Guitar hero Billy Bremner plays the only Scottish date of his band’s farewell tour in Courier Country next week.
The Aberdeen-born six-stringer has made occasional returns to his home country down the years after relocating to Sweden in the ’90s and is set to bring his Rockfiles line-up to the Green Hotel on Monday.
Now 75, the fretboard maestro last visited the Kinross venue in January 2020 when he dazzled punters with no-nonsense renditions of classics from the Seconds Of Pleasure album.
He recorded that in 1980 with songwriting legends Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds under the name Rockpile.
A rock’n’roll go-to sideman
Bremner was regarded as one of the go-to sidemen by some of rock ‘n’ roll’s biggest names of the ’70s and ’80s, including Pretenders icon Chrissie Hynde – he played the timeless lead on Back On The Chain Gang – Elvis Costello, Carlene Carter and even Shakin’ Stevens at the peak of his powers.
Initially a member of Lulu’s ’60s backing band The Luvvers, his first recorded output was on ex-Honeybus troubadour Colin Hare’s 1971 debut solo album.
However, he didn’t get really noticed for another five years, teaming up with power-popsters Rockpile in 1976 following a stint in the Neil Innes-led Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band offshoot Fatso.
Teaming up with the Pretenders
The Scot sang lead vocals on the tracks Heart and You Ain’t Nothing But Fine on US top 30 LP Seconds Of Pleasure, and also penned Edmunds’ 1978 single Trouble Boys – covered by Thin Lizzy in 1981 – under the alias Billy Murray, which he also used to record a brace of 45s.
After Rockpile split in 1981 amid tensions between Lowe and Edmunds, Bremner released further solo material before teaming up with The Pretenders in 1982 and playing on the English-American band’s third album Learning To Crawl.
A further collaboration with Hynde followed on 1990’s Packed! set, which saw him resume lead guitar duties on his last major recording before upping sticks to Sweden.
The move saw Billy initially focus on work with the Grammy-nominated Refreshments, plus solo material, until forming supergroup The Trouble Boys with Ducks Deluxe founder Sean Tyla in 2011.
Backstage at the Green
Separately, Backstage at the Green also has a visit from Fife folk popster Rab Noakes and his American sidekick Brooks Williams on Thursday.
The pair have enjoyed a mutual admiration going back to the ’90s and started writing together four years ago. Between them, Rab and Brooks have a formidable track record, with the Scot having enjoyed a 50-year recording career, while his Georgia-born foil has released 28 albums.
There’s also a set from tribute Sensational Alex Harvey Experience at Kinross next Friday, when the band will be marking the 50th anniversary of SAHB’s Framed opus.
Meanwhile at Beat Generator
In Dundee, Beat Generator has York alt-rockers The Howl And The Hum on Wednesday, with support from Edie Bens, then it’s Sham 69 next Friday.
Controversial punk legend Jimmy Pursey last played the North Lindsay Street venue in February 2019 and it’s now 45 years since the Surrey firebrands released their debut single I Don’t Wanna.
Sham 69 rose a wave of establishment-baiting success with their classic line-up comprising Pursey, Dave Parsons, Dave Tregunna and Mark Cain.
The big breakthrough came with fourth single Angels With Dirty Faces – 19 on the charts in June 1978 it paved the way for top 10 hits If The Kids Are United and Hurry Up Harry.
The band’s early albums Tell Us The Truth and That’s Life partially filled the void created by The Sex Pistols’ demise ahead of 1979’s The Adventures Of The Hersham Boys.
Pursey, 67, went solo in 1980, but an inevitable reformation in 1987 led to more band work. He again parted company with his cohorts in 2006, returning to the fold in 2011.
Rising American talent
Elsewhere, there’s a Courier Country double-header from rising Americana talents Morganway this weekend.
The East Anglia six-piece, who won the best group prize at last year’s British Country Music Awards, are at Church in Dundee tonight and Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys tomorrow, with support from country blues talent Kezia Gill.
Finally, it’s bad news for fans of Horse McDonald this week.
The Fife-born singer’s planned show at Perth Theatre tomorrow is off, although organisers hope to reschedule the Same Sky 30th anniversary show.
