Boy Bands and Radio Stations 1973 - 1975 The school had a band called Overdrive who from 1973-1975 featured regularly in Christmas Concerts and Summer Prize Givings. Technical staff and band members included Ian (Cairns) and Lawrence (Jackson), Electronics and Sound Engineers. Lawrence was also known to play bass guitar and provide supporting vocals. Ian (Duncan) was Lead Vocalist and Lead Guitarist whilst Stuart (Rogers) was the bands Drummer. And a very good Drummer he was too! We (his contemporaries) used to call Stuart Cyclops because he only had one eye. Overdrive had a Studio or small room in what was called the boys playroom. The playroom accommodated a number of activities including morning assembly (prior to completion of the new building in 1968; Cubs on Tuesdays; the Boys Club on Wednesdays and Scouts on Thursdays. Ian Cairns and Lawrence Jackson were legally blind. It was this that made their forays into practical / hands on electronics that wee bit more interesting! If you cant tell which wire is green, blue or red, but you wish to proceed in the absence of sighted assistance then experimentation (trial and error) is clearly the order of the day. So it was that there were bound to be a few electric shocks (fortunately none of them fatal) along the way for the boys when wires were connected Inappropriately. It should be noted that I do not recommend this extremely dangerous course of action!! Not content with a band, these boys, Lawrence (Jackson) and Ian (Cairns) also put together a transmitter and as far as I am aware set up the Royal Blind Schools first and last Radio Station. This too was accommodated in the Studio. Transmissions extended only as far as the schools grounds, but pupils did tune in. Some of you will doubtless remember a pirate station called Radio Caroline? The whole concept, particularly at a time when there were virtually no local radio stations was very exciting indeed to those of us who love the medium. Stuart (Rogers) and David (Gilhooley) were DJs. Both had extensive vinyl record collections which helped considerably. Stuart actually became a professional DJ in later life, working for local radio near Stirling and later on RNIBs national Insight Radio. I am glad that he has lived to prove the sceptics wrong and there were a few, there always are, who said that someone with a visual impairment would never make the grade in this profession! Well done my friend. In my opinion the aforementioned boys were exceptional characters in their own right (possessed of independent minds) and this in an environment and under personal circumstances that werent without their challenges. One morning in early December 1973 I found myself sitting at the back of the new assembly hall during a Christmas Concert rehearsal. Its fair to say that that day I had an enjoyable lessons free time of it. Toward the end of proceedings I watched Overdrive set up their equipment, their drums; guitars; microphones; amplifiers etc. This was accomplished in next to no time. After all, these boys knew what they were about. Then the sound checks began. You know how it goes: Testing, testing, one two, one, one, two, two, two ... etc. etc. as instruments and vocals are balanced one against the other and overall sound coverage is assessed. It is at this stage that feedback invariably raises its ugly head in the form of high or low pitched, subtle or extremely loud noise. Well, this and every other difficulty had just about been resolved and the band were ready to play. I played the mouth organ or harmonica back then. Whats more, I had it with me! At this moment I discovered, quite by chance, that the highest note on my harmonica mimicked almost perfectly the tone of the feedback the boys thought theyd finally knocked on the head. A couple of chords in, at the end of the first verse, half way through the number I would gradually introduce this note. Each time the performance would be stopped and minor but apparently crucial adjustments would be made. Once completed, the performance would begin again. As things progressed, heads were scratched in puzzlement, the search for solutions became more frantic and the discussions more heated. Id like to be able to tell you that I stopped out of the goodness of my heart but no, I didnt. I knew it was distinctly unfair, but I only relented when I realised that the good luck Id enjoyed (five or six times) up to that point couldnt last forever. As I write about this I can almost hear Toni (shes a music and drama teacher) saying: Now, did that help? Really? Really!? I can only think to answer: No, it didnt, but it was really good fun while it lasted! At which point shed say: You see, its children like you ... Another memory, another feeling associated with Overdrive that remains with me to this day: The schools Christmas Concerts had two performances. These were held on the final weekend before we broke up and went home for the holidays. It is perhaps because of this that there was an added air of joy and anticipation associated with them. Very popular with parents and grandparents (mine included) they were generally very well attended. Friday evening from 7.00 to 9.00pm, Saturday afternoon from 2.00 to 4.00pm. The concerts themselves are a subject that Ill doubtless cover in due course. Most of those that I was associated with took place in the schools new assembly hall, performed on, in front and to either side of the stage. 1974 had seen Overdrive perform successfully during the second half (that portion of proceedings taken up by the secondary school children) on both Friday and Saturday. Somewhere between 5.30 and 6.30pm that Saturday evening, Id wandered into the hall with one or two of my contemporaries. It was deserted, completely silent, providing a marked contrast to only an hour or two earlier. There stood the microphones, the guitars, the drums under the spotlights. The musicians, the audience had gone. Im not at all sure why, but Ive revisited this little scene in my mind once or twice over the years. And revisiting it, Ive concluded, as I did then I think, that there is something particularly sad about idle or abandoned instruments. Love, Jim xx
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 12:54:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015