Into The Valley

News Of The World - 2nd January 2011

Dust of the checked shirts and the army surplus trousers, Big Country have made a blazing return. The Fields of Fire rockers delivered a stunning comeback with their traditional Hogmany get together in Glasgow this week. And tonight the band, with Alarm star Mike Peters drafted in to handle vocal duties, will play their first home town show, at Dunfermline's Alhambra, in more than 20 years.

Guitarist Bruce Watson, who formed the band in 1981 with the late Stuart Adamson, told us, "It's going to be special. It's been a long time coming but it will be a celebration of the band's music. The songs really belong to the fans now and the reaction to them has been amazing, in Glasgow they were singinging every single word."

The band, who made Hogmany gigs a tradition with their Barrowlands spectaculars, will be augmented for the night by Bruce's son Jamie, 21.

He features in the support act for the evening too. Bruce and Jamie Watson's Electric Circus will take the stage before Big Country to play tracks from their Another Anthem For The Damned album.

And their set will mark another musical reunion between Bruce and bassist Raymond Davidson. They haven't shared a stage together since 1978, when they were in teen punk outfit The Delinquents, later Delinx

"We lost touch for years" says Bruce, "so it's great to play together again. We'd a brilliant time in Delinx, playing with acts like The Stranglers and Wire, but i think tonight might just match up."

For more information on Big Country, please visit www.bigcountry.co.uk