Into Live Music Review: Rockaway Beach Day Two
Festival: Rockaway Beach
Venue: Bognor Regis, Butlins
Date: 4 January 2025
Day Two:
As is often the case at Rockaway Beach, gig goers will venture into the town of Bognor Regis, exploring the local area and our bracing walk along the seafront in search of an early morning breakfast certainly blew away any cobwebs from the previous night. Back at the venue there was a considerable queue to see the first act of the day for a noon start, Glasgow’s explosive punk combo, Soapbox.
Eventually getting in, unfortunately we missed part of their set (maybe open the doors earlier RB?) but still enough to know the four-piece had something about them. Private Public Transport started with a single monotonous drum before the singer arrived with statements bemoaning the lack of reliable transport. This was before a shredding guitar elevated the event into a maelstrom of noise. The lyrics were at times humorous, none more so on Yer Da and his loft full of BDSM!!
Finishing their set with the observational Fascist Bob was pogo-tastic. The song was about all those Daily Mail reading, Reform/Britain First supporting wanks who blame it all on the immigrants. He’s not got a job, it’s not his fault………..More power to Soapbox and bands like them, they know the score.
The duo that are ARXX certainly packed a punch. Describing themselves as Taylor Swift if she only ever listened to Nirvana certainly piqued my interest. You know what? That vibe was certainly there but they also reminded me of a previous RB act, Self Esteem. Good Boy and Ride or Die were particular highlights of their short set as were there three toy dalmatians at the front of the stage! Do check them out.
One thing RB do extremely well is the mix of acts they bring to the festival. From a new band such as Soapbox to seasoned veterans like Ruts DC, they really do cater for a broad church.
The latter played an hour set on the Centre Stage and almost blew the roof off. It Was Cold (an understatement if you went outside) was as heavy and dark as crude oil, a brooding rocker that had a real air of menace. Fair to say the trio that form the band Dave Ruffy (drums), Segs Jennings (bass) and Leigh Heggarty (guitar) have been around the block and their musical aptitude shines through on a set littered with Ruts/Ruts D.C. classics.
Songs were also dedicated to departed past band members Paul Fox and Malcolm Owen, which was a nice touch. The triple salvo of Staring at the Rude Boys, In a Rut and Babylon’s Burning had the punks/crowd bouncing like there was no tomorrow before the closing Psychic Attack finished a great set.
Headlining Studio 36 on Saturday night were Leftfield, the electronic duo consisting of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley. The venue was packed to see their set and the band were augmented by a drummer and MC Cheshire Cat, who provided vocals on a number of tracks. Their excellent setlist combined songs from across the decades (they formed in 1989) including classics such as Release The Pressure, Africa Shox and Phat Planet. This was a defining moment for me over the whole weekend with the music, the sound and the visuals, Rockaway Beach has moved to the next level.
Finishing off the night and headlining Centre Stage were New York indie rockers Bodega. Now, there were many highlights over the weekend for a number of reasons but pin me down to my favourite and it was the opening track played. A music festival named after a song by The Ramones which in turn was named after an area in Queens, New York. That same song was then covered at the festival by a band from the same city! Rockaway Beach was an absolutely inspired choice to start off and to say the crowd went nuts is an understatement. Visually, the band was set up strongly with dual vocalists in Ben Hozie and Nikki Belfiglio, who also doubled up on percussion. The shared singing duties and the wider band led to a great dynamic. Add in top tunes and what’s not to like?
Bodega are the quintessential NYC band, bottling up Blondie with a smattering of LCD Soundsystem, they had the chops and the tunes to pull it off and of course they did. Twenty four musical delights were delivered over the course of the gig and golden nuggets pervaded the set. Belters like Warhol, How Did This Happen? and Territorial Call of the Female sound fresh yet like old classics. It was a whirlwind performance by a breathtaking band. Delighted to have seen them yet kicking myself knowing they toured the U.K. in October 2024. As soon as they’re back, I’ll be there down the front, you should be too.
John Welsh
Links:
https://x.com/rockaway_fest @rockaway_fest
(1) ARXX (@arxxband) / X @arxxband
(1) Ruts DC (@therutsdc) / X @therutsdc
(1) Leftfield (@Leftfield) / X @Leftfield