Changing of the guard at Hastings Fat Tuesday

Hannah Deeble, Trevor Deeble and Elliot Lampitt have been involved in the organisation for many years. They say they are excited to be stepping up into their new roles to deliver the festival which takes place every February/March.

Hannah joined HFT in 2021, serving as the general manager for the last four festivals and supporting the development of the organisation into a Community Interest Company (CIC) with a year-round youth music programme. She said she’s looking forward to continuing to work with the huge team of venues, production staff, volunteers and partners who support the delivery of the festival.

Trevor helped launch the Fat Tuesday Club in 2021 and is lead facilitator of the free youth music session taking place every Tuesday evening for young people aged 13-18. The club is fully inclusive and offers young people a chance to develop their creativity, meet like-minded people and perform at Fat Tuesday events including on the Fat Tuesday Acoustic Tour and the youth-led Skinny Sunday All-dayer festival.

Elliot has been heavily involved in the festival organisation in a multitude of ways for many years. His new role will see him using his production experience to oversee the delivery of the festival’s 350+ gigs.

Hannah said: “The trio are already a tight knit team, well-used to collaborating together, be it performing with their band Big Reference, hosting their indie club night Klub Klang at The Piper in St. Leonards-on-Sea, or co-producing The Crows Nest venue at Glastonbury Festival.

“Fat Tuesday is a Hastings institution. It’s more than a festival, it’s a cultural happening. It belongs to the people, everyone who makes it such a glorious, joyful and wild five days. We feel a great sense of pride and responsibility to preserve it and allow it to evolve in exciting ways.”

All three began their involvement in the music industry as musicians. They have all experienced Fat Tuesday as artists and feel this is important.

Elliot said: “Without all the brilliant artists none of this could happen. We know what it’s like to play Fat Tuesday so we’re keen to make sure the artist experience is as good as it can possibly be, enabling them to give their all for our appreciative crowds. Over the years, bands who have gone on to international success have cut their teeth on the legendary Fat Tuesday Tours, and we want to continue nurturing and promoting all the amazing artists this special town produces.”

Hannah added: “In addition to the opening night Grand Mardi Gras Ball and the fast-growing one-day music conference Unconvention, Hastings Fat Tuesday prides itself on the incredible number of free gigs and events it provides: the two main tours (Unplugged Saturday and the main Tuesday Tour) the Umbrella parade, Preservation Sunday, Slim Monday hosted by local legend King Size Slim and more. Therefore the first considerable job of the new directorial team is to secure new funding partnerships as they move away from reliance on Arts Council Funding.”

Next up on the busy Fat Tuesday calendar is the Fat Tuesday Club end of year showcase on July 8 at The Piper. Then on to Skinny Sunday, an all-dayer festival curated by the young members of Fat Tuesday Club, taking place at The White Rock Theatre Studio on Sunday August 17.

Trevor said: “It’s a wonderful day when we take a step back and allow the next generation of Hastings performers, artists and organisers to take over. They book the bands, help run the event and even perform themselves. We hope one day to be able to announce a Fat Tuesday Club alumnus as a new director!”

Hastings Fat Tuesday CIC (HFT) is a not for profit organisation that delivers a year-round programme of activity to support and showcase the local music scene in Hastings and St Leonards. This includes the flagship Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival that is now in its 13th year and a range of live music events, workshops and professional development sessions to support emerging and established musicians and those involved in the music industry.