Kirkcaldy YM: A look back at one of the town's iconic music venues

By A Court Reporter
Published 31st Oct 2020, 07:00 BST
Jim Cooper was the man behind booking some top names for Kirkcaldy YM over the years.Jim Cooper was the man behind booking some top names for Kirkcaldy YM over the years.
Jim Cooper was the man behind booking some top names for Kirkcaldy YM over the years.
When looking at the currently closed venues in our area it led me to examine the iconic venues too.

In terms of quality and close encounters with innovative musicians there can be no better place to revisit than the YMCA in Valley Gardens and the man responsible for booking and arranging this historic stage was Jim Cooper.

When the YM moved from Kirk Wynd to its current location, the 23-year-old James, a runner for the Harriers, became general secretary and had contacts in the music industry.

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He would visit London’s legendary Marquee club to seek new acts for the Saturday night slot in Kirkcaldy, only made financially feasible by booking the acts into the Students Union at Edinburgh University on the Friday, YM Saturday and Maryland Ballroom Glasgow on the Sunday.

So, it became a Scottish mini weekend tour, and that Glasgow connection would bring the best of Scottish bands too.

Jim recalls The Pathfinders who signed to the Beatles’ label Apple as White Trash, Dream Police with Hamish Stuart & Onnie McIntyre, later of Average White Band and The Stoics with a young Frankie Miller on vocals.