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'70s glam teen sensations The Bay City Rollers reformed, plotting UK tour...and want to play Madison Square Garden

by Bill Pearis

Bay City Rollers

Formed at the end of the 1960s, the Scottish boyband enjoyed huge success at home and abroad with their distinctive tartan outfits and upbeat pop tunes such as Bye Bye Baby and Shang-a-Lang.

They had a massive teenage following, sold more than 100m records and have been described as the One Direction of their day.

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

At a press conference in Glasgow with family and fans in attendance, McKeown said: “I’m feeling great, I’m feeling fabulous. 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.” – [The Guardian]

Seventies-era Scottish bubbleglam teen sensations The Bay City Rollers reformed for a show at Glasgow’s Barrowland. They’re now promising more UK gigs and are apparently in talks to play NYC’s Madison Square Garden. “It would be brilliant to play such an amazing place and our management have also been in talks about dates in Japan and the States, including Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden,” singer Les McKeown told Scotland’s The Daily Record. Stay tuned, NYC Tartan Army members.

Best-known in America for “Saturday Night” (which the Ramones tip a hat to on “Blitzkrieg Bop”) “Money Honey,” and “I Only Want to Be with You,” The Bay City Rollers were full-on teen sensations abroad, with 10 singles cracking the UK Top 10 between 1971 and 1975. You can check out TV appearances and listen to a few of their biggest hits, below…

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