Party time with Fabulous Red Diesel

You’re invited to a 1920s celebration party with the Fabulous Red Diesel at The Beacon on New Year’s Eve. HOT’s Zelly Restorick asked Kat Lee Ryan about the event and about the band’s history. 

Do you like brilliant live music, dressing up, drinking, pass the parcel, pub quizzes and lighting fires? Then I think I may have the event for you: The Fabulous Speakeasy New Years Eve Party at The Beacon!

Enjoy a fire in the garden, a fancy dress Speakeasy themed dress code, a pub quiz including prizes and pass the parcel with food available, a licensed bar and spell-casting for 2026.

From 8pm til 1am, all with original live music by The Fabulous Red Diesel.

The Fabulous Red Who? Well I can help with that. Imagine Manhattan Transfer, crossed with Miles Davies with a bit of Babs on the side. Interested? Read on.

In 2004, in the autumn, a family of 4 moved down to Hastings from London- ARGH !!!! DFLs !! True, but they did bring some rather tasty music with them. Husband and wife duo were at the time breaking from their long term band, Naked Angel ( name invented pre internet – imagine the palaver if that was a current name) and for obvious geographical reasons, starting afresh. Wil played djembe, Kat played piano and sang and it wasn’t long before some rather tasty Hastings musicians, based around The Rooms in St Leonards, started to take an interest and The Fabulous Red Diesel was born.

This was not your average local band – far from it – and it was at first hard to break into the then covers-dominated scene in Hastings. But they weren’t taking no for an answer, and eventually The Jenny Lind, The Standard and Pissaros became their regular venues.

Their first album, Freaks is Comin, was financed by Hastings people, who pre-bought the CD, and in return had their faces on the cover, which enabled the band to afford to make it.

That was a while before crowdfunding, in fact it was so long ago, they even managed to get in the local paper.

Nine albums later, they’re still going strong. One of the albums was produced by Phil Brown (who recorded Bob Marley, Talk Talk and Led Zepellin), another recorded inside Queensbury house, one live at the Hastings Beach concert and the last one, ‘’Summer Solstice Live’’ recorded at The Beacon in Hastings in June 2024.

Gig wise, Fabulous Red Diesel have been far and wide, including Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s, where bus-loads of Hastings fans went with them, (because, Kat says, ‘Hastings fans are the best in the world!’). They actually all travelled together on the same buses, rented from Empress! And on one occasion, the road to Ronnie’s was closed, so the fans CARRIED THE GEAR, all of it – tuba, drum kits, everything – to the gig. It was an awesome day !

They’ve played Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Rye and Sidmouth Jazz Festivals, Brecon Jazz Festival and Aberjazz, Crazy Coqs, the 606 Club, The Jazz Cafe Berlin. But, they’re not a traditional jazz band by any means. They grew up musically in the festival scene, ie Small World, The Green Gathering, Glastonbury, Tribal Earth, you get the idea, and they have, although embracing jazz sensibilities, stayed true to their festival roots.

So there we have it,  an eclectic blend of hip-hop rhythms, up to the moment lyrics, achingly beautiful melodies, retro soul/jazz feel, sometimes dipping the old toe into speakeasy 40s style swing, all original and all played by four friends.

The double bassist doubles on trumpet and tuba, the guitarist doubles on trumpet and occasional kazoo, the singer plays keyboard and flute with occasional shaky banana, and the result is joy. Joy to hear , joy to watch and joy to dance to. They don’t fit anywhere, but they fit everywhere on the margins. Jazz FM B listed ‘’Butterfly Mind’’ from  The Queensbury House Sessions’’ – and ‘’Dear Number 5’’ was their track of the week on the evening show with Mark Walker.

Basically they are doing well and they live in Hastings – and what’s even better is, they are hosting a New Years Eve party at The Beacon in Hastings on New Years Eve.
(3rd pic below)
You can buy tickets for that gig here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-fabulous-speakeasy-new-years-eve-party-tickets-1672081473699

And listen to and even buy their music here: https://thefabulousreddiesel.com/fabulous-music-shop

The Fabulous Red Diesel: sonic sensuality for the modern eccentrician. Absolutely will contain tuba!

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