Well-known Perth music acts are playing a special gig that is hoped will lead to a spin-off documentary and museum display.
Rock Back the Clock is an afternoon event at the Twa Tams on Saturday, March 25.
It aims to highlight Perth’s contribution to rock ‘n roll throughout the generations.
The likes of Parliamo, Donny and Michael John McElligott, Pete Honeyman and Alan Sutherland are all confirmed and more names are expected to be announced.
A filmmaker will also be present to record the event and conduct interviews for a documentary on Perth’s contribution to rock ‘n roll from the 1950s to the present day.
It is hoped this will feature in an exhibition on local music at the new Perth Museum earmarked to open at the City Hall in spring 2024.
Exhibition renewed interest in music
Robin Patel, collections officer for communities at Culture Perth and Kinross, is on the steering group for the project.
He explained that it will build on the success of the Going to Dancing exhibition that recently paid tribute to a century of Perth nightlife at Perth Museum & Art Gallery.
“The aim of that exhibition was to engage with communities around Perthshire to tell stories of nightlife and memories of going out and bands they watched and played in,” he said.
“And it was also to collect photos of posters and flyers and put that as part of a collaborative exhibition.
“That was up for a few months and brought out of the woodwork a lot of people heavily involved with promoting and playing in Perthshire.”
Idea for a new festival
He says the next step is making a documentary of the Twa Tams event, which takes place between 1pm and 7pm.
“We don’t know where this will all go – it’s quite experimental,” Robin said.
“There could be a festival programme coming from it.
“What we do want to generate is a brand new archive of memories, stories and collections and music that will then be preserved for future generations.”
Perth has a special place in the history of live music, Robin says.
“It was the place that people stopped at when they went on tours,” he said.
“We had a lot of bands come here before they went to Dundee and Aberdeen.
“It was quite often in the touring schedule, which is why we had bands like The Who, The Kinks and David Bowie play here.
“There was also an unusually high concentration of nightclubs in Perth compared to places like Stirling.
“You had a petri dish of lots of different cultures and eras being formed. Perth was a bit of a hotspot.”
List of acts is impressive
The gig will be divided into three slots.
The first will feature retro music from the 1950s and 1960s, the second will focus on output from current musicians and the third from the next generation with support from YMCA Tayside.
The list of acts already announced is impressive.
Pete Caban used to own the only music shop in the city – Bandwagon – and is widely regarded as one of the UK’s finest blues guitarists.
Kevin Smith owned the Drum Store for many years and is known for his skills as a percussionist and his enthusiasm for Scottish history.
Ian McLaren is an esteemed songwriter and musician known as something of a renaissance man.
Soul singer Dave Amos, jazz musician and UHI lecturer Pete Honeyman, pianist Alan Sutherland and mouth harpist Jim Harcus also have fine reputations.
‘Tayside troubadours’ to perform a set
Justin Ross, another member of the steering group, says the performers and bands are a cross-section of some of Perth’s musicians from over the years.
“Donny McElligott and his father Michael are doing an acoustic set. They are a couple of Tayside troubadours,” he added.
“Pete Caban, Ian McLaren, Dave Amos, Jim Harcus, Alan Sutherland, Pete Honeyman and Kevin Smith are doing a medley of each others’ tunes and some classics as well.
“There will be a special tribute song to the late great Les Honeyman.”
The youthful energy of Parliamo will also be present.
The group, billed as representing an exciting take on underground pop, include guitarist and songwriter Finn Freeburn Morrison, frontman Jack Dailly, bassist Fraser Nicholson, guitarist Calum Simpson and drummer Ben France.
The band say their influences include The Stone Roses, The Smiths, Fatboy Slim and Oakzy B.
‘We want to create a buzz again’
The event will act as a springboard for further exciting developments.
“We want to collate as much information as we can of Perth and Perthshire bands to give a solid base of history for younger generations to build on,” said Justin, who also hopes to arrange a daytime gig for dementia sufferers.
“We want to celebrate the past and all those involved, whether you were a musician, roadie, worked in clubs or just enjoyed the music.
“We are wanting to put the beat back into the heart of Perth and Perthshire and start firing up a music scene and create a buzz again in the town and villages.
“This is while helping local venues and players along the way and get some bands you all need to see and hear back out on the road again.”
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