Shangri-La is back and we are back with a bang (baby). We are honoured to kick off 2022 at The Betsey Trotwood with the pop legend and sensation that is DUGLAS T STEWART of BMX BANDITS.
Duglas will be performing a very special acoustic set accompanied by the wonderful Andrew Pattie.
‘If I could be in any other band it would be BMX Bandits’ – Kurt Cobain, New York City Radio, 1993.
If you really do need to read more after that, BMX Bandits were formed in 1985 by songwriter and lead vocalist Duglas T Stewart out of the ashes of The Pretty Flowers, a short-lived group that featured Stewart alongside Frances McKee (The Vaselines), Sean Dickson (The Soup Dragons) and Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub).
The songs mix melodic qualities and humour with, at times, raw and heartbreaking pathos. Stewart has written many of the group's works solo including 'Your Class', 'The Sailor's Song' and 'Doorways' but also has collaborated with many of the other members. Stewart's most regular songwriting partners have been Francis Macdonald, Norman Blake and, more recently, David Scott of The Pearlfishers and original Bandits lead guitarist Jim McCulloch.
Put short, Duglas is the kind of writer where you can take a scroll through the band Wikipedia page and it will lead you to Michel Legrand, Brian Wilson, Kurt Cobain and Alan Bennett.
This is going to be brilliant… Because he’s brilliant.
Also joining us we have TUMBLEDRYER BABIES. We've said it once, we've said it a million times, if you don't love Tumbledryer Babies, you don't have a soul.
To complete the evening we'll be welcoming back VINCENT K. Southend indie hero of The Hillmisters and Out of the Caves who quite simply, writes beautiful songs.
Your hosts for the evening will be Tom Burgess and Steve Taylor
