A life in music recalled in lockdown with new series of podcasts

Dougie Hunter has turned lockdown into a trip down memory lane for the programmes which have been aired on K107 and online.

And his next step may be to publish them in written form.

Dougie, bass player with, and one of the founder members of, highly successful and long established band, Lights Out By Nine, launched ‘From Ozzie To Onnie’ on Kirkcaldy’s community radio station, K107.

It takes its title from meetings with two legends - Ozzy Osbourne who played the YM in Kirkcaldy decades ago, and Onnie McIntyre from the Average White Band; a group which has had a long association with LOBN.

The first ten episodes have been done, with ten more to come - and they are available to listen to free of charge on line.

The broadcasts and podcasts cover the band’s history, which dates back to 1987, and his own memories of playing with some of the biggest names in the business.

The project was sparked when LOBN guitarist, Alan Kyle, offered up a stack of cuttings and souvenirs which he had amassed.

It turned out to be a rich document of the group’s history.

That was catalogued on their Facebook page to keep the LOBN name alive during lockdown when all gigs have been cancelled - they haven’t played live since the start of 2020, and their return to stage will be October at the earliest.

A pilot show recorded for K107 has now led to ten broadcasts with more to follow as lockdown offered up the time and space to pull all the material together.

Dougie said: “I do the admin for the band, sort out the venues out, speak to promoters and get everyone mobilised and so on. That’s a full time job!.

“Not doing that meant I had time in lockdown to look back - we would never have done it otherwise.

“It has been fascinating going back over the last 20-30 years - some of the memories have even surprised me!”

They include recording at the legendary BBC studios at Maida Vale in London, sharing stages with big names such as Paul Carrack, Nazareth, and Status Quo, and performing to 20,000 people on a glorious summer’s afternoon in Princes Street Gardens as part of Edinburgh’s Jazz and Blues Festival.

The recordings also celebrate the Lang Toun’s own rich musical history.

The first half of the series covers Kirkcaldy YM’s role as a remarkable live venue back in the 1960s when some of the biggest bands of the day played live, as well as the Raith and Burma Ballrooms and the Adam Smith Theatre.

It also recalls the formation of the band and conjures up names of groups which will evoke many memories among a generation of locals.

They also look back at life on the road and in the recording studio with LOBN, and there’s still another full decade to chronicle - everything from 2013 is already on their Facebook page which has generated a lot of interest as articles have been posted.

Dougie also diverts into interviews with stalwarts such as Pete Agnew from Nazareth as he recalls his own life in music.,

“It’s all about making your way in the world and in music,” he said. “One episode looks at all the London bands we have played with - Nine Below Zero, Dr Feelgood and the Blues Band - and then going to the BBC studios which are simply a legendary place.”

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Digging into the archives also underlined just how much the band has achieved.

“Certain time sin your life amazing thing happen,” he said.

“One year - around 2002 - we played the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh, and also the Queens Hall twice and that led directly to an invite to be part of the Frankie Miller tribute gig at the Barrowlands. One of the guys putting it on saw us, was suitably impressed, and invited us to be part of it.

“Joe Walsh headlined, and the bill was simply Scottish music royalty - The Bluebells, Horse, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Hue & Cry, Nazareth.

“The dressing room was huge - there must have been 60-70 people in it. We were delighted just to be part of an amazing night in an iconic venue.

“It started at eight o’clock and was due to end at midnight but rolled on until about 2:00am and there were still 2000 people there. The place took your breath away.”Playing one of the Average White Band’s greatest songs with Hamish Stuart, one of the band’s founders, was another never to be forgotten moment.

“Looking up at him playing that guitar riff on Pick Up the Pieces, I was almost too frightened to move my fingers!

“It was a case of ‘take a deep breath - this is what you are here for’ moment.

The broadcasts capture the memories from travelling to playing live to recording in the studio - and are a delight for everyone who has followed the band across the decades.

“By the time we get up to 2013 it should fit nicely with us getting back on the road,” said Dougie.

““We haven’t played live since 2019, but we have bookings for October, even if we are still a bit unsure how things will work out, but we have to start somewhere.”

The return to playing live cannot come soon enough for the band.

You can listen to Dougie’s series of broadcasts on www.k107fm.co.uk

His free-to-listen to podcasts are also available at https://www.lintonlanecentre.com/ozzy-to-onny

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