Last night at King Street Social Club, the Bay City Rollers proved that some bands don’t just survive on nostalgia — they thrive on it. Appearing as part of the 3rd Annual Tyneside Americana and Blues Festival, their set also doubled as a perfect Burns Night celebration, with tartan, chants, and a sense of occasion that made the whole night feel like a proper party.
From the moment they hit the stage, the room was buzzing. King Street Social Club was packed wall to wall, a cross-generational crowd squeezed in tight, with scarves, kilts and grins everywhere you looked. This was less a gig and more a communal celebration — the kind where the audience is just as loud as the band.
The Rollers tore straight into a hit-packed set that leaned unapologetically into what people came for. “Shang-a-Lang,” “Give a Little Love,” “Summer Love Sensation,” and of course “Saturday Night” all landed like shared anthems, each one greeted with huge singalongs that rattled the low ceiling of the club.
A special mention has to go to Woody, still flying the Rollers flag an incredible 52 years on. His presence gave the night a real sense of continuity and authenticity — not just a tribute to the band’s history, but proof of its endurance. Rather than going through the motions, the band played with real warmth and energy, clearly enjoying the intimacy of the venue and the connection with a crowd that was completely onside.
For a festival rooted in Americana and Blues, the Bay City Rollers might not have been the obvious booking on paper, but on Burns Night they made perfect sense. The songs, the singalongs, the sheer feel-good spirit of it all turned King Street Social Club into a sweat-soaked, smiling celebration.
By the time the final notes of Bye Bye Baby rang out, the crowd wasn’t ready to let go, spilling out into the night still singing and laughing. It wasn’t about cool points or irony — it was about joy, memory, and the simple pleasure of shouting familiar lyrics in a room full of strangers. On that front, the Bay City Rollers absolutely delivered.