There's no better way to start the year than Rockaway Beach 2024

Words: Jake Hawkes, Jamie Muir.Photos: Jamie MacMillan.

Bright lights. Arcade machines. Pool party discos. Riot starting DJ sets. The Cribs. Rockaway Beach at Butlins, Bognor Regis has emerged as a festival that likes to do things differently. Kicking away the cobwebs of a new year, with each edition, it adds another dose of unbridled fun that can't be found anywhere else. In a ridiculous, nonsense-soaked setting, too. You'll leave with your favourite new artist and maybe a huge soft toy. There's no wonder it continues to evolve into an essential date in the yearly diary - which, for three days, blurs out the outside world to do what few festivals can.

The feverish buzz around Rockaway Beach kicks into gear on night one with M(h)aol draping the Reds venue with a darkly sticky embrace. Hypnotic and distinctly individual, it lays a marker for the weekend ahead. It's a rich welcome, one that spotlights a band destined to grow and grow, taking their roots into fresh new terrains without compromising who they are. Nobody across the weekend can come close to being similar. (JM)

Coming on with an abrasive chainsaw blast of noise, Chalk have decided to treat 7pm like it's the middle of the night. Danceable electronic backbeats drive the music forward as it alternates between spoken-word adjacent drawls and pill-punk screaming - they've been given a slot too early in the evening to quite do them justice, but catch Chalk at 2am, and we guarantee there'll be pints in the air and limbs flying in all directions. (JH)

1am on a Friday night requires a certain shot of adrenaline to truly leave a mark, but when it comes to Hinds, they've been doing exactly that from day one. Fizzing with excitement from start to finish, they may take to the stage later than planned, but they take it firmly in their stride for a late-night celebration that ushers in a new era. Dipping across their career, 'Riding Solo', 'Just Like You (Miau)' and a spinning cover of 'Spanish Bombs' by The Clash add to a set where smiles abound. It captures that pure essence of Hinds, of feel-good fun and shining hooks, with the two new tracks played, signalling that next chapter in an equally joyous fashion. It's a tantalising tease that while things may have changed, that core remains the same. At 2am, Carlotta sits on Ana's shoulders, playing simultaneously, and nothing can summarise the fun of it all quite like that. This is Hinds reborn. (JM)

Signalling the perfect wake-up alarm at midday on Saturday is Trout, who may just sit as one of the most exciting new artists just waiting to be discovered. Blending Seattle grunge, vulnerable heart and American Football all in one, it's a gut punch that both soothes and revitalises Rockaway Beach. 'in my room' is but one highlight of a set that has everyone packed into Reds, turning to their mates and saying - wow, this is fucking brilliant. (JM)

Frozemode power through a set of aggressive rap, airhorns and...barking like a dog. At times reminiscent of Hadouken, at other times straight hip hop, it's a blistering half an hour that blows the cobwebs off of a slightly fragile-feeling crowd. The trio of vocalists fluidly tap in and out while the live band does an impeccable job of kicking the metaphorical windows in. 'The Motive' is the peak of the rollercoaster as the band somehow ratchet up the energy even higher. Rockaway Beach might not normally play host to anything approaching their genre, but Frozemode more than justify their booking. (JH)

It may be early in 2024 to say this, but Heartworms is squaring up to make this year her own. With Reds packed to the brim, Rockaway Beach rightfully turns up in force to catch a glimpse of an artist in true command of her craft. Carrying herself like a bonafide superstar, today exemplifies why so many are talking about Heartworms. 'Retributions Of An Awful Life', 'May I Comply' and 'Consistent Dedication' are but opening salvos to the world being created - one that has Rockaway Beach in wide-eyed awe. It's only getting bigger from here. (JM)

It's 9.30pm in a hall at Butlins Bognor Regis, and the main stage at Rockaway Beach is calling for Fat Dog. While the sweaty venues and countless festival stages have been conquered, tonight poses a bold new challenge for a band who've elicited the sort of cult-like following that leaves you with no choice but to dive on in. What happens when you're confronted with a setting that, on paper, should never work. Turns out, the answer is: take over. Dipping Rockaway Beach in a vat of dank electrodub served through punk megaphones, Fat Dog turn the festival into their own personal playground. Switching a riot in everyone gathered, they elicit a reaction that's at times pandemonium and, at times, holy communion. 'King Of The Slugs' and 'All The Same' are early signifiers of everything they're forming - one that sees frontman Joe Love diving into the crowd, holding court, triggering crunching moshpits and unstoppable eruptions. Rockaway Beach serves as a turning point for Fat Dog, as visceral proof that the revolution can't be stopped. (JM)

Three albums in, and Dream Wife know exactly how to get a crowd on side. It's a headline slot that the band clearly deserve as they tear through a set of tight, pitch-perfect bangers that whip the crowd up into a frenzy by the time the second song kicks in. The already sizeable crowd grows throughout the set as people wander in from the other acts on offer to see a band who are at the absolute top of their game right now. Messages of female empowerment are delivered with so much energy that they feel like bullets to the brain, but positivity is maintained throughout, and the band spend the time between songs extolling the virtues of "bad bitches" and being kind to yourself. It's a message that's sorely needed at the tail end of a festival's second day and one that (judging by the size of the mosh pits during songs) is very well received indeed. (JH)

Taking to the stage halfway through Sunday of a festival can be a tricky proposition for most, but Shelf Lives may just be the buzzing new favourites perfect to take on the responsibility of lighting up final day revelry. Part electro-punk, part indie-sleaze and part potent punk energy, it's an absorbing mix that hypnotises and pulls any uncertain festival-goers into focus. 'Off The Rails' captures that energy perfectly, for a set of uncompromising individuality that rings with everything Shelf Lives have been about to date. Bold, immediate and the perfect mates you want at a party - Shelf Lives make Sunday feel like Friday night with ease. (JH)

One of the buzziest bands in the incredibly broad church that 'post-punk' has become, Deadletter live up to the hype. Opening with the shoutable choruses and disarmingly catchy sax lines of 'Love Thy Neighbour', it doesn't slow down from there. Frontman Zac Lawrence is, in turn, pinballing around the stage, walking into the crowd and dancing like a man possessed, whipping the crowd up into a frenzy. "You're keen - a week after New Year, and you're already on holiday," he jokes at one point to a chorus of cheers from the audience. 'Binge' is still the band's biggest track, but the excitement is focussed elsewhere today, as the band play a string of unreleased songs - all of which sound like they're going to be Very Big Indeed. (JH)

For a weekend whose beating heart embraces individuality and thriving artists who either have soundtracked defining moments or are set to soundtrack defining moments to come, there may be no better closer to headline the Sunday night than The Cribs. Over the past twenty-five years, their impact has been such that their DNA can be traced through bands and scenes in various forms - all while continuing to look forward and rail against the expected. Taking to the stage at Rockaway Beach, The Cribs in 2024 are a band born to revel in the glorious legacy they've created while stamping their authority on the here and now. Openers' Glitters Like Gold', 'Don't You Wanna Be Relevant' and 'Hey Scenesters' set the fuse for a night where singalongs reign supreme and the sheer bulk of what the Jarman brothers have done comes to the fore. 'Cheat On Me'. 'City Of Bugs'. 'Direction'. 'Moving Pictures'. It's a Greatest Hits set that feels like a band truly letting loose and celebrating everything they've done without leaning into nostalgia. For everything The Cribs have represented, they've always remained true to the soul of who they are - one that glosses Rockaway Beach in the sort of urgency that makes everything feel incredibly raw and now.

Shooting out Prime sponsorship, giving public service announcements for a baby crying in a nearby chalet (which was a joke; no babies were harmed in the making of Rockaway Beach, okay?!) and tales of family trips to holiday parks when they were younger, the fact this serves as one of a few shows from The Cribs in the UK over the past year makes it even more special. As fans scream their final drops of energy out to 'Be Safe', 'Mens Needs' and 'Mirror Kisses' before closer 'Pink Snow' - tonight feels like a real celebration of The Cribs. A band who sit as vital now as they did when they first started, it's a moment full of emotion and rawness - everything The Cribs have been about from the very beginning. As Ryan Jarman notes, "Thank you for being here, we've missed this." (JM)

As a rowdy closing party shuts down the famed on-shore bar and weekenders stagger for a final sleep in nearby chalets, Rockaway Beach is once again a festival which revels in the community it builds around it. Looking ahead and celebrating the past, there's truly no better way to start the year.