When: 5th, 6th and 7th January 2024
Where: Butlins, Bognor Regis, UK
For many musos across the UK, one of the best ways to kick start the New Year is a trip to Rockaway Beach; an indoor Boutique Music Festival, in Butlins, Bognor Regis, featuring an illustrious core of indie legends and a banquet of new music. It’s the place where many find their new favourite band ahead of the curve and see their musical heroes in an intimate space. January 2024 is the festival’s eighth edition and it looks like the curators have hit the musical jackpot again.
Today they said, “We are thrilled to announce the second wave of our 2024 lineup, including Sunday headliners The Cribs – joining the dynamic voices of a generation, Sleaford Mods, and the original two-tone pioneers, The Selecter.
On adding The Cribs, festival founder Ian Crowther said, “Few bands have stood the test of time quite as much as The Cribs and even fewer can deliver as much punch, chaos, and charm to our Sunday night as they will. Although they were a band that helped define the 00’s era of UK guitar music, it was 2020’s hugely acclaimed Night Network that slung them straight back to the top of our wish list. In fact, they’ve actually been on our mind since Johnny Marr played our very first edition, so am really pleased things have finally lined up for us to do this.”
Also now added are one of Kurt Cobain’s favourite bands; noise pop outfit, The Vaselines, lead vocalist and lead guitarist for The Stranglers Hugh Cornwell, Scottish punk pioneers Skids, plus Benefits, CHALK, Deadletter, DITZ, Genn, Heartworms, Joyeria, Shelf Lives, Radio X’s Sunta Templeton DJ, Traams, and Trout.
Ian adds, “Sleaford Mods are a model of unmitigated artistic integrity. It’s a brilliant thing to be able to book acts at Rockaway Beach that speak to us, and our audience, and engage – with tremendous poetry and musicality – on issues and subject matter that we hold dear. Almost no act touring today is as uncompromised as them, so they’ve been top of our list for a while to get hold of. They’ve performed huge shows to audiences of 10,000 people, so it means the world that they’re bringing their unique live experience to our more intimate setting.”
On The Selecter’s performance, he said, “We’ve always been such big admirers of two-tone and new wave music across our music programme, and there’s few artists as legendary as Pauline Black and The Selecter who were there at the pivotal dawn of that UK movement. Their performance will be a huge moment for us at Rockaway Beach, and a real celebration of the ska scene.”
Previously announced: Big Special, Bob Vylan, Chris Hawkins (DJ), Creep Show, Desperate Journalist, Dream Wife, Enjoyable Listens, Frozemode, Ghost Car, Hifi Sean & David McAlmont, Hinds, Japanese Television, JOHN, M(h)aol, Sleaford Mods, Snayx, The Nightingales, The Selecter, The Unit Ama, Trupa Trupa.
Outside of live music, Rockaway Beach prides itself on having a full programme across the weekend on various stages at Butlin’s, Bognor Regis. Once more there will be Q&As with artists, guest DJs, record signings, a record fair, album playbacks and listening parties, late-night takeovers, silent discos, and pub quizzes, plus the various attractions of the Butlin’s site itself, all included in the weekend ticket alongside accommodation.
All tickets are booked via Butlins, where there is a comprehensive refund policy in place, and include three nights accommodation and access to Rockaway Beach – available now from just £90pp at www.rockawaybeach.co.uk.
For more information on live music weekend at Butlin’s, visit: www.bigweekends.com
