It’s almost impossible to have a night out in Hastings without it turning into a musical pub crawl.

Tonight was no exception and so we tossed a coin and hit The Standard first for a dose of the Earl Grey Band.

The formula is guitar, fiddle and cahon, the result is right on the button.

I’m not a musician, but I know talent when I see it, and these three musicians clearly know exactly how to read each other so that even unrehearsed songs come across perfectly polished.

For those of you not familiar with The Standard it’s a smallish pub opposite The Stade open space with a neat little beer garden at the rear and a good line in tapas food.

Sunday’s they do a cheap’n’cheerful roast – but don’t leave it too late in the day or you may be disapponted.

The beers are good, with a decent selection, and all served with a smile.

The pub – like so many in Hastings, is entirely dog friendly…four-legged friends can expect a biscuit or two and a pat on the head.

In the corner there’s a vinyl collection that doubles as a juke box, and the bar staff keep swapping the tunes on the turntable when live music isn’t happening.

Generally speaking, like tonight with Early Grey, it’s covers, but it’s also home to The Frat Cave – where you can expect some amazing surf punk from bands touring the UK (often from France).

At the end of Earl Grey’s first set we slipped away quietly and shimmied our way down George Street to The Albion – which is well-established as one of the main live music pubs in the area.

Split between two main bar areas and with a small seating area facing the sea, The Albion offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is hard to beat.

There’s a stove in the corner, a small stage, a great food and drink offer, and top quality sound from a PA system that punches well above its weight thanks to some tip-top sound engineering.

Musically the offer is tremendously diverse, and it’s highly recommended that you keep an eye on their listings because they throw up some real treats on a regular basis.

Tonight the takeover is by Thee Dagger Debs (formerly Thee Jezebels until they got  a letter from a solicitor telling them someone had already bagged that name), a three-piece female rock band who simply describe themselves as making: “good old-fashioned pub-rock ‘n’ roll.”

 Thee Jezebels Dagger Debs

It might be a sound that has been around for many years, but gladly it’s not something that will ever go out of fashion.

Think Suzi Quatro and you are in the right ballpark.

Tonight there was a good sized crowd who seemed perhaps a little intimidated by the in-yer-face delivery of these three fire-brands and as a result there was a sterile space at the front of the room…which we took immediate advantage of and jumped straight into.

Check them out next time they are playing in town…and if anyone tells you there’s no good female rock bands around these days just drag them along to prove they are wrong.