Lights Out By Nine

The Fire Station, Dunfermline

Nov 16th 2024

As some of you will realise I have, in the past, done reviews of LOBN, and so, what could I possibly add to what has gone before? Well, as it happens tonight, was just a bit different and indeed somewhat unique. This evening saw the band doing not one but two sets in front of a large and appreciative audience.

LOBN, a good time band, deliver on all counts with a mix of originals and well chosen covers all designed to get those feet a tapping and in some cases tempting folks up to dance. Interestingly the covers are drawn from a wide number of sources including Little Feat, Ace, Whitesnake, Tower Of Power, AWB, Talking Heads and The Neville Brothers. Now if that range is not selected intelligently by music lovers (who needs AI?) to evoke pleasure I for one don’t know what is.

What made tonight truly unique, and I have never experienced this before in over sixty years of concert going, was we got to witness a changing of the guard. LOBN have been performing for nearly four decades and, whilst many musicians have passed through their ranks in that time, the band have only ever had two vocalists. Founding member Al Hughes, who is now a very fine solo Blues artist and John Frame who has held that position for some ten years. Due to poor health John has decided to retire and tonight was his final show. So there was a great deal of sad, but happy, support from the whole room as he bid farewell.

John passed the lead vocal microphone baton on to Mitch Scott Bell who stepped up for the final six songs of the evening. So, as he slotted right in to that centre position, welcome to the band Mitch, and my personal feelings are that it is all going to be fine moving forward. Live music, there is truly nothing like it.

Graeme Scott

K107FM