THERE’S talk on the street that a new band celebrating the music and legacy of the Eagles is in town.

A collective love and respect for one of the greatest bands in history has led to a group of familiar faces in and around Dunfermline merging together to form Desperados.

With the aim of playing to packed grounds and delivering nights to remember, taking it easy is not an option for the line-up of Steve McOuan (lead/backing vocals, guitar), Jamie Adamson (lead guitar, lead/backing vocals), Lewis Moncur (lead guitar, lead/backing vocals), John Muir Jr (bass guitar), Richard Sharp (drums/percussion) and Lorraine Mullen (keys).

They have their first gig and the shimmering light of the British Legion in Crossgates in their sights but, until that date in November, they have work to do.

Speaking to Press:ON this week, McOuan outlined the ambitions for Desperados and stated: “We don’t want to be a tribute band that dresses the same or tries to sound like a specific person within the Eagles; not one of us is going out to sound exactly like Don Henley or Glenn Frey, but our aim is to get the sound as close as possible from learning from the records.

“The Eagles are one of those bands that – with Henley perhaps being the exception – don’t have distinctive voices within the band. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll try and put that Southern twang on some of the songs – despite the fact they’re from downtown LA – but all we want to do is nail the songs as best as we can and when people come out to see us, they leave for the night thinking, ‘God, they were good!’

“That’s what I want it to be for us.

“I want people to be able to take away pieces from the night and be able to say, ‘Oh, remember when he sang that’ or, ‘Did you see that guitar solo?’, that’s the aim.

“We want people to have a good time.

“We’re wanting to celebrate the music and legacy of the Eagles.

“I’ve seen the Eagles live at the Hydro a few years ago and that was a bucket list band ticked off for me.

“The night was different class as everyone was just on it.

“My wife and I were in the second tier but you were paying something like £700 for a floor ticket.

“I left that night and said to my wife that £700 would have been worth it.

“That’s how good they were.

“Glenn Frey died not long before that tour, and his son filled in on some songs - with Vince Gill in the band as an additional member as well.

“I walked out of the Hydro knowing I had to start a band celebrating them.”

Having listened to the Eagles for years, swooping in to their material and deconstructing the tracks in order to provide themselves with the best chance of making a success of the band has been anything but a laborious task, McOuan says.

“If we don’t get it right from that first gig, then the word of mouth from that could set us on a different course,” he commented.

“From a young age, I can remember my parents liking the Eagles, but as I became a musician, I found a greater respect for the Eagles and now that we’ve been playing the songs and listening to them over and over, that respect has grown once again.

“It’s alright saying that their harmonies are really good or the solo on Hotel California is really good, but it’s not until you start putting the components together that you realise how brilliant they are.

“We’ve been listening to the album tracks and to the live tracks so we can get an authentic understanding of how they sound live so we can really nail it.

“It’s frightening how good the Eagles are as musicians.

“That’s why we are pushing ourselves because when we start to get it right, we’ll get that real buzz and if we can replicate it on a stage to an audience, it’s going to be good ...”

At the time of writing, around 11 songs from the 20-track set are beginning to sound polished and with the end goal of playing in the larger venues and being recognised for what they do on stage, McOuan believes the youthful edge to the six-piece can work in its favour, while also alluding to their experiences in past and current bands which should hold them in good stead.

“Our real aim is to be playing arenas and theatres,” he said.

“We want packed houses and to be recognised for it and I think we can do that.

“We’re a young band with the main leads – with the exception of myself – all being in their early- to late-twenties.

“We’ve all got experience of playing the big gigs as well so we do have a lot going for us that could make us stand out to the other tribute bands already out there.”

The band’s first outing on stage together will be at the British Legion in Crossgates on Saturday, November 20.

Tickets cost £10 online at: www.desperadoeagles.co.uk, or directly from the venue.