March 14, 1997, Friday

GREY CITY ROLLERS

Teenybop idols to reform for the Money, Honey; The Bay City Rollers are getting back together

BYLINE: Nick Britten

The Bay City Rollers are getting back together - almost 20 years after they split up. The former teenybop band, who are now all in their 40s, hope to bring out a new album in the summer. The five have buried the hatchet after an on-stage punch-up led to the group's demise in 1978. Stuart "Woody" Wood revealed yesterday: "We are currently in negotiations about reforming with the original line-up. "It looks like a very exciting time ahead." The Rollers had massive worldwide hits in the early '70s with songs like Bye Bye Baby, Money Honey, Shang-A-Lang and Summerlove Sensation. After the split, lead singer Les McKeown lost a bitter court battle for the right to use the Rollers' name. Les then formed his own band, while Woody, Alan Longmuir and Eric Faulkner toured the club scene as the Bay City Rollers. The two groups never spoke - and the fifth Roller, Derek Longmuir, quit the pop scene to become a nurse. Woody, who married Denise Murphy last weekend, said: "What happened with Les is water under the bridge. "We've been doing our own thing, but the time has come to resolve our differences."