A soggy holiday village on Sussex’s blustery January coast may seem an unlikely setting in which to host a music festival, but Rockaway Beach isn’t one to shy away from eccentricity.
For ten years now, the alternative rock gathering has seen pint-wielding gig goers descend upon Butlins’ Bognor Regis branch, armed with their finest band tees and a stone-cold refusal to accept that the party ends on January 1st.
Although heritage acts are very much Rockaway’s bread and butter (Suede, Echo & The Bunnymen and OMD have all topped the bill in previous years), the festival has also grown to be a reputable rung on the ladder for alternative artists on the rise, with Young Fathers, Black Country, New Road and Squid all gracing the stage at pivotal points of their respective ascents.
Man/Woman/Chainsaw, the Fat Possum signings who are only one EP deep into their own tenure, take to Centre Stage on Friday afternoon to deliver a set of unpredictable compositions. Prone to make sonic U-turns on the flip of a coin, each Man/Woman/Chainsaw track lands like a collage of several separate songs which have been bound together, resulting in a collection which feel like a festival in of itself: from ‘Ode To Clio’s whiplashing-inducing quiet-loud dynamics to the retro psych-rock of ‘God Damn Lizard Man’.
Spiritualized close out the first day’s proceedings with a hefty set which stops at each era of rock’s songbook: complete with indulgent guitar wig-outs and a trio of gospel backing vocalists. Opener ‘Hey Jane’ hits with the rough & tumble of 60s rock n roll and ‘So Long You Pretty Thing’ completes the lengthy set with a lavish elation which wouldn’t feel out of place at the curtain-drop of a West End musical.
London trio Ebbb – another new name who are winning fans at a rate of knots – showcase their debut All At Once EP on Saturday afternoon; pairing dark, meandering electronica with Animal Collective’s kaleidoscopic vocals.
Drummer/producer/vocalist Georgia turns in a typically jubilant performance in the gargantuan, hanger-like Studio 36. Cuts from her most recent album It’s Euphoric and 2020’s indietronic masterpiece Seeking Thrills effortlessly eradicate any memory of the tempest which rages on outside and prepares the room for tonight’s headliner, Leftfield (featuring Georgia’s dad, Neil Barnes), who go on to fill every inch of the huge space with their generation-defining blend of prog house and trip-hop.
The final afternoon sees Centre Stage retaining its high-water mark of newcomers with The Itch. They may still only have one track to date – last April’s pristine synth-punk odyssey ‘Ursula’ – but the London duo draw one of the largest crowds that Butlins’ jagged white tent hosts all weekend with their amalgamation of moody pop, wonky David Byrne-isms and vivid lyrics.
Rockaway Beach isn’t like other festivals, and proudly so. With a short list of stages (all of which reside within 5 minutes’ walk from one another) and a lineup which favours deft curation instead of oversaturation, Rockaway Beach opens the year with a weekend which is low on stress and high on enjoyment, as two eccentric British institutions – independent music and Butlin’s – come together to cast a silver lining through January’s dreary cloud. Just be sure to leave the bucket and spade at home.
Images: Jamie MacMillan
