be good. A radio mic was procured and as soon as they started, he was off into the crowd to see how far he could get. Complaining that he wanted the music louder. I think Cal was converted to using radio mics. He had a new toy for the rest of the set he made good use of it. I half expected to see him singing from behind the bar.

(In fairness to the sound engineer, if loudness was what caused yesterday’s sound issues. They had the levels right and when I was further back, I thought the sound levels were fine)

As with any DITZ performance. Cal moves around the stage unable to stand in any one position, pacing as if he’s planning mischief. Much to the annoyance of the stage crew, this involved climbing the rigging, and like a parent who knows there is no way their kids will do what they are asking. The sound engineer dejectedly walked across the stage knowing he wouldn’t be listened to. Upturning and standing on a monitor probably didn’t endear Cal any further with the stage crew. But the audience loved it. I think Ditz made a lot of new fans today.

Finally, I’ve seen JOHN! I had tickets to see them twice and missed them. The last one, due to a train strike. The risk was that they wouldn’t live up to my anticipation. We were worried before their set that John (drummer) wouldn’t be seen at the back of the stage. Thankfully, they moved the drums to the side so that we could see him (well mostly, there was a lot of smoke). They were everything I wanted them to be. The two Johns produced a loud and imposing sound that hits you in the stomach. Music you turn up to 11.

Unfortunately, given 8 hours standing in the same spot, my feet were killing me and my stomach was telling me I needed to feed it. I headed up to catch the end of the Skids set. While they sounded okay, I decided it was better to get some food. The feedback about their set was really positive, but I think I made the right decision. I’m not really bothered about discovering a band from the 1970s. There’s so many new bands to discover.

I have been hearing excited whispers about amazing Fat Dog performances coming out of South London. They have created a small but strong London following. I did have a ticket to see them earlier in the year and based on tonight, I can see why they would be great in a small London venue. First, there seemed to be loads of people on stage. We all love seeing a chaotic stage. Then there’s a mix of instruments that makes them look like they are a band of whoever turned up with a musical instrument that evening. Then when they play, it’s pure dance music. At the end of the evening, after a few pints, they would be brilliant. I hadn’t drunk anything and they made me feel like I needed to have a drink. I could see what I was missing. Hearing that the bars were running out of beer, after watching half their set, I headed to get some beer.

This is one of the problems with Butlins, beer, or rather the lack of it. I’ve mentioned it in previous years. Their beer options are limited. They seem to focus on offering lager and Guinness. This year they had improved their offering with a small micro-pub provided by Sharps. Sadly, they started to run out on Saturday night and by the end of Sunday, even the Guinness had run out. This isn’t a fault of the festival organisers and Butlins do seem to be listening to our feedback and trying to offer new options, sadly, they didn’t get it right this year. I’m sure next year they will.

Still relatively sober, I headed up to catch Sleaford Mods. I saw them play a local venue around the time of their first album. While, I liked the album. I was unimpressed by their live presence. However, I wanted to give them a chance. They’ve been playing big stages for years. Surely must be more than a bloke shouting into a microphone and a guy pressing play on the computer? Yes, Andrew now dances. If anything, they were worse than in the small club. At that performance Jason was in touching distance. The performance was in your face. Here there was no intimacy. It was like watching a pissed angry guy ranting away in the corner of a pub and like that situation, I opted to move on.

The decision was an easy one. Dream Wife were playing Reds. I first saw them play the Touting Tram and Social to a few of us there for the music, in a pub full of people out to have a drink. Even back then, they were fully formed. Since then they’ve released three albums and gained a strong following, especially amongst young women, due to them creating a welcoming space for women at their gigs. In fairness, it’s less welcoming to ‘down at the front’ men who queued to be at the front and then are kicked to the back. However, there’s loads of bands we can go and see and feel safe and welcome. That’s not the same for women.

Their festival set was fun, but their message was still there. Interestingly, their lyric from Somebody off their first album, ‘I am not my body, I’m somebody’ seemed to have hit home with a number of men who I heard quoting it over the weekend. The way Rakel sings, it has become their anthem. It’s damn catchy.

It was great to see how far the band has come. When blokes say there are no female bands who can headline stages. Well Rockaway showed that’s not true. In fact Dream Wife and Hinds would have been a better headliner than Sleaford.

Hopefully, Rockaway will go the full distance next year and include a female headliner on the main stage. Both Hinds and Dream Wife are good candidates.

Like previous years, I decided to take Sunday more easily. It is hard work being ‘Down At the Front’. As I had previously photographed pretty much everyone on Sunday’s Red bill. I decided to take less gear and head for a late breakfast, rather than being first into Reds.

First up was a brilliant festival band, Enjoyable Listens. Let’s say they are a less-then-serious band. Singer, Luke Duffett, creates a well observed caricature of a crooner. There’s a lot of similarity with Jesse Hughes’ rockstar caricature. Taking all the sterotypes of a crooner working a room, the secret of Enjoyable Listens isn’t the music, which is fun, but the stories, explaining the songs. And like every great star, by the end of the set, he had everyone eating out of his hands.

For the rest of the afternoon, I dipped in and out. I had seen all the acts before and while I like most of them, this was my day off. Japanese Television play laid back surf-rock with a Japanese influence. Very chilled and tight. I’ve listen to Joyeria a lot since seeing him in 2022. Firmly rooted in early 90s US alt-rock. I think he deserves to be listened to more and after this set, he definitely has a few extra fans. I can see the appeal of Shelf Lives, with their fun, danceable, electric punk. They just don’t work for me, but the audience were lapping them up. I think TRAAMS surprised everyone. I saw them in 2013(ish) and then I didn’t hear about them for years, picking them up again last year. Using the Krautrock formula to build up momentum to monumental performances. They were the pick of many who went to Rockaway and I could see why.

At this point, I decided to jump back onto the barrier for a few songs of Snayx. I have seen them quite a few times and they have a strong, enthusiastic following that seems to has spawned out of IDLES AF gang. I’m going to be honest, I am not fully convinced by them. But they are good to photograph and fun to watch.

They are a trio. Vocals (Charlie), bass (Ollie) and drums (Laney). Ollie’s bass is heavily altered by effects pedals, so it creates a sound more reminiscent of dance music. I think why they have so many fans is the way Charlie and Ollie bounce around the stage and continually engage with the crowd. It is all good on surface, but I’m always left feeling wanting more musically. While their music has a political edge, it just feels blunted by the dance sound coming out of the bass. I like my post-punk angular. But there is no denying they are good fun and do more than most bands do to keep you entertained. I moved further back and let the real fans enjoy my place.

I was waiting the whole festival for Deadletter. I think they are one of the best bands around at the moment. I saw them at one of these ‘one to watch’ nights in early 2022. I’ve seen them grow and gain some influential backers like Steve Lamacq. I am surprised they have yet to release an album. I’m hoping early 2024 will see the release of the album and they hit the streets and capitalise on their momentum.

I have a feeling the post-punk revival is nearing its end. I think Deadletter are the culmination of all that’s gone before. They manage to be as vital as anyone before them, have tongues in cheek when needed and write finely crafted songs that Talking Heads would be happy to have written. All driven by supremely confident front person, Zac, who knows how to work the crowd while also keeping a detached persona when he needs to. He performs in his space. He performs in the space the songs need, sometime we are in it, sometimes not. Tonight, was a classic Deadletter set. The crowd loved them.

My final band of the festival were Desperate Journalist. They played Rockaway before. I saw them just before Christmas. A good choice for the main stage and a fine way to end my festival.

Sadly, I meant to catch the Cribs and Vaselines, but after Deadletter, I ended up talking to various people and the rest of the night disappeared. I even ended up in the silent disco. But I don’t come to Rockaway for the legacy bands. I come for the interesting undercard. The festival organisers have a very good track record of gauging the pulse of the indie scene and this year they out did themselves. Many of these bands will have much higher profiles by Rockaway 2025.

2025 is the 10th anniversary of Rockaway Beach. I started out thinking it didn’t provide enough music. Each year, my love of it has grown. It will be interesting to see what they have planned. Hopefully, next year they will have some element of ‘Rockaway Greats’ to celebrate the anniversary. If they do, they could do worse than having a female headliner who has played the festival before. There were two good candidates this year, but my pick would Nadine Shah.

Is it worth going? It’s January. Can you think of anything better than this to do? Give it a try. Butlins staff are friendly. There’s loads to do on site. Decent food options. You head back to a room every night. And you get to listen to great new music. Can you see why it has got its claws into me? I know I will be back next year. I have already bought my ticket. See you in 2025.

Full gallery available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/pahudson/albums/72177720313910407

This was my third Rockaway. I previously complained about the lack of music for a music festival. You are only going to see 10 bands each day. I guess for many this is as much as they would normally see at a festival. But I tend to see nearly 30 a day at SXSW and around 20 at Great Escape. So I have found the lack of options frustrating in the past.

But this year, I decided to approach this festival differently. This is the music festival where I get to kick back in what’s usually a very long depressing January and have a break by the seaside listening to an expertly curated music lineup, playing in the arcades and eating chips, and it worked. I felt much more refreshed after this festival than I normally do after a music festival.

With the recent backlash against the lack of women on festival bills, it’s worth noting that the Rockaway has done a reasonable job of introducing female fronted acts. While there was still no headliner, (maybe they could persuade previous act, Nadine Shah to headline next year?), at least one of the bands on the big Centre Stage was female fronted with Brix and the Extricated, Nova Twins and Soak. In the case of the Nova Twins, this was a very helpful boost for a very talented band.

This year I decided to stay in the onsite hotel. It is a rather odd experience, with lifts designed to be diving bells, playing the Jaws theme music as you ride it. The rooms are (submarine) yellow and the children’s bunk beds designed to look like the inside of a submarine. A bit surreal, but the rooms were clean and well appointed and you didn’t hear the sound of people walking up and down the metal walkways, like you do in the chalets. Let’s face it, I wasn’t going to be spending much time in there anyway.

Day one began late afternoon with Indian Queens. They are two sisters with their friend on drums, who are at the rock end of indie, with strong guitars, drums and vocals. There’s no washy guitars with this band.

In their early days (when they were Bleach), they were a little too derivative. But with their reinvention as Indian Queens, they have developed a much more interesting catalogue of material – but they never quite leave their rock origins behind. A strong start to the festival and I think for many in the crowd of early festival birds, a new discovery.

There’s a vocal style amongst a small number of female artist doing the rounds at the moment that often grates on me. It’s the one where the artist puts on an affected childish sounding voice. At times in her set Bellatrix used that technique. While the music was okay, I’m afraid I couldn’t get past the vocal affectation and gradually edged to the back to allow somebody who was enjoying the set more than me, my space at the front.

The Polish band Trupa Trupa were up next. Their singer had one of those excitable friendly personalities where he made you feel the band thought this was a special gig and he was going make sure we were part of it. Many of the English songs were light on lyrics. But that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the psychy indie music.

Young Knives are a band I have never got. They have a new lineup they described as Young Knives V2. I’m afraid this didn’t change my appreciation of them.

With Friday’s late start and many people still arriving, the action moved upstairs to the bigger Centre Stage. It’s an odd layout for a gig, with a big dance floor and a slightly raised seating area. Probably demonstrating the age of the crowd, as soon as doors opened there was a mad rush for the seats at the back, something repeated each night. Obviously, Down At The Front headed to grab a place on the barrier for an interesting evening of new music and some not so new music.

First up were Black Country New Road. I have tried to catch them in London several times but failed to. One time, they didn’t play until after I had to catch my last train and I heard from people afterwards how great they were.

What surprised me the most, was to see how young they appear to be. From their sound, I expected to see people in their late 20s/early 30s. Instead, it looked like the chess club from the local sixth form college had picked up instruments and kidnapped the actual band. And the chess club analogy is not far from the truth. The music they play is intricate and needs them to play off each other. They are a very talented bunch, playing complex music that shares as much with jazz as it did with rock. They have something in common with Squid and Black Midi – a less anarchic chess club version. I’m not sure their music is mainstream enough for them to become big, I think Squid is the most likely out these bands, as they go for 3 minute ‘smash and grab’ songs that suit radio play. But they are definitely going to go down well at festival audiences

SOAK has passed me by. The bits I have heard sound pleasant but unremarkable. Tonight with a band, she was still unremarkable. I think to highlight this, when I looked at my photos for the gig, they all looked the same which is something I see from most singer / songwriters. But equally when you move to a larger stage and take on a band, you have to find a way to perform on the larger stage. I took the opportunity to grab my first beer of the festival.

Closing the evening was John Cale. I have to admit I only really know his stuff with the Velvet Underground. He’s now in his late 70s, having lived a life that put many of his contemporaries in the grave. But despite being a little bit slower and his voice older and less strong, he seemed in remarkable good health and spent the evening exploring his back catalogue, including an extended, less angular version of ‘I’m waiting for my man’.

Day 2 looked interesting with a mixture of bands I’ve seen before and new names. The first band, Pagans SOH, had previously impressed me at the Great Escape. So I knew it was worth making sure I got to Reds early.

There’s always a chance when you see bands at an intimate festival like The Great Escape, you may not enjoy them when they play at a less intimate festival. I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case with Pagans. At TGE I was touching distance from them, essential in amongst the performance. But there was no need to be concerned. All the elements I enjoyed about their performance was still there.

Much of the charm of Pagans is their frontman Marcus. The band mix, rock, ska, reggae and rap but don’t sound derivative or ever threaten to become a Rage Against the Machine. Definitely worth catching in a small venue.

First new band of the day, Scrounge, didn’t hang around, with a blink and you will miss it, 20 minute set that left me wanting to hear more. With the classic garage rock lineup of a drummer and guitarist/vocalist, they made post-punk music, with a garage attitude. I liked them.

At some point you have to take breaks and I decided that as I had seen Penelope Isles a few times, including earlier this year, this was a good point to head back to my hotel.

Heading back to Reds to catch Rascalton, a Scottish no nonsense punk band, there was a lot of positively for Penelope Isles. It seems they went down well.

Rascalton are the kind of punk band that play straightforward rock ‘n’ roll with a bit of agro. I liked them. Direct without being in you face. They held my attention.

Next was one of my favourite discoveries of this festival, The Sweet Release of Death. As the name suggests, they are not setting out to create music that is soft and fluffy. Instead, they have a kind of doom noise sound. At times they reminded me of Esben and the Witch when they’re off on their 12 minute long journeys. I really enjoyed the layers and textures they built up over each (long) track. One to catch again.

Unfortunately, I had to make another trip to my hotel room, so I missed the beginning of Our Girl’s set. I always forget how much I like Our Girl. I’ve seen them probably half a dozen times. There was a time before Sophie’s other band took off, where they seemed to be getting regular support slots. Over time they grew on me and I now like them a lot, especially when they open up and hit the fuzz pedal. I wonder what they would have achieved if it wasn’t for Big Moon taking off. I have to admit, I prefer Our Girl.

Okay. Let’s jump straight to the point. Self Esteem, weren’t for me. I gave them a few songs and then left and joined the queue for the Centre Stage. I saw Slow Club several times and this is a big bold departure from Rebecca. She’s basically created her own version of a pop group, complete with dance moves to every song. Not for me.

Upstairs, was a bit of a mixed bag. Peter Perrett beyond his hit song, ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’, I don’t really know his work. I enjoyed the set. Probably as much for his excellent guitarist.

Next up, a really good move by the Rockaway schedulers, Nova Twins. I have seen them several times in small venues in London. They always manage to cause the place to explode. The obvious comparison is with Rage Against the Machine. But they play without the Rage and much more fun. They are a really good band. Tonight they showed they are ready to be at the top end of the festival order. They had the entire Butlins audience in the palm of their hands and causing their usual havoc, jumping into the crowd to finish off their great set.

I felt sorry for The Jesus and Mary Chain having to follow the Nova Twins. I have never really got them. There’s the odd song I like. Tonight didn’t convert me to the chain gang. I gave them a try. I stayed at the front for a few songs but they basically played in the dark and there was little benefit of being at the front. So I grabbed a beer and started to download photos while listening to them. Nothing caught my attention and eventually I moved on.

Closing the evening was Steve Lamacaq playing one great song after another to a pretty packed crowd who stuck around to dance into the early hours.

Day three was always the strongest on paper with Fountaines D.C. and LIFE, but there was still time for some surprises.

First up Adwaith, a welsh band who sang several songs in Welsh. They were pleasant enough. For me, the English songs were stronger than the Welsh songs.

Eyesore and the Jinx were new to me. They are from Liverpool and have a psychobilly sound. I’m a bit of a sucker for that sound and it’s rare you hear a contemporary indie band exploring the sound. I loved their set.

Next up, The Vegan Leather did nothing for me. After the dark psychobilly, the happy indie pop of Vegan Leather left me cold. If it wasn’t for the fact that I wanted to hold my place for LIFE, I would have gone to get something to eat.

I love LIFE. Mez, their singer has the confident swagger of Jagger and that cheekiness that Jarvis has at his best. That wouldn’t be enough if they didn’t have good songs and a strong band behind him. Everyone in LIFE contributes. Lydia, the bassist, dances around the stage swinging the base around like it’s a dance partner. While, Mick, Mez’s brother, split kicks his way around the stage (annoyingly, I missed every one of them!)

I love LIFE. They are the kind of band I want to be in. They make catchy music, but with a message and they make sure they and the audience enjoy themselves. I really hope they get a break in the next 12 months that catapult them to the next level. They are ready for the big time.

Melys were up next. A 90s band I don’t remember. They were pleasant enough,

I had seen Heavy Lungs support the Idles. I enjoyed them at the time. Not sure why, but tonight, while they put on a good show, I was left a bit indifferent. Maybe it was seeing them so soon after LIFE.

Closing Reds for this festival, the International Teachers or Pop. They were an amusing diversion for a few songs.

At this point I made a tactical mistake. Previous evenings, people started to queue up, but the queues were small and most in the queue headed to the back of Centre Stage to grab tables for the whole evening. So I decided to grab some food and when I got back, the queue was much longer than in previous nights and worse, when the doors opened they filled up the barrier. I could tell that they were the kind of people (like me) who were there for one thing, Fontaines. Suspecting that it might get a bit moshy at the front, I opted for the end of the barrier to stay away from any potential camera damaging action.

Opening the evening was Brix and the Extricated. I don’t like the Fall or Brix’s music, but I find Brix fascinating and her set was a bit like that. The music didn’t hold my attention. Brix is a very good performer. Although I have to admit, I prefer it when she’s telling stories!

Anyone at University in the early 90s knows the Wedding Present. There was alway a t-shirt or two floating around and somebody was always playing them somewhere in Halls. They have grown on me over the years, but never enough for me to listen to them regularly. Tonight was no different. I enjoyed the performance. But I’m not going to raid their back catalogue (again)

And so we come to the final band of the evening. Rockaway Beach’s booker took a massive gamble that the Fontaines D.C. would be a big enough draw to headline a festival. I missed them in 2018 and finally caught up to them in the Mohawk at SXSW where it was obvious they had something. Fast forward less than 12 months and they have already headlined the Forum and now they are headlining a festival.

Tonight that same nervous energy they showed at SXSW was there. But honed for the big stage and an expectant crowd. They have been championed on a 6 Music, especially from Steve Lamacq and Rockaway is a Steve Lamacq audience. Right from the off, they owned the stage. They sounded much better than when I saw them at the Forum a few months ago, where I felt the sound was awful. Tonight, they showed us how they were ‘going to be big’. Oh yes, they are.

Most of the set was the same as the Forum. But they introduced two (?) new songs which were an interesting guide to their future direction. They seemed to explore a wider sonic landscape than the first album. I suspect their second album will move their sound on considerably.

What I find interesting about Grain, the Fontaines singer is that he has the Ian Curtis nervous energy approach to performing. He paces around the stage shaking and bashing the microphone stand and seems to be impatient for the band to catch up to him. He never talks to the crowd beyond saying three or four words, but the crowd don’t want him to. He seems to hypnotise us and we don’t want him to break his hold by interacting with us. It works. I don’t know why. But it does.

Well done for the Rockaway team for gambling on them. It is these odd decisions that helped me decide to return to the festival. If you continue to make these big decisions, I can overlook the lack of music.

And with that, another Rockaway ended. Butlins is a surprisingly good venue. Heading back to a room every night, is my idea of a festival. Sitting in the onsite Burger King with members of bands on the next table, is a weirdly democratising activity. The Butlins staff are universally brilliant and friendly and while I would like more music, the music there is, is expertly chosen by the Rockaway team. I’m not sure I will be back next year. I’m hoping to do SXSW next year. But I suspect I’ll be back in 2022

However, it’s gone backwards. I’m not sure why, but they moved this year’s festival from October to January. With no big headliners, this resulted in low ticket sales and therefore they sensibly kept the bill small, to make sure the event went ahead. Unfortunately, this meant that there was only about 10 bands each day. This meant there were big gaps between bands and if you didn’t like a band, it would mean waiting an hour before the next band. As Butlins limits the opening hours of much of the facilities, it can lead to sitting around with nothing to do.

Day 1

Arriving a Butlins, it was a pleasure to find my room ready for early check-in. As you would expect, the rooms aren’t particularly luxurious. But it was clean and perfectly fine as the Butlins site is compact, a bolt-hole away when there was a gap in the festival. Opening the weekend were Crosa Rosa, a decent enough psych band.

The next band, God Colony, didn’t do much for me. Just two guys twiddling knobs on samples and the music did little for me. I’ve said it in the past, twiddling a knob on stage isn’t a live music experience.

With the crowd starting to build-up, the afternoon really kicked into another gear with the always excellent Band of Holy Joy. They’re the perfect band for this type of festivals, you’re guaranteed a good performance that will go down well with most audiences and lift the energy of the crowd. This performance was no different.

Next up, a new band for me, Warmduscher. I’m not really sure what music genre they fit into. Apparently they feature members of Childhood and the Fat White Family. As you’d expect with something involving members of the Fat White Family, they were fun. Coming on stage in a big Stetson with glitzy glasses, the performance was full on, with heavily distorted vocals. They went down well with the early evening crowd

Moving upstairs to the larger Central stage, Honeyblood gave their usual gutsy performance, with their drummer coping ably with the last remnants of a winter cold. As you would expect from Honeyblood’s simply, no nonsense sound, they went down really well with the crowd.

Effectively closing the ‘live performance’ were the Horrors. Bringing the goth pop to Butlins was maybe an odd choice, but somehow the kitsch Centre stage came to life with their excellent performance

Closing the evening wear the Orb. They’ve always passed me by. The occasional interesting song would cross into my consciousness, but over the last 20 years, they really haven’t appealed to me. This ‘live experience’ did little to win me over. It was just guys twisting knobs on a sample. I moved on and grabbed a beer

Day 2

Opening Day 2 was a band I think I’ve seen, Melt Dunes. They’re a Psych band and played a lot of interesting music, but nothing to differentiate them from the dozens of other psych bands on the scene at the moment. That’s not necessarily an issue in my book, as I love the sound.

Next up were a metal band, Lower Slaughter. They did nothing for me. Lots of shouting – which isn’t necessarily a problem for me, but it was just the lack of energy. This was highlighted by some of the performances later in the day.

Moderate Rebels were moderately interesting. I didn’t like or dislike them. Which is fine for a support or festival band.

One of the things I quiet like about Rockaway Beach is how they throw different genres together into the same lineup. Soccer Mummy, is a singer songwriter from the US with that kind of understated indie songwriting you’ve seen been done countless times. She was pleasant, but there are a lot of similar artists.

A surprise for me, and continuing the theme of creating an eclectic lineup, Snapped Ankles were an impressive electro-pop-punk band. Dressed as if they’re shamans, there’s a lot of joy and rhythmic energy that won the crowd over. Definitely a good find.

Following on from Snapped Ankles was another good find, Desperate Journalist. The lead singer was an excellent front-person.

I saw She Drew the Gun last year. I enjoyed their gig, but I thought they worked better in this mixed company. After the punk sound of Desperate Journalist, the melody and word play of She Drew the Gun worked really well. I guess it shows that you don’t have to be angry to write music to change minds.

Closing the downstairs venue and sadly the only real clash in the weekend, the excellent rock band Pulled Apart By Horses. I’ve seen them at festivals and they always give 100%. Tonight was no different.

Moving upstairs for the real reason why I was here. British Sea Power were given a decent length set that allowed them to play an extended festival set that was closers to the kind of sets they play during their own gig, mixing new songs with some of the crowd favourites.

Closing the evening and playing one of their last live sets, Wild Beasts were just as boring as they have been throughout their careers and signalled that it was time to grab a beer and relax.

Day 3

Opening Day 3 was a band called Koyo and a great way to start the day.

Sweaty Palms were up next. Sadly the singer was feeling ill so they finished the set early, which was a pity as I liked what I heard. I’ll have to catch them another time.

I’d heard good things about Drug Store Romeos, a very young looking band. I have to admit they didn’t do much for me.

Eyrie Lieu went down really well with the early day crowd. They didn’t do much for me.

Yonaka were up next. I’ve seen them a few times. This was possibly the best performance I’ve seen. They were really excellent and one of the highlights of Day 3

A new old band for me were Gang of Four. There’s only one remaining member of the original band. But the newbies convinced me to go back and listen to the old stuff.

I grabbed a beer or two so didn’t really take any notice of Alabama Three. The stuff playing in the background, was as rubbish as I expected.

Closing the evening and the festival was Peter Hook and the Light. As a member of two influential bands, in the Joy Division and New Order, the back catalogue was vast. I grew up liking New Order. But later in life, went back and listened to the seminal Joy Division. I thought the Joy Division stuff worked best for me. But I’m glad I caught him.

Arriving at Bognor Regis, I can’t say I was overly impressed. I’d say that it’s probably seen better days, but I’m not sure it ever had better days! There’s a main high street and very little else. It definitely wouldn’t be high on my list of places to visits. There’s a little bit of ‘faded elegance’. But when compared to some other south coast resorts with their elegant hotels, Bognor clearly wasn’t the biggest holiday resort. Butlins is a short walk from the station.

My main concern about staying at Butlins were some horrendous reviews on TripAdviser. It’s alway difficult to work out if these are realistic reviews or reviews from people with unrealistic expectations so I set my expectations very low. Arriving at the site, I was welcomed by friendly staff (as were all staff at Butlins) and was told that despite being informed that we wouldn’t have access to our rooms until 4pm, they had made most rooms ready for early arrival. I’d been bitching about the fact that you couldn’t check-in until after the music started, so first big plus for Butlins.

Okay, time to be honest. The rooms aren’t great. Mine was an end room with a double bed and a second room with twin beds. Not the roomiest family room, but fine for families who want to get away for a week and will only be using it as a base. But the decor in the rooms was pretty poor. Furniture old and worn. The bed, wasn’t great (but then my own bed is pretty poor, so probably shouldn’t be casting stones!). The bedding, although clean, wouldn’t be re-used by most hotels as there were small black scuffs. The walls needed painting, looking faded with lots of little marks and the carpet was ‘clean dirty’. It had clearly been cleaned. But there were stains on it. So not great. However, this was pretty much what I was expecting and still better than staying in a tent!

The Butlins site is pretty big. Centre of the site is the pavilion. It’s a big canvased tent structure. I think it’s about 20 years old, so probably could do with a clean. But it’s pretty impressive. Inside are a number of venues, bars, shops and amusements.

The site also has a small amusement park, crazy golf, climbing wall, splash zone, tenpin bowling, pool tables and a small astroturf pitch. Lots to do for families. (But all at extra cost!). However, for this weekend, many of these had restricted opening hours. Probably something that could be looked at for next year’s events.

Day 1

The music started at about 3pm on the Skyline stage. This was a stage inside the big pavilion. It looked like a permanent stage so I expect it is used for Butlins own shows. But it wasn’t the greatest place for a stage as the sound quality suffered, often being too quiet. I’m not sure if Butlins were using external crew, but a regular occurrence were delays building up so that the band second to last, had sets cut short so that the headline act didn’t lose time. Nadine Shah, Lola Colt and Public Service Broadcasting all had big delays due to setup issues. In Nadine and Lola Colt’s case, this meant their sets were significantly shortened so that headline acts were unaffected. This is something they need to figure out for next year.

FURS opened to a very select audience. Sound wasn’t great. They were pleasant enough but I think they’d come across better in a smaller venue with louder PA

Next up was Whyte Horses with a pleasant set

Opening the main stage was RM Hubbert. A rather odd choice as he’s a guy with a guitar and a acid sense of humour. Again, it was enjoyable enough fair. But he wasn’t really suited to the main stage. One thing I think Butlins could improve for next year is to use another venue for small acoustic acts. The room doesn’t have to be big as I think it would have been nice to kick back at times and sit with a pint listening to some acoustic music.

Back on the Skyline stage, Du Blonde finally kick started the afternoon. With another of their energy packed set. I think these guys are finally starting to grow on me as I thoroughly enjoyed their set.

My first surprise of the day was the John Knox Sex Club who, despite playing to a spartan crowd played a really great set. (crowds only seemed to appear for around headline act time).

Grasscuts were finishing off their set on the main stage. I’m covering their appearance at Daylight Music in November, so I wasn’t too bothered about the clash. What I saw was pleasant enough.

The Telescopes were up next with a fine performance of noise.

Emma Pollock’s set was pleasant and inoffensive, but didn’t really do anything for me.

The Membranes are a new band for me. Punk’s a movement I like, but it’s not something I have spent much time listening to. So I was unaware of the Membranes. However, I was aware of John Robb, their lead singer from his appearances on radio and TV. I didn’t know what to expect. But hell, what a fun band they are. Clearly they’re still playing because they enjoy it.

The Errors have never appealed to me. Far too electronic and bland. But, I was willing to give them a chance. It didn’t start well with problems with the electronics. Once they started. God, they were just so bland. I didn’t give them much chance. Instead I decided to head downstairs to see the Fall.

The Fall have never really appealed to me. I’m sure if I’d listened to them at the time I would have loved them. But taken as a historical band, I just don’t get them although I was really interested to see what their latest incarnation looked like. As you would expect they are very much Mark E. Smith. He walks around the stage shouting and he seemed drunk, but then he always seems drunk, even when he isn’t. It was entertaining I suppose. But they didn’t convert me.

Headlining the first evening where Echo and the Bunnymen. Another band that don’t register on my radar. The crowd seemed to be loving them. But they didn’t do much for me

The last band on Day 1 was Flowers. I have seen them before. I thought they were pleasant and inoffensive. But I’ve met some people who really like them, so I thought I’d give them another listen. Although enjoyable, it was a very similar experience to last time. Nothing to dislike. But nothing distinctive enough to differentiate them.

There was one other band playing after Flowers, Astral Patterns. But I really disliked them last time I saw them. So I called it quits and went for a beer.

Day 2

Day 2 started with a walk down into Bognor and an impromptu chat with John Robb. He seemed a really nice guy and passionate about music.

Fever Dream opened the day to a very select group. I’d seen them before. But they were still worth catching again.

Matineé were first up on the Skyline stage. They didn’t do much for me

Daudi Matisko was an interesting diversion. Simply him and a guitar and a few songs and stories. It would have been nice for a few more acts like Daudi.

One of the acts I wanted to catch was Jennie Vee. I’d heard some good things about her. But it was hard to judge on this performance. There were serious sound issues with vocals so low in the mix, I was unable to hear her at times. What I heard sounded okay.

I gave up on the next band, Cherry Wave. I just didn’t get them.

At this point, it was one of those lulls you get with every festival. Unfortunately, this is when Butlins felt very limited. With only three stages and little overlap. If there was a few bands that didn’t appeal. There wasn’t much to do. Zyna Hel, like Cherry Wave, just didn’t connect with me.

The next few bands improved the afternoon with decent sets from Orange Yellow Red and St Deluxe.

Next, was Day 2’s big surprise. The Band of Holy Joy were fantastic. The lead singer walking arrogantly around the stage. He’s a very good front person. Singing with passion and leading from the front.

Spot what’s wrong with the image of Miaoux Miaoux below. Yes, that’s right. Two guys thought ‘let’s start a band and play keyboards’. ‘No, no really, a drum machine is better than real drums’. There’s just no reason to watch these guys live because nothing interesting happens. Go and get their album.

Fun set from the Monochrome set

Ghostpoet was one of the acts I wanted to catch. He also was clashing with Nadine Shah. So I knew I couldn’t watch his whole set. What I saw was really impressive. Picking up from an earlier point. Ghostpoet could just go out with a backing track. But he doesn’t. He has a good band behind him and this gives everything that extra dynamism.

Unfortunately, I didn’t need to leave Ghostpoet. Upstairs, the sound guys were being completely incompetent and leading to a short set from Nadine Shah, one of the acts I really wanted to see. The short set was still great. No sooner had she started and she was finished. This was so that the headliner had their full set. But really annoying as I frankly didn’t care about the headline act!

Downstairs yet more sound issues. This time the sound guys were struggling to set up Public Service Broadcasting. This meant there was now a clash with upstairs. What to do? I love Public Service Broadcasting, but then I’ve seen them loads of times. It was time to bounce between PSB and Johnny Marr.

I have to admit, I don’t get the Smiths. Or rather I don’t like Morrisey’s voice so haven’t tried to get the Smiths. But Johnny on his own, won’t convert me. The Smiths stuff was interesting, but seemed to be played by the band and not him and the none Smiths music frankly isn’t very good. So I headed back downstairs to catch what was left of PSB

Gum Takes Tooth

Due to all the late running, Teeth the Sea closed Day 2 around 2am. Few people were left. Sadly, they missed an excellent set. A really great way to close Day 2

Day 3

I started Day 3 with less energy than Day 2. But that’s the way it’s meant to be. So off into town to find a cafe and have breakfast.

Unlike me, the openers on Day 3 didn’t seem to have any problems with a lack of energy. The Jaguar Club put in a full high energy performance. The band have the swagger of a band that should be higher up the bill and playing the main stage. I’m not sure I liked their music, but I loved their performance.

The next few bands were okay but didn’t stand out. Prince Vaseline, Big Hogg, Alex Ohm, Walleater were all okay. But didn’t do much for me.

St Sleep then dropped the standard. I really didn’t like these guys. Sorry, they just didn’t appeal to me.

Back on the Pavilion stage, Skinny Girl Diet, a band I’ve seen countless times and one I kind of have a love/ambivalence relationship with, as I think they lack consistency. Today, was a decent performance from the girls. They seemed to be up for this more than they sometimes are. Which is a good job, because oddly they drew the first big crowd on the Pavilion stage over the whole weekend. The thing that did let them down and falls into the ‘lazy attitude’ I think these girls have, is that despite having a 30 minute set, they played just over 20 and then finished. Leading to the first encore from a none headline act. Obviously having not played their full time, there was loads of time for them to do an encore. Something they seemed reluctant to do. Somebody really need to give these girls a massive kick up the backsides. For me, they should be bigger than they are and it’s simply down to their attitude.

Another surprise was Misty Miller who played a really lovely set.

Emmecosta, Blaenavon and Jonnie Common provided some diversion but nothing memorable.

Pinkshinyultrablast are a band I’ve seen before. They had sound issues that day but there was something about them. But this was a small venue at the back of a pub. Today they were on a big stage and although I enjoyed the performance, it wasn’t as good as I was expecting. They just didn’t give a ‘big stage performance’, all rigidly stuck to their position on the stage. They just seemed to be missing the stage craft their music needs. It’s easy creating a wall of sound when the crowd is a metre away from you. It’s less easy when it’s a big stage.

The next band were the exact opposite. The Young Fathers, a band I dismissed at SXSW as they failed my ‘one song rule’ but then saw them play an acoustic session that really showcased their talent are a band they convince you through their performance and what a performance. These guys were one of the highlights of the weekend.

Just like the night before, back on the main stage, the sound guys were doing their best to undermine the second to last act. This time another band I wanted to see, Lola Colt. The sound guys just seemed so amateur, frustrating both the audience and band. This again meant the act before headliners had to cut short their set. What they did play, was up to their usual standard. But it was rather disappointing, especially as I left the end of the Young Fathers set to catch Lola Colt. I’m not sure what led to these setup issues, but hopefully they can learn from it for next year.

To prove my point about drums are always better than drum machines. Downstairs James Holden was twiddling knobs creating interesting electronic sounds. If it was just him, I’d have given up very quickly. But luckily he also had a drummer. It makes everything more interesting.

Upstairs, the headliner that caused Lola Colt to finish early were Spiritualized, a band I’d seen earlier in the year and wasn’t overly impressed back then. I watched bits of their set but took the opportunity to grab Burger King. It seemed to be full of bands.

Downstairs, the Cult of Dom Keller were closing the show. Sadly, few people remained to watch an excellent set.

So all in all. Not a bad first festival. There’s still some tweaks needed before I would book the festival without knowing the bands. They need to sort out the sound issues. They need a few more bands so there’s no downtime between sets. Ideally an acoustic stage. But I’d definitely go again in they have the right set of bands.