Looking ahead: Live shows to brighten up autumn nights in Fife

These may be dark times of social distancing, and self isolation, and the doors to every theatre and live gig are closing one by one, but … the lights will come back on.

And, when they do, there is much to look forward to.

So, let’s skip the Spring season – and a chunk of summer – and look ahead to a return to normality.

OnFife’s theatres have a number of shows booked in which should be in your diary – we all need reasons to look ahead.

Let’s hope the virus has receded to let living legend Sydney Devine hit the stage of the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline on June 26.

He’s sold 15 millions albums across a 50-year career, and he’s still going strong, and still singing Tiny Bubbles.

Last time I saw Devine was in panto at Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre decades ago, when he magically turned from Buttons into a rock ‘n’ roll singer, and launched into a medley which went from You’ll Never Walk Alone to Twist And Shout without so much as missing a beat!

June 21 brings The South to Rothes Halls.

They feature part of what was The Beautiful South – singer Alison Wheeler, who featured on the final three albums, and sax man Gaz Birtles who now handles vocals – and the show celebrates the band’s glorious string of hits, from Rotterdam to A Little Time.

No season at the Adam Smith Theatre would be complete without the Ladyboys Of Bangkok, and they are pencilled in for three nights, as usual, from July 15-17.

They’re one of the venue’s big box office attractions, and play to full houses every night.

Their show doesn’t change as much as the costumes – it’s camp, noisy and ridiculously good fun – but the fans don’t seem to mind. You won’t find a better feel-good show this side of Christmas, and after a summer of self isolation, this is probably just the night put we all need.

Classical quartet, G4, are regular visitors here too, and they return to Rothes Halls on September 4.

It’s 16 years since they came to the public’s attention on the first series of XFactor, and they’ve been kept busy ever since tackling everything from Nessun Dorma to Bohemian Rhapsody.

The same evening brings Bernie Marsden to Carnegie Hall to talk about his career in rock music – and also play some class songs.

He was a key member of the definitive Whitesnake line-up back in the early 1980s when the band broke through.

He co-wrote some of their biggest songs, such a Here I Go Again and Fool For Your Loving, and has continued to keep the music from that era alive across the years, playing with In The Company Of Snakes with fellow ex-band members Micky Moody and Neil Murray – they played Lochgelly Theatre a good few years back – and also penning a well received autobiography.

His September tour is a mix of chat and music – one for any discerning rock fan to take in.