Bay City Rollers Announces Reunion

Before splitting in the late 1970s, the Scottish pop band had a huge following. As Wood said, “We were bigger than One Direction,” according to the Irish Times, which reports that the band has sold more than 100 million records.

The reuniting members of the band starting singing a few lines of one of their big hits during the conference held at Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel, after McKeown proclaimed, “We are coming to a town near you to sing songs like “‘Shang-A-Lang.’”

Although McKeown has been performing as “Bay City Rollers Starring Les McKeown,” it appears that just one date has been confirmed so far for the reunion with Wood and Longmuir – Dec. 20 at Glasgow’s Barrowland. In a video posted by the Daily Record, Longmuir said that performances could be booked next year in Japan and America. McKeown added that it’s possible the Bay City Rollers will stick around Barrowland for another show Dec. 21.

This jives with what the Irish Times is reporting. According to the publication, “the band are expected to play a number of shows at the Barrowland with plans for a larger tour to be announced later.”

Although drummer Derek Longmuir will not be taking part in the reunion, there’s a possibility that guitarist Erik Faulkner may get involved.

“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,” McKeown said, according to the Irish Times.

As for new music, the Daily Record reports that McKeown “secretly recorded an album’s worth of material due for release in the coming months.” The publication says Wood and Longmuir will add their parts to the songs in the coming weeks. John McLaughlin has signed on as the LP’s producer.

“You think we’re doing it for money but we’re doing it for the glory of Scotland and the glory of the tartan,” McKeown said, according to the BBC News. “Taking the Scottish name all around the globe. That’s what we’re doing it for – to see our fans again one more time.”

Tickets for the Dec. 20 show in Glasgow go on sale Sept. 25. Follow the band on Twitter by clicking here.