LIGHTS OUT 30 YEAR JOURNEY
Scottish Band, Lights Out By Nine's origins are firmly rooted in Soul Music, mixed with powerhouse Rhythm & Blues and a blend of New Orleans Funk. They have developed a collection of their own original songs, which has attracted a growing amount of music media attention.
The first ten of those original songs were featured on the “Moving On” album which was originally released in 1998 and premiered by American soul DJ Matt “the Cat” Baldassari on his radio show “Soul Bucket” which broadcast to 6 million people in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the USA.
Subsequently this album was featured on various radio stations all over the world.
A three track single from this album, “Real Love”, which was produced by ex Nazareth guitarist and renowned producer Manny Charlton, added to the band's new found status and the live show was quickly developed to incorporate these new self penned songs.
Lights Out By Nine continued to build on their growing reputation as a great live band, playing gigs and festivals with crowds of up to 20,000 as in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens.
August 2001 saw the band's third consecutive appearance at the Gardens, the last two being televised live. Two live sessions for BBC Radio Scotland's “Blues and Soul Show” with host Dougie Vipond, and a “Live at the Lemon Tree” were followed by a live session on BBC Radio 2's Paul Jones Show, arguably the UK's premier blues broadcast.
The band's single, “On a Night Like This” was play-listed by Radio Forth for four consecutive weeks, and a track on video from the single “Where White Men Sing the Blues” was released for Russian Television.
In 2003 “Lights Out” signed to Blues Matters Records and released “Good Morning Mr Universe“, which featured another 10 original songs from the band. The album has been played all over Europe (East and West) and beyond, to critical acclaim, and features regularly in prestige blues shows in Atlanta and Chicago.
In the meantime, the band continued to build a bigger reputation on the live circuit, having supported Status Quo and Fish at the Rockhill Festival and opened shows featuring Dr Feelgood, Nazareth, Nine Below Zero and Wishbone Ash, as well as repeat shows with the Average White Band.
Lights Out By Nine also had the privilige in 2003 of appearing at the tribute concert at Glasgow's famous Barrowlands Ballroom for legendary Scottish singer/songwriter Frankie Miller.
Joe Walsh from the Eagles headlined the show and a track on the subsequent tribute album released on Eagle Records saw LOBN being included with a host of names from the rock and blues industry paying homage to one of their own.
2004 saw the band travel further afield, with festivals at Colne, the Wickerman, Skegness, Maryport (where Buddy Guy headlined), as well as the major Scottish gatherings at Dundee and Edinburgh, and to cap it all, an appearance at the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. The Maryport Festival appearance was featured live on ITV Border.
Their reputation continued to spread, and in 2005, River Records re-released the “Moving On” album, along with a live set titled “The River Sessions” in 2007
Both these albums went on general distribution through Universal Music.
In 2008 the band achieved a remarkable success when “Make Your Own Luck” went top 3 on BB Kings “Bluesville Chart in Washington DC
In 2008 the band's growing reputation saw them perform a Live Radio session for BBC Radio 2 for Paul Jones at the famous Maida Vale Studios, London.
2009 saw another groundbreaking achievement when LOBN recorded their first DVD “Live @ Carnegie Hall” containing a full live concert released by River Records.
2011 saw a return to Radio Album Chart success when “Good Morning Mr Universe“ achieved top 4 on BB King's Bluesville Chart once again.
A New Chapter
In 2012 LOBN celebrated their 25 year anniversary with a ‘Soul Review' show in Kirkcaldy where it had all started out many years before. With the addition of Hammond Organ to the line up the band started to migrate back to their original Soul roots but this time with a significant Funk vibe which was originally showcased at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival in 2013.
The next 12 months of 2014 saw some personnel changes as the band started to explore and develop their Funk influences and scope out new material in the studio while continuing to break new ground with appearances at venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In 2015 LOBN were rewarded for their hard work with a support to the legendary Paul Carrack at Darvel Music Festival in Ayrshire as their New Orleans funk influences developed into their set list.
This was followed up with the band supporting American blues man Eric Bibb at the Fringe By The Shore Festival. Further collaboration work featuring former Nazareth front man Dan McCafferty in Fife and good friends Smoove and Turrell in Edinburgh were further highlights of the year.
Moving on into 2016 saw the band venture further afield for the first of two appearances at Newcastle's top spot the Hoochie Coochie Club. A further festival support beckoned and this time with Scotland's ‘First Lady' of the Blues, Maggie Bell, at The Fife Jazz and Blues Festival.
A welcome return to the small screen saw LOBN appear on STV magazine show “Live at Five”. At the same time, they were preparing for a groundbreaking nine night run of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival performing as the house band in “What The Funk” a piece of theatre telling the musical history of how Funk music evolved from the deep Soul sound of the 60's into the 70's and beyond.
For LOBN it was a case of art imitating life, as the band were to focus on writing new material and saw them return to the recording studio for the first time in ten years. By the end of the year they had emerged from the studio with a whole batch of new funk based material.
Lights Out Hit 30!
Onto 2017 when Lights Out By Nine will celebrate their 30th year in the music business with the release of their first studio album in ten years aptly named "Here and Now" a 5 track EP.
The band will perform at a string of summer Festivals throughout Scotland including Fife, Perth, Edinburgh and North Berwick. In addition to their regular venue appearances, including a return to the Hoochie Coochie club in Newcastle and a regular return slot at the Jazz Bar in Edinburgh, the band have been lined up to appear alongside other artistes including
Nine Below Zero – King Tuts Glasgow
Paul Lamb and The King Snakes – Voodoo Rooms Edinburgh
Martin Stephenson – Backstage Kinross
Following a second appearance on STV “Live at Five”, LOBN will return to the recording studio over the summer to complete the second part of their 2017 EP release "Here and Now" with another 5 tracks of new material planned.
In September, Scottish Soul legend and former AWB founding member Hamish Stuart will return to his hometown to perform with LOBN and fellow funksters JBIA at King Tuts in a fitting tribute to the late Matt Irving, a fellow Glaswegian, close friend and former band colleague of Hamish.
Hamish will feature with both bands on the night and perform a number of favourites old and new. All proceeds raised will be in aid of Men United which both Hamish and Matt were closely involved.
Added to that, the launch of the new web site and the LOBN YouTube channel its looking like a memorable year!