HASTINGS FAT TUESDAY FESTIVAL – MULTIPLE VENUES 25.2.22 – 1.3.22
When it comes to having a vibrant cultural and music scene, Hastings in East Sussex punches well above its weight. The inhabitants have a considerable aptitude for turning old seasonal festivals into an excuse to party. It doesn’t appear an overly pious town, and I doubt there is much lenten observance (though nothing here would surprise me), but the carnival season leading up to Ash Wednesday is as good a reason as any to host what is probably the largest multi-venue music festival this side of SXSW in Texas, or Brighton’s The Great Escape.
Loosely based on the Mardi Gras (‘Fat Tuesday’) celebrations in the French speaking areas of the United States, this event spans the five days culminating in Fat Tuesday (also known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day), traditionally the last day of eating rich fatty foods before fasting for lent. Like Mardi Gras, the Hastings (‘Fat Tuesday’) Festival is accompanied by dressing up, parades, and a grand ball. The main focus is two musical ‘Tours’, where acts move around playing short sets in the town’s many venues.
Unplugged Saturday is the most mind boggling, featuring 300 gigs in one afternoon, as 60 mainly acoustic acts each play sets across 5 of the 30 participating venues, spanning the Old Town, Hastings town centre and the neighbouring area of St Leonards as well. For the Fat Tuesday Tour there are 72 gigs on the Tuesday evening, as 24 more established bands each play sets in 3 of the 12 participating venues. There’s a lot to see!
Obviously, we can only scratch the surface of a festival on this scale, so we’ll give you a brief flavour of the two tours. Saturday is bright and cold, and the streets are thronging with troupes of gig-bag toting musicians, many trundling busking amps and portable PA systems on sack trolleys. The smaller pubs of the Old Town are absolutely packed, so I walk into the main shopping area in the town centre to check out some of the venues there. I catch an excellent set from local favourites Blabbermouth (more about them later) in the Trinity Townhouse, a bar and grill that has an upstairs room with a small stage, before heading round to The Pig on the seafront.
Brighton rock band Creature Creature are giving a particularly energetic rendition of their fine material in the unplugged format, which for bands generally means using a single drum or a cajon rather than a full kit. Amplification is fine so long as you can carry it. Guitarist Rock Zeus has brought an acoustic along today, and plays some impressive lead breaks on it. Frontman Daniel Scully is lively and animated, making best use of all the space available. He’s been unwell with tonsillitis recently, but his voice is strong and powerful and working the tiny PA to its limits. Keyboard player Seb is using his full-size, 88-key, Roland stage piano. It must weigh well over 50 lbs, so good luck carrying that around. The songs are infectious chant-alongs, and I particularly enjoy ‘Video Nasty’ from their 2020 album ‘Two Finger Tantrum’.
Find them on Facebook.
I’m curious to see what’s going on in St Leonards, so after a brisk walk along the promenade in the sunshine I arrive at The Piper. Music events are usually upstairs, but today’s acts are playing in the main downstairs bar. The Joe Clements Band are set up on a tiny stage block, a three-piece with guitar, bass, and drummer Jim using a single snare drum with a towel over it to dampen the sound. Dave’s bass, and Joe’s guitar and mic are going through tiny busking amps. The songs are well-written indie pop, with a 1960s vibe and a strong Beatles influence, and they would work well in any format. There’s a sizeable crowd in the bar, who respond very positively to the brief set. The standout numbers for me are ‘Turn It Up’ from the 2020 ‘Number One’ EP, and the ludicrously catchy ‘Simple Truth’.
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After a brief train ride, I’m back in the town centre in time to catch a bit of The Redcatz at The Carlisle. The band are a three-piece with an upright bass, and play rock’n’roll covers. It’s fun, and looks good, though apart from guitarist Dennis’s miniature amp, they’ve gone fully acoustic. The Carlisle is a big space, and it’s really hard to make out the unamplified vocals. I guess when you’ve a double bass to lug around, a portable PA might be a step too far. They’re a popular act though, and play a lot of gigs locally, so there will always be plenty of chances to hear them in full effect.
Find them on Facebook.
I walk along to French’s wine bar in Robertson Street, where Message From The Ravens have drawn quite a crowd. They’re a relatively new group, all female, with a particularly strong visual image, a kind of glamorous pagan fantasy look. They play a very accessible folk-pop with lovely harmony vocals. I note that they are on the Fat Tuesday Tour, and make a mental note to include one of their gigs on my schedule.
Find them on Facebook.
After squinting for a while at the tiny print of the massive Saturday schedule in the printed programme, I decide to stay put and enjoy another set by Creature Creature, who oblige with some different numbers including the memorable ‘Beggars On The Street’. It’s been a most enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
The weekend continues with The Grand Mardi Gras Ball at the White Rock Theatre, a must for the town’s many fancy dress enthusiasts, and there are parades on Sunday involving the local Radiator Arts group. I find myself back in Hastings on a damp and drizzly Tuesday evening, ready for the main event, the Fat Tuesday Tour. The streets seem quieter than I might have expected, but I’m sure that’s just the weather. I think a lot of patrons have decided to pick a venue and stay in it, as every place I go to is absolutely packed to capacity.
I start my personal itinerary at the FILO, or First In, Last Out, in the High Street of the Old Town. Office For Personal Development are set up in the bar. We reviewed their debut gig at Fat Tuesday ‘Under The Radar’ in January. I was seriously impressed and slightly freaked out by their surreal juxtaposition of disco-tinged synth pop with the language of 1980s management speak and motivational coaching. The three staff members (they’re more of a business concept than a mere band) wear corporate workwear of double-breasted suits and green ties. The ‘Director’ (Trevor Deeble) makes forays into the crowd to deliver his relentless exhortations to maximise your potential, whilst ‘Head of IT’ Del Querns and ‘Office Junior’ Bellza Moore supply the musical backing from their workstations. Although it’s obviously desirable to travel light, I’m pleased to see they have some pot plants to decorate the workspace. The brief set is weirdly unsettling and joyously uplifting all at the same time, and goes down an absolute storm.
Office For Personal Development setlist:
‘Take Me Back’, ‘You Are In Control’, ‘Everything Is Going To Be OK’, ‘Do It All Over Again’, ‘Invisible To Me’
Find them on Facebook.
It’s a short walk down the High Street to The Jenny Lind, where a packed crowd has gathered in anticipation of Message From The Ravens. Fortunately, there are multiple doors, including one close to the stage, so I manage to secure an excellent view, albeit with no chance whatsoever of buying a drink. The band, as previously mentioned, are an all-female five-piece with a particularly striking image. For tonight they are all wearing sparkly party outfits. The music is folky-pop with pagan themes and gorgeous harmony vocals. The lineup is Lily Kim on electric guitar, Siddy Bennett on acoustic guitar, Amy Atkins on cello, Hannah Dennard on keyboards and flute, and Philly Piggott on drums. Everyone sings, and what a glorious sound they all make. The songs have a timeless quality, and I could easily imagine that with a bit of luck and shrewd management, this band could become very popular indeed.
Message from the Ravens setlist:
‘Jupiter’s Tears’, ‘The Birds Don’t Lie’, ‘Shivers And Thorns’, ‘Poison Apples’, ‘Banshees’, ‘Moth To The Flame’
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It’s become clear that my original plan of moving between venues has a flaw, in that many are now at full capacity with door staff turning away hopeful punters. I decide to head for my usual milieu of The Carlisle, a rock pub on the seafront that has rather more capacity, and an enticing bill of acts later in the evening.
I haven’t come across Breezer before, but I’m immediately impressed by their grungy indie-pop, played with an attitude and swagger that reminds me of early Oasis. They’re a five-piece with twin guitars and a vocalist with the hood of his top pulled tight around his head. Standout track is ‘Alive’, a previous single, whose vocal soars majestically over a swirling sea of fuzz guitar. I would be keen to hear a full set.
Breezer setlist:
‘Alive’, ‘Time’, ‘Out Of My Mind’, ‘Bitter’
Check out their ‘linktree‘.
Murderers Are Optimists are a relatively new band on the Hastings scene, fronted by vocalist and guitarist Paul Sunshine and bassist Jo Gonzo. Tonight they have the services of an additional guitarist, and none other than Eddie Lewis, bass player for Kid Kapichi, depping on drums. Paul cuts a dapper figure in a Burberry check scarf and gabardine raincoat, which would be quite handy outside right now but must be rather warm as stage wear. By contrast, Jo is putting in a spectacularly animated and energetic performance, and is soon shirtless, revealing an extensive collection of tattoos. The music is a punky alt rock take on Britpop, big and powerful with massive hooks. I can see why they would be mates with Kid Kapichi. Eddie is a surprisingly fast and powerful drummer who is obviously experienced behind the kit. Paul’s geezerish vocals exude a disdain for authority and ooze attitude, whilst Jo is an absolute force of nature. I’m seriously impressed and will be looking out for this band in future.
Murderers Are Optimists setlist:
‘Twisted Words’, ‘Don’t Know Don’t Care’, ‘Time (It’s Mine)’, ‘Paint No Illusion’
Find them on Facebook.
Even the relatively capacious main space of The Carlisle is absolutely rammed by now, though I’m at the front and right by the bar, which is as good a spot as any. Hotwax are next, a Hastings three-piece we have previously reviewed. Young, and effortlessly cool, they play with flair and panache, and are stunningly inventive and ambitious as musicians. The music is grungy, with strong hooks and many interesting digressions. Tallulah is on lead vocals and guitar, Lola on bass and vocals, and Alfie on drums. It’s a hugely impressive set, and I’m particularly pleased they play ‘Pat The Killer Cat’, which had been lodged in my consciousness for some reason earlier in the week. There are a couple of very lively and promising numbers that are new to me at least. I’ll be looking forward to hearing them recorded in due course.
Hotwax setlist:
‘Pat The Killer Cat’, ‘What’s That Sound?’, ‘Turtle Island’, ‘Barbie (Not Your)’, ‘Rip It Out’
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Last on in The Carlisle tonight are Blabbermouth, a local four-piece who have been steadily forging an impressive reputation. It’s punky alt rock with an expansive sound and plenty of poppy hooks. I caught them on the Unplugged Saturday, and loved their set, but onstage in front of this heaving mass of audience and playing through a powerful PA is something altogether different. Frontman Max Williams, on lead vocals and guitar, has an unmistakeable star quality, throwing cool moves with a cheeky glint in his eye. Guitarist Leon and headstock-thrusting bassist Alfie are rarely static, careering across the stage and making forays into the audience. Behind all the mayhem, drummer Harry keeps it solid and powerful, dispatching brisk fills with confident ease. The songs are moreishly good, and proper ear worms. ‘Razor Switchblade Smile’ has an urgency that the excited crowd responds to enthusiastically, and ‘Youthful Haze’ is a chant-along anthem. It’s pretty lively out on the floor, with some spectacular crowd surfing and moshing that gets a little over exuberant at times, although the venue staff are on hand to cool things down when needed. It’s an amazing end to the best Tuesday I’ve had in ages.
Blabbermouth setlist:
‘Blabbermouth’, ‘Razor Switchblade Smile’, ‘When I’m In The Moment’, ‘Youthful Haze’, ‘Cynic’, ‘Let Me Out’
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Obviously we’ve only touched on what’s been going on during this massive festival. Its smooth running is a tribute to everyone involved, and the array of talent on show is testament to the wonderfully vibrant music scene around Hastings. There is more information on the Hastings Fat Tuesday website, including the ongoing ‘Under The Radar’ events. Make sure the Festival is in your diary for next year, and if you work, do yourself a favour by booking Ash Wednesday off.
