Ska toons performing at the Lamb InnBy Lucette Davies

First you start to tap your feet but it won’t be long before you are up and skanking along with everybody else to the bouncy off-beats of Ska Toons.

They claim that Ska is as infectious as the flu, but I would disagree with that!  Ska is totally addictive music and it would be hard to think of an illness that is as contagious.

A great night for the start of the Eastbourne Festival!

 

 

 

 

Now in its sixth year the Eastbourne Festival runs for three weeks with the aim of celebrating Eastbourne and its unique identity.  The festival was launched initially by Eastbourne Borough Council to coincide with the opening of Eastbourne’s Towner Gallery.

A group of directors have kept the festival going since its first year with the aim of showcasing the work of local artists and performers.  The festival now also attracts both national and international performers.

The directors believe Eastbourne to have a unique identity.  A place where the built environment meets with the natural environment.  One of the directors, Victor Potter, described to me his love of the amazing drives he has, as he travels over towards Seaford.

A journey out of Eastbourne can be dramatic.  The built-up areas can end suddenly giving way to a dramatic and beautiful natural environment.  The coastline views can be breathtaking and walks over the Downs completely refreshing.

The festival aims to showcase these great features of the town and to bring together the different communities that live in Eastbourne.  Eastbourne has many artists living in the town, attracted by the amazing scenery.  Open house events offer people the chance to see the work of many of the local artists during the festival period.

Ska Toons, a Brighton group, were performing at the Lamb Inn on the first night of the festival this year.  The group formed 12 years ago, when Micheal Munday met Peter Thompson on a jazz course.  They loved the bouncy off-beats of ska music and started playing some well known songs with the off-beat beefed up.

Ska music originated in the Jamaica in the late 1950s, combining Mento and Calypso music with American Jazz and Rhythm and Blues.  Ska is thought to have been through different periods in its history and there are many theories about how the name ska originated.  Popular with the mods in Britain at one time but now it has to be loved by anyone who hears it.

Ska Toons combine ska with funk and jazz, reworking many of the classic pop songs to produce a lively, fun and energetic sound that will get everybody dancing or, as they say, skanking.

Easter Saturday’s performance was full of life and the energy was quickly transferred to the audience.  Delighted by every song it was a great start to the festival.