By Līga Reimane
The musically talented Rob May and his pals, Tony Szymanski and Steven Rees, meet nearly every Thursday night at the Beefeater, located on Whitley Bay promenade next to Spanish City. What ensues is an evening of eclectic, unplugged live music and friendly banter from their designated corner while the restaurant visitors dine. The best part? Not only can you come along and listen, but also join in for a song or two if you kindly ask to borrow one of their guitars. That is, before the Beefeater closes in the next couple of months.
Their band, the Rampsteak Rumblers, has been adding colour to Thursday nights at the Beefeater for about three years now. It all began when Rob landed a job there as a server in 2017. Around that time, Tony used to host open mic nights at the King George pub, which eventually closed its doors, and Steven was a self-described “bedroom guitarist”. The musical trio met by chance over the years, and with Rob getting permission from management, decided to start playing at the Beefeater. Rob, the father of three young children, is in his mid 40s, Tony, a retired computer programmer, is 70 and Steven, who works in marine engineering, is in his late 50s. Although differing in ages and world-views, music is what unites them. Their repertoire spans decades – with everything from rock, blues and gospel to originals.
With varying band members at the start and 15 names to choose from, they had initially named themselves the ‘Rumpsteak Ramblers’, a nod to the restaurant, but stuck with the ‘Rampsteak Rumblers’ after an amusingly misspelled text message. On a more serious note, the band was originally comprised of four core members until the 2024 passing of Steve Gerts. He’s described as a bubbly, outgoing American guy who had travelled all over the world. Steve introduced Rob to ‘The River’ by Bruce Springsteen, with Rob continuing to play the powerful ballad around once a month. Steve Gerts is lovingly remembered. A small portrait of him is placed on the Rampsteak Rumbler table every Thursday.
Performing offers the trio escapism. Their daily stress and mundanity slip away when they come together to sing covers, trial new material and have a good laugh. They enjoy the challenge of engaging a new audience every week, as Beefeater visitors are often guests of the Premier Inn hotel next door. On one occasion the restaurant was hired for a wake, and the mourners ended up doing the conga around the room to the Rampsteak Rumblers playing ‘Yellow Submarine’ by the Beatles. They’re also open to playing gigs. They were once hired for a wedding on a farm in Whitby after the groom had heard them play on a Thursday night.
However, the Beefeater is unfortunately set to close in late August or early September. The premises will be converted to a dining area for the hotel. The Rampsteak Rumblers are currently scoping out a new venue, with Kerry O’Shea’s and the Square & Compass being potential options. The group are also organising a special performance to commemorate the Beefeater before its closure. But, until then, you can still pop in for a laid-back evening of music from Rob, Steven and Tony on Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
You can keep up with the Rampsteak Rumblers on Instagram at: @rampsteakrumblers
