Music news withAndy Gunton

A happy New Year to you all.

2013 was certainly a good year for original local music and I think 2014 will be just as good, if not better.

There seems to be feeling among local music lovers that something is building and bubbling away just beneath the surface and that it may well come to the fore during the next 12 months. I’ve already heard of some exciting sounding projects that are planned to be launched in 2014. Let’s hope that they all come to fruition.

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I know of a few future releases that promise to be well worth looking out for. These include new albums by Otti Albeitz and Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell. There is also the promise of a new EP from The Kid Kapichi.

I mentioned in my last column about the reformation of The Tabs and I was lucky enough to get along to their reunion gig. As expected the venue was packed with old fans eager to reacquaint themselves with the band’s music.

Playing tunes from across their career and ending up with some interesting cover versions, The Tabs carried on where they left off, albeit acoustically this time around. The unplugged nature of the gig didn’t stop Roger Flack using a talk box, a la Peter Frampton, to great effect. Nor did it prevent Roger Carey playing some great jazzy electric bass. Both of which fitted very well and for me is the sort of thing that sets The Tabs apart from many other bands of that genre.

By contrast, but equally good and exciting too, I saw the aforementioned Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell and The Kid Kapichi kick up a storm the The Union Bar. From youthful Indie Rock to retro Rock, harking back to the 1970s, this was another great illustration of all that’s good with local music, and the perfect way to end 2013 too.

Andy Gunton, Pierless Music and Hastings Rock