If you haven’t heard of Seaside Beano, hang tight. The three-day event is the love child of The Cause London—a gritty music venue in Tottenham that became one of London’s coolest clubs—and the faded holiday resort that is Pontins.
If, like us, you’re not a Brit of a particular vintage; you may be wondering what on earth a Pontins is. They’re holiday camps, usually close to the sea, with a family vibe and are resolutely low cost. There will be food on-site, crazy golf, gaming arcades and a series of ‘chalets’ which are two-story apartment blocks that most of the party-goers stayed in. There’s a kitsch, slightly institutional charm to a Pontin’s holiday camp.
Seaside Beano was The Cause’s debut festival—the three-day rave in the English seaside town of Camber Sands—had a massive lineup of DJs, a drag queen pool party and an endless supply of hot chips to ease any hangovers. Our mate, Kiwi photographer Rebecca Zephyr Thomas, popped to the festival on day three; see her favourite looks in the gallery above and get to know a few of the festival-goers better below.
Prishita Maheshwari-Aplin
Where do you live now, and where do you consider home?
I live in North East London now, and it currently feels like home. But, for me, home is just wherever I feel safest and most able to be truly myself.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Nobody can “complete” you. You’re whole on your own.
What is your idea of happiness?
A long steamy bath as my book starts to bloat and my fingertips prune, dancing with abandon surrounded by the ones I love and painting like nobody’s watching.
What music did you grow up listening to? Has that changed?
I was a big indie kid as a teenager - the classic heavily-on-Tumblr type. I think the main thing that’s changed is that my music knowledge and taste has become more eclectic. I listen to a bit of everything, from post-punk and hyper-pop to techno and RnB, depending on what mood I’m in!
If you could only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This is actually an impossible question for me. My ADHD brain could never cope with the lack of variety!
What track always gets you on the dance floor?
'Avalon Emerson' – Rotting Hills
What was your favourite moment at the Seaside Beano?
Objekt’s sweaty set in the cage room (sauna!), perching on a sand dune to watch the serene sunrise, the echoes of ‘Beanooo’ all around as the sunset lit everything up pink.
What’s your fave hangover cure?
Sex. And then cuddling. And then more sex.
Best UK seaside tradition?
Huddling from the winds, ducking from the diving seagulls, and somehow still having a beautifully healing time.
Are there any social or cultural shifts you hope will happen in the next ten years?
Where do I start?! I hope we’ll see a shift away from heteronormativity and the gender binary and more awareness around the harmful impacts of capitalism, colonialism, and extractivism. More self-awareness, compassion, and communication would be good, too. Oh, and I can’t wait for everyone to finally set up all the queer communes we keep talking about!
What are you excited about for summer 2022?
Lazy, hazy days at the Hampstead Heath ponds, exploring Marseilles and Crete for the first time and falling deeper in love with everyone and everything, including myself.
Coco Jackson
Where do you live now, and where do you consider home?
I live in east London, and I’ll always consider London my home.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Anybody worth your time will not have to be convinced.
What is your idea of happiness?
I think my idea of happiness is feeling completely at peace.
What music did you grow up listening to? Has that changed?
The music I listened to growing up was mostly Motown or RnB, as that’s what my mother would play around the house. In terms of chosen music, I’d listen to; it’d be mostly pop. I actually don’t listen to that much music now; I like anything I can dance to. I’m more of a podcast, babe.
If you could only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Hmmm, that’s a difficult one, probably Lofi hip hop.
What track always gets you on the dance floor?
Honestly, anything with a good enough beat!
What was your favourite moment at the Seaside Beano?
It was definitely all the people! It was such a mix match of people, but everyone was soooo lovely, and I had the absolute best time talking to so many lovely new people.
What’s your fave hangover cure?
Probably smoke a joint and feel sorry for myself.
Best UK seaside tradition?
Watching the sunset for sure!
Are there any social or cultural shifts you hope will happen in the next ten years?
Oh my gosh! So many! I don’t even know where to begin. I’d love to see an end to racism, sexism, compulsory heterosexuality, the gender binary, just to name a few and a big shift towards socialism, prison abolition and sustainability.
What are you excited about for summer 2022?
I’ll be away for summer because it’s my 30th!! So I’m very excited for my Canadian road trip adventure!
Oriel Irvine-Wells
Where do you live now, and where do you consider home?
Oriel: Homerton, East London, which I hope will be home for a long time to come.
What music did you grow up listening to? Has that changed?
I wasn’t really into music when I was younger, but the music I did listen to was mainly the pop and indie that was in the charts, which I do feel was a great soundtrack to my teens. But now I'm more into electronic, techno and anything played by Radio Alhara.
What track always gets you on the dance floor?
'Octo Octa' – Goddess Calling
What was your favourite moment at the Seaside Beano?
Getting sweaty in the cage room with Objekt and watching the sunrise on the beach.
What’s your fave hangover cure?
Sleeping. Until all the pain goes away. Then sleeping some more.
Best UK seaside tradition?
Training seagulls to steal people’s fish and chips.
Are there any social or cultural shifts you hope will happen in the next ten years?
So many - hopefully, capitalism will become obsolete, and we’ll have a society centred around the preservation of the planet. But until then, I’m looking forward to when skinny eyebrows come back into fashion.
What are you excited about for summer 2022?
Long, long evenings, hanging out in parks, and spontaneous cycle rides.
Amelia Brown
Where do you live now, and where do you consider home?
I live in North East London with some wonderful friends. I consider a few places home, but they all have more to do with the people in them than their locations.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Write everything down.
What is your idea of happiness?
Writing, making, being in water and being with the people I love.
What was your favourite moment at the Seaside Beano?
Sitting on the beach in borrowed fleeces to watch the sunrise after the first night, legs aching from dancing, heads already full of brilliant memories.
What’s your fave hangover cure?
Pizza is the only thing that can save me.
Best UK seaside tradition?
Swimming in the sea at the slightest glimpse of sun.
Missy P / Jolie P
Where do you live now, and where do you consider home?
I live in North West London and have done my entire life (even though we’ve moved a couple of times). These streets and the culture here, I think, will just always feel like home.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“Stop caring what others think about you”. I know we throw that saying around loosely and it’s much more easily said than done. It’s something that took me a long time to truly learn and that I still find myself struggling with at times, but when you truly embody it and start living to fulfil and follow your own ambitions, direction and inclinations — I feel that this is an idea that can bring a lot of freedom and happiness. Somebody’s always gonna disagree with the things you do, say, think or just who you are. I guess all you can do is try to lead with love and follow your best instincts to do right by yourself and your tribe.
What is your idea of happiness?
I think happiness to me aligns with being content. It’s being at peace with who I am and where I’m at, and something I strive to draw and circulate to those around me. I feel like being content is a mindset that (for me, at least) comes with self-love and self-acceptance. It’s unreasonable to believe that one can be happy for every moment of every day for the rest of one’s life, but I guess reaching a point of stability — where the bad days don’t feel inescapable or definitive and the good and okay days are the norm, I’d say that would be happiness for me.
It’s a whole lot easier to see love and joy in the world around you once you’ve found it in yourself first <3
What music did you grow up listening to? Has that changed?
I was mostly raised listening to salsa music. It’s a genre my mum’s always enjoyed, and it granted me a strong connection to my Dominican cultural identity. I’ll always have a special appreciation for it, and it’s definitely informed my voice as a vocalist: the powerful emotions the songs convey and the intricacies of their melodies are genuinely breathtaking!
In my teenage years and definitely recently, though, my music taste has definitely broadened a lot. I’d say I listen to a little of everything — from UK hip-hop and garage to country, rock, soul and more. Raves and free parties, coupled with me learning how to DJ, pushed me into listening to a lot more old skool jungle, DNB, house, garage, breakbeat and sub-genres/variations of these genres such as raggatek, tech-step and ghettotech too. I’d say these types of music definitely take up the majority of my listening nowadays.
If you could only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Ooof, that’s a tricky one! I think I’m gonna have to go with drum and bass. I think that the versatility in its types, individual artist styles and sub-genres pretty much means there’s something for everybody if you know where to look.
What track always gets you on the dance floor?
Hmm, I think I’d have to go with 'Chopper' by Ray Keith and Shy FX! There’s just something about the bassline on this one; it hasn’t failed me yet :)
What was your favourite moment at Seaside Beano?
Dancing like nobody was watching with all my girls on the Saturday night after my set! And then being able to wake up the next morning, grab some drinks and snacks, lounge in the sun on the beach and have a little swim in the sea. Nothing topped that; it was such a fun weekend!
What’s your fave hangover cure?
DIORALYTE!!!!!! I truly cannot stress this enough; it’s saved me so many times. It basically cures all of the dehydrating effects of alcohol; just have a glass before bed and another in the morning if you need it, and it’ll sort you out; I guarantee it’s one of the only hangover cures that actually works! You can find it easily at your local chemist or Boots.
Best UK seaside tradition?
I know it’s cliche but Fish and Chips (and that’s coming from a vegetarian). It’d be offensive to eat it without ketchup, though! (and that’s coming from a ketchup addict).
Are there any social or cultural shifts you hope will happen in the next ten years?
More steps towards diversity, equality and representation where it’s needed! I particularly want to see more women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community gaining notoriety in male-dominated industries and see us properly represented and included on event lineups.
I run a ladies-only rave group called Sexy Lady Massive; it’s my hope that safe spaces for different communities such as SLM become more common in the coming years and that the nightlife industry will evolve to be safer for all, but particularly for the demographics who need it most.
What are you excited about for summer 2022?
Getting out and seeing my friends! Festival season is approaching, and I’m very much excited for that. I suffer with depression, so leaving the house can be quite a daunting task, and while the sun shining doesn’t exactly fix my problems, a ray of sunshine definitely helps uplift me and gently nudge me out of bed, even if its just getting me into the garden.
Kurtis Lincoln
Where do you live now, and where do you consider home?
Right now, I live in north London, but home is definitely my mum's house. there are eight kids and three adults in a three-bedroom house; it’s so chaotic - I love it there
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“To just keep it moving.”
What is your idea of happiness?
It’s corny, but to be able to do the things I love with the people I love around me… and to be in the sun.
What music did you grow up listening to? Has that changed?
There was always UKG playing in the house when I was younger, which I think definitely impacted my taste now. apart from a phase in my teens where I was a massive hip hop nerd, I’ve always floated between dance genres, So no, I don’t think it’s changed massively - it’s just gotten broader
If you could only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That’s the hardest question ever, but probably happy hardcore. There’s something so juvenile about it that just forces you just jump around with a big grin - like a kid on a bouncy castle.
What track always gets you on the dance floor?
'Special D' – Come With Me…
Or DJ Paul – 'Rainbow In The Sky'
Or Shabbaa Ranks – 'Wicked in a Bed'
Sorry, I’m bad at limiting myself to just one of anything.
What was your favourite moment at the Seaside Beano?
Making drag queens perform at a caravan holiday park swimming pool was a stroke of genius - I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much. But also, everyone piling into the pub (hold tight, the queen Vic) on the final night after all the bars and stages had closed was pretty fab. I lost like 3lbs of body weight that night just in sweat.
What’s your fave hangover cure?
Fizzy mango rubicon and McDonald’s breakfast. But I’m also a Berocca before bed kinda guy.
Best UK seaside tradition?
Throwing a chip to the seagulls and watching them all scramble for it
Are there any social or cultural shifts you hope will happen in the next ten years?
I just hope we have more fun and take things less seriously, everything is really doom and gloom, which I understand with the pandemic and cost of living etc., but like we can still have fun. Also hope we get our kit off more; dressing up in nice outfits is fun, but dancing half-naked - unmatched. Oh, and specifically in queer party spaces, I hope we leave G behind us; that stuff prangs me out.
What are you excited about for summer 2022?
Top of the list is Nottinghill carnival; after two years without it, it’s gonna be so feral, I can’t wait. But also just excited for days in the park, I’ve never really been able to articulate it, but there’s something about a busy London park in the sun that just hits different. I think it’s because we don’t get to do it often, so when it’s hot, we really take advantage of just spending all day on an Ikea blanket and drinking Lidl cocktails in a can.
Interviews & Photos: Rebecca Zephyr Thomas
