Punk legends Ruts DC are set to make a welcome return to Fife next week.
The reggae-influenced firebrands unleashed their eighth studio album Counter Culture? last month and will be hitting PJ Molloys on Thursday May 11 in the only Scottish gig on an upcoming 12-date UK tour.
Originally formed as The Ruts way back in 1977, the London outfit’s classic line-up consisted of singer Malcolm Owen, guitarist Paul Fox, John “Segs” Jennings on bass and drummer Dave Ruffy.
What are The Ruts best known for?
They released their debut single In A Rut in January 1979, before storming the charts months later with the blistering follow-up Babylon’s Burning, which reached the Top 10.
A further hit in the shape of Something I Said helped The Ruts’ classic debut album The Crack to No 16 in October 1979.
Further success followed in 1980 with Staring At The Rude Boys, before tragedy struck when Owen died of a heroin overdose that July, aged just 26.
The surviving members soldiered on as Ruts DC – from the Italian “da capo”, which loosely translates as “back to the beginning” – completing the LPs Animal Now and Rhythm Collision before splitting in 1983.
They eventually reformed in 2007 to play a benefit for Fox, who was stricken with lung cancer and died months later.
Since adding guitarist Leigh Heggarty and returning to the studio in 2013, they’ve gone on to record a further four albums.
Fairway Fife benefit at PJ Molloys
Also at Molloys, TamanFaya are headlining on home turf tomorrow (May 6), with support from The Castros and Delta, ahead of the Dunfermline venue’s annual Leroy Day on Sunday.
Kicking off at 3pm, the all-day benefit for Fairway Fife will feature sets from a host of kingdom-based nosieniks, including Dovv, Birrell Or Biscuit, Aye Hobos-Evolution, Stevie Agnew Band, Honk, Cognac Twins, Jimmy Clouston, John Gallacher, Twins Town, Toastie, The Gloop, Eilidh Harker and Three River Junction.
Elsewhere, Celtic rocker Ian Prowse is on the way to Beat Generator tomorrow (May 6) – his first Courier Country gig in four years.
The Liverpudlian is playing at North Lindsay Street with his full band as part of celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of his original venture Pele’s debut album Fireworks in 1992.
Prowse, who appeared at the Green Room in Perth back in 2019, has been seriously busy in recent times, putting out his fourth solo album One Hand On The Starry Plough last year and following it up with Raid The Palace hit-makers Pele’s formerly lost third LP, This Time Next Year, in January.
Now aged 59, the Merseyside-raised songsmith was a favourite of late Radio 1 legend John Peel, and he’s playing Fireworks in full on his current UK tour – his most extensive since his glory days in the 90s – along with a set of choice selections from both his solo back catalogue and his other band Amsterdam.
Big waves on the club scene
By contrast, a blast of hard trance and thumping techno awaits over at Church tonight (May 5) courtesy of Stretch.
The jock, who’ll be making his Dundee live debut, initially created big waves on the club scene with his track 369 (Fake ID), which amassed over two million streams on Soundcloud following its release last year.
The Ward Road venue has a session from Jutebox tomorrow (May 6) with breaking combos The Medinas, Midnight Alleys and Musica in support.
Meanwhile, controversial Glasgow duo Comfort are set to blitz Conroy’s Basement next Friday.
The trangender queer-punk outfit’s debut album What’s Bad Enough lands today and it’s safe to say they’re likely to be splitting opinion among music fans as their profile rises in the coming months.
In Kirkcaldy, it’s metalheads Sinic at Kings Live Lounge tonight (May 5), along with Grufus and Absolute Riots.
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