Gig - Los Albertos

The last time Los Albertos were in Lewes they had stopped off on the way to play in the Glastonbury Festival. “We hadn’t got enough money for the diesel for the van, so we needed to do some busking to raise it, !says saxist Tim, "So we decided to stop off in Lewes; we thought it would be a good place to raise some cash. It was. We made enough to get there.” Tonight the Brighton band, who are on the verge of signing a national record deal, make a welcome return to town - this time under the roof of the All Saints.

“People often compare us to Madness,” says Tim, “and while it’s fair to say we are mainly a ska band there are a lot of other influences in our sound. Punk, drum ‘n’ bass, swing, whatever.” The Madness comparisons are not just referring to the band’s sound, but also to the wacky man-on-the-street nature of their lyrics. Song titles include Pikey Killed my Goldfish and Transcendental-medication. They sing of going to the dentist, how much they like their next-door neighbours and running out of booze after the pub’s shut. They are famed for drinking and joking their way through their set: their vibrancy and good humour is infectious and they’re good at getting the punters up and dancing. They are most at home in Brighton Festival’s Spiegeltent, a venue which suits their manic semi-vaudeville socks down to the heels. It’s worth saying that the guitarist, Nic Tribe, is originally a Lewes lad. “We expect bunting in the streets,” jokes Tim. Yeah, right. DL