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Scottish jangle-pop trailblazers the Bluebells emerged during the country's indie boom in the early 1980s, joining the likes of Aztec Camera and Orange Juice in putting Scotland on the UK music map. Formed by songwriter Robert "Bobby Bluebell" Hodgens (born on June 6, 1959), vocalist/harmonica player Kenneth McClusky (born on 8 February 1962), drummer Dave McCluskey (born on 13 January 1964), guitarist Russell Irvin, (later replaced by Craig Gannon), and bassist Lawrence Donegan (later replaced by Neil Baldwin). They burned brightly at the top end of the 1980s, charting in the UK top ten with their singles "I'm Falling" and "Young at Heart," releasing a self-titled EP, The Bluebells, in 2013 and one full-length album, Sisters, in 1984. The band broke up in 1986 and David McCluskey and his brother Ken formed a folk duo. The Bluebells were dealt out another dose of fame in 1993 when "Young at Heart" was used in a Volkswagen television advertisement. It was subsequently re-released as a single and went to number one in the UK, prompting a revival of the group performed the track on Top of the Pops and issued a compilation, The Singles Collection, that same year, which reached number 27 in the UK. The band briefly reformed again in 2008, supporting Edwyn Collins in Glasgow the following year, but made a triumphant return to music in 2023 with In the 21st Century, their first album of new material in over two decades. The LP features the singles "Gone Tomorrow," "The Ballad of the Bells," and "Blue Train."
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