The Native Oysters Band

Born on the streets of Whitstable as a community band for the Oyster Festival parade, Native Oysters have grown into a full-throttle, brass-fuelled powerhouse — fusing second-line swagger with Whitstable soul. Their sound is a heady mix of tight, punchy horn lines, creamy vocals, and deep grooves that stretch from New Orleans classics to 70s funk, Americana, hip-hop, and R&B — all filtered through a distinctly coastal, Kentish lens.

At the heart of the band are founding saxophonists Ivan Thompson and Katy Windsor, whose vision and energy have shaped the group’s evolution. They’re joined by groove-master Alan King on drums, powerhouse vocalist and trumpeter David Migden, low-end brass specialists Russ Kennedy (helicon) and Tom Pascoe (tuba), and guitarist Steven Higgs, whose riffs stitch it all together.

Driven by a shared love of New Orleans music and the joy of live performance, Native Oysters don’t just play — they parade, they preach, they party. Every show is a celebration: bold, brassy, and impossible to forget.