(Image: Michael Rose)
Music fans in Ayrshire have been paying tribute to indie rock icon John Douglas, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 62.
The TrashCan Sinatras member has been described as “a dear friend and brother” by his band following his death on 3 August, with a statement confirming he was fighting “a brief illness”.
Guitarist and songwriter Douglas is best remembered for his influence on the group’s successful hits including Obscurity Knocks and Hayfever in the early 90s.
The devastating news came just days after the band released their latest album, Ever The Optimist, on 31 July.
Husband to Scottish artist Eddie Reader, memories of the late Douglas have poured in from supporters, with some believing his musical impact “changed lives and inspired so many”.
One comment read: “What he helped create within the band and beyond, the Irvine music scene is so grateful to the standard carriers like John Douglas – they opened up opportunities for all of us.
“He wrote beautiful music, and this seems a reflection on the beautifully kind man that he was.”
A further comment from a supporter, reminiscing about a 2024 gig from Douglas, read: “John was such a great raconteur. Listening to him talk about songs and their origins, the stories around them, was just as mesmerising as listening to him play and sing them to us.”
More tributes were paid over the airwaves following the news as BBC Radio’s Jeremy Vine and Gideon Coe dedicated part of their shows to Douglas on 4 August.
Hailing from Irvine, Douglas helped form TrashCan Sinatras in 1986 with fellow members Francis (Frank) Reader, Davy Hughes, George McDaid, Paul Livingston, and Stephen Douglas.
The group’s breakthrough period came in 1990 with the release of their debut album Cake, including hits such as Only Tongue Can Tell and Circling the Circumference.
Activity in the late 90s saw the band having to sell their Shabby Road studio in Kilmarnock in a period of bankruptcy, but remained together to release Snow EP in 1999.
