Music

Bay City Rollers announce comeback tour after almost 40 years

The founding fathers of Rollermania, the mighty Bay City Rollers, are to tour the UK some 40 years after reaching the height of their fame.

The 70s boyband and Bye Bye Baby hitmakers have announced plans for a comeback tour during a press conference at Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel.

Announcing a gig at Glasgow’s Barrowland on 20 December, singer Les McKeown, Alan Longmuir and Stuart Wood from the original line-up promised “a very special Christmas present to all the fans that have kept the faith with the band over the years”.

McKeown added: “It’s been hard work on everyone’s part, maybe I instigated it a couple of years ago when I mentioned on TV that I’d love to get back with the guys and that put a little seed in everyone’s head.

“Slowly but surely we started to gravitate towards each other again.”

Bay City Rollers - Bye Bye Baby 1975

The band also said that Eric Faulkner – also an original member alongside Derek Longmuir – may join them in the next few weeks. McKeown said: “We’re quite happy to get on with and the door’s always open if Eric wants to come and join us, which could happen sooner rather than later.”

He added: “Derek is just not interested, he’s been a cardiology nurse for 28 years, he’s changed his career completely.”

“The fans are the reason why we are doing it. That and the money, which is the glue that has brought us together,” McKeown later added. “I wanted to get back with the guys. It’s great that at this stage of our lives we can become friends again – just like we were back in the day.

“The reality is we think we’re doing it for the money but we’re doing it for the glory of Scotland, the glory of the tartan and to see our fans all over the world again.”

https://twitter.com/OfficialRollers/status/646355864618704896

Longmuir added: “We were bigger than One Direction.

“But it’s a different thing entirely today from back then.

“The grannies and mothers are telling the young people about the music and so many young people will be coming to the shows as well.”

Tickets for Bay City Rollers at Glasgow’s Barrowland go on sale at 09:00 on Friday 25 September, head to Ticketmaster.co.uk.