The Falcons - Fever 1970

Largely a top twenty covers band, originally modelled on The Shadows, The Falcons were formed in the Summer of 1960 and played at The Burnside Club Rosyth in their early days (transporting their gear in a pram!). Trevor Forster (a Rosyth Dockyard electrician) originally joined on tenor saxophone in 1961 (though he was a clarinet player who didn't then play sax!) then took over vocals from Dusty Love when he left to join the merchant Navy. The (semi-professional) Falcons rode the beat-group wave to local fame at The Kinema Ballroom in Dunfermline (where they also rehearsed), playing there some 255 times. They also played at US Air-Force bases on a French tour. At one time they were able to play for four hours without repeating material.

They made their BBC radio debut on 12th March 1964 and appeared on Scottish Television a week later. Trevor left the band in 1964 for a position with The Red Hawks for a year before leading his own Edinburgh-based eight-piece band and rejoining The Falcons in 1967. The band split in 1968 sometime after their last ballroom appearance on Sunday 18th of August, re-emerging as 'The JB Memorial' until late 1971. Trevor then played as a duo with Dougie Wright which evolved into the band 'Scope' for ten years.

Following the 'Sixties Experience' gig to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the building of the ballroom extension in 1964, Trevor was inspired to reform the band. He got some friends together in late 2004 / early 2005 and were unleashed to the public after some six months of rehearsals in late July 2005, with Falcons old & new, playing local venues with a repertoire including covers from the 60s, 70s & 80s by The Move, The Small Faces (or 'Wee Coupons' as Davie likes top call them), Pink Floyd, The Eagles ('their cousins'), The Hollies and many others. Original bassist Peter 'Bud' Heaps now plays with rock n roll outfit 'Des & The Dingoes'.

They've recorded a couple of live albums which are now available. I've seen them at The Carnegie Hall Dunfermline with 'Lights Out By Nine' & 'The Stevie Agnew Band' on 29th September 2006 and at PJ Molloys in Dunfermline on Friday 29th December 2006 and they were absolutely top drawer. Do yourself a favour and see them soon.

Sadly, Pete Hunter (originally from Lumphinnans) died in the Victoria Hospice Kirkcaldy on December 18th 2007. He had moved house from Norwich to rejoin the band in 2006. Early in 2008, drumming duties were taken up by relative youngster Wayne Robertson and the story rocks & rolls on.

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