Diesel Powered
The Fabulous Red Diesel have a breakthrough gig at Ronnie Scott’s on 24 April. HIP spoke to frontperson Kat Lee-Ryan and asked about their journey from local pubs and clubs on the coast.
Will and I came to Hastings from London in 2004 and started The Fabulous Red Diesel in 2005 with friends who lived in Brighton and St Leonards.
What did it take to get your nose above the rest?
Ironically it started with the pandemic. Our normal routine of gigging was forcibly halted, and we had a new album to promote. We had just supported the James Taylor Quartet and been booked for Cheltenham Jazz Festival, so we were gutted when lockdown began. The only place music was happening was on the Web. We put in a bid to the Arts Council Lottery for an online promotion budget and were totally amazed when we got it. We did a lot of livestreams and hired a PR firm who got us on 175 internet stations, plus Jazz FM, where we B-listed for 6 weeks. We were over the moon! It really helped sustain us and keep us focused on something positive during a time which for many around us was truly awful.
CREDIT: Jan Rocker Mirror: Mirrorball Paul
What does Ronnie Scott’s mean to you?
It means a lot of different things- personally it’s where my parents used to go out when they were ‘courting’ (how old am I?). It’s a legendary place where all the best jazz is. I have wanted to play there all my life. On a musical level it’s massively important – it is probably the most famous Jazz Club in the country, and to get a gig there is a real nod from the jazz world and an amazing thing to have on our CV. Our fabulous Hastings fans wanted part of the action, so we have hired two coaches which are nearly full to take us all to the gig! One of the number plates is Jaz 1066 – perfect!
Any tales about life on the road?
The whole band agreed that we should tell the story about how the wheel fell off the van. We had a beautiful purple Renault Master, called Big Tallulah. She took us everywhere. We had a gig in Holland and we all went in Tallulah. On the way back to the ferry, we noticed a lot of noise coming from the back wheel, and when we got to the ferry it was red hot. In true muso style we decided to leave well alone and hope it would mend itself on the crossing. When we disembarked we drove slowly into an empty car park to have a good look – at which point said wheel just dropped off completely. We were stranded in Harwich on a Sunday night in the rain.
We phoned a recovery rather amusingly titled ‘Camel Tow’. But Tallulah was too big and eventually the RAC rescued us. We stick with cars these days, or bus companies!
• Tickets for Ronnie Scotts (Upstairs) £10 from www.thefabulouseddiesel.com The Bus costs £28 and includes
a couple of hours to wander round Soho. Email Kat at [email protected]
• You can hear The Fabulous Red Diesel at www.thefabulousreddiesel.com Next Hastings gig is 25 February
at The Jenny Lind.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply