Bay City Rollers musical coming to Glasgow next summer

Fans of the Rollers can relive their music at the Pavilion next year

The musical is set to open at the Pavilion Theatre next summer
Author: Molly TulettPublished 26th Nov 2024

A musical featuring the music of the Bay City Rollers is set to open at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow next summer.

Featuring the bands big hits, including Bye, Bye, Baby; Keep On Dancing; Shang-a-Lang; and Summer Love Sensation, the play will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Roller’s first number one single.

It will tell the story of two life long Bay City Rollers fans who meet up for a Saturday night and relive their teenage years in the seventies.

Every moment of phone boxes, mail in catalogues, and crispy pancakes will be accompanied by hits from the Rollers.

"I can't wait to see the fans rockin' the tartan"

The band’s very own Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood will be the artistic consultant on the musical, which has been written by award-winning Danny McCahon, and is set to be directed by Liz Carruthers.

Woody said: ““This is going to be a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see all the fans rockin’ the tartan at the shows and having great fun singing along to all the hits.

"Get your tartan on and ‘Keep On Dancing’ (and a prancing).”

Writer Danny McCahon said: “When I was approached to come up with an idea for a play incorporating the music of the Bay City Rollers, I saw it as an opportunity to write about the most important people in pop – the fans.

“The result is a show about the fans for the fans, packed with some of the greatest pop music ever created.

“It’s been an absolute treat to work on.”

"It's been an absolute treat to work on"

Producer and songwriter John McLaughlin who - alongside Donald Macleod masterminded the Bay City Rollers reunion in 2015 - also recently joined the band and said of the show: “The Bay City Rollers were the first band I saw on TV as a young lad that had me in total awe.

“The excitement, the sound, the songs, the Tartan, the screaming girls and then they spoke and sounded just like me

“I was hooked, and I have loved the Rollers from that moment on. I’m so excited for them to finally be celebrated in a musical.

“It’s going to be such a great night out for all the fans.”

"It's going to be such a great night out for the fans"

The Bay City Rollers debuted in the early 70s, with their first album “Rollin’” being released on September 6 1974, featuring songs Shang-a-Lang and Summerlove Sensation that helped win the band a Tartan-clad army of young followers across the UK.

Their success however soon became global, with “Rollermania” taking hold of the world after the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" performed on the iconic Saturday Night Live in 1976, with the suitably titled single "Saturday Night" selling 12 million copies and reaching number one on the US Billboard chart.

Tickets for the show will be on sale from Friday 29 November.

Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.