The Tabs - from left, Garry Blakeley, Roger Carey, Edd Blakeley and Roger Flack.

The Tabs – four superb musicians, one thrilling sound

Lucky for some – the crowd who squeezed into the Burton Room at the Royal Victoria Hotel in St Leonards for the Tabs Reunion Gig on Friday 13 December were treated to an early Christmas present writes Paul Way-Rider.

Anyone leaving the packed Royal Victoria Hotel last night would be sure that they had just witnessed something a little bit special. The Tabs, a Hastings folk/rock band formed in the early 90s, had just played their first reunion gig.

The original Tabs gigged all over the UK for over 15 years, including the world famous Fairport Convention Cropedy Festival. During this time they also released four widely acclaimed albums.

Changed a little from the original Tabs which included Pete Fyfe, the line-up of Garry Blakeley (fiddle, lead vocals), Roger Carey (bass guitar, vocals), Edd Blakeley (banjo, mandola, guitar, vocals) and Roger Flack (guitar, talk-box, lead vocals) reads like a who’s-who of top musicians.

We were both entertained and mesmerised by the top-class playing while they worked through trad folk tunes and original songs written by Garry Blakeley and Roger Flack.  An encore of The Doobie Brothers’ Long Train Running and Chuck Berry’s No Particular Place To Go  continued the Tabs tradition of including covers in their offering.

What was really exciting was the special Tabs folk rock sound that had melodic, funky tunes and a driving beat that got everyone on their feet or dancing in their seat.

Garry’s fiddle playing was superb, effortless, with thrilling bends and slides. Roger Carey’s bass playing was both rhythmic and melodic and totally breathtaking. Edd Blakely seems to be able to play any instrument brilliantly. If you gave him a kitchen sink to play I bet he wouldn’t even need to ask how to tune it! Roger Flack produced some very nifty rhythm and lead guitar work which often featured a talk-box effects unit (remember Peter Frampton’s Show Me The Way?)

Early on in the show Garry invited people to come up and dance. Throughout the gig more and more people appeared on the dance floor, the ages ranging from teens to golden oldies, all rocking together and having a great time. As one member of the audience was heard to say afterwards, “Well, that’s fiddle playing for you. Nobody can play like that. Brilliant!”

Long live the Tabs – four super musicians, one superb sound with a mix of thrilling rock and folk and a pounding beat that carried us all away.

You can see Garry Blakeley with the Garry Blakeley Trio at the Royal Victoria Hotel on New Year’s Eve

Look out for more Tabs gigs. They are lined up to play at next year’s Jack in the Green festival.

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