Our Story

I started this 'band' project ‘Out of View’ with a song idea and melody for The Last Race that had been rattling around in my head since the mid to late 1980’s when I was a Drummer in various local bands in and around Edinburgh.
In early 2016 I revisited my idea, wrote a new melody and started putting the song together and contacted an old friend and bandmate Guitarist Ian Whitehall. He was keen to get involved but as I lived in France and he in Edinburgh this was a slow process that was done initially remotely via emails sharing recordings and ideas and gradually the song took shape and had a basic structure.
It was then onto auditioning and finding a bass player and vocalist again via the internet. This took a long time but eventually I made contact with Tara-Lynn Sharrock who recorded her own vocals and sent the files via email ready to drop into the project. The song was almost there.
After returning to Edinburgh I met Niyi Oludipe, again initially via the internet before completing the lineup with a Highland Bagpiper called Ross Weir who I found via Facebook. I had always envisaged Highland Pipes for a section of the song and this was the final piece of the jigsaw.
As this was, in the beginning, a remote, invisible, internet band I decided to call it 'Out of View'...seemed apt.
- Dougie Bonner DEC ‘18


DOUGIE BONNER (SONGWRITER, DRUMS & PERCUSSION)
I have had an interest in music and particularly drums since a wee lad when my dad inspired me by giving me a pair of drum sticks and a cymbal from his band ‘The Sabres’ (Edinburgh) who he was manager of in the sixties. I used to play the sticks and my only cymbal as part of an improvised homemade kit before moving to and learning the trumpet. I eventually returned to the drums taking some lessons in basic rudiments practising on a rubber pad before eventually buying my first proper kit when I was 16.
I jammed with school mates after school, formed my first band when I was 18 and played with several other bands over the next few years before joining ‘The Guilty Party’ an Edinburgh band who were big on the Edinburgh music scene in the late eighties.
I am Influenced by many genres inc world, rock, celtic folk, melodic rock, ambient and film scores and after a long absence from playing I got back into it after buying a Roland kit which allowed me to record ideas on the mac.

TARA-LYNN SHARROCK (VOCALIST)
Tara-Lynn Sharrock was born in South Africa, 1986. Her love of music was first apparent when her mother noticed her bopping in time to the radio at six months old. After turning the music off, and discovering that this saddened Tara-Lynn, her mother turned it back on and Tara-Lynn continued bopping in time with the beat, to a different song.
Tara-Lynn moved to Australia, aged five, where her love of music continued to grow. She taught herself to sing by singing along to every Celine Dion English album ever released and aurally picking up the same techniques as used by the well-known vocalist. She continues to this day to sing to Celine Dion to warm up her voice.
After a short appearance on X-Factor Australia 2011, Tara-Lynn gained thousands of fans around the world who follow her via Facebook and YouTube.

IAN WHITEHALL (GUITARIST)
He first started playing many years ago on his brother’s unwanted guitar playing along to his sister’s old David Bowie records and to his brother’s new punk records.
Originally from Glasgow he was heavily involved in the city's mid 80’s indie/punk scene, playing briefly with The Soup Dragons. Ian has an eclectic taste in music from punk to industrial to folk, reggae and everything else in between.
After relocating to Edinburgh he played in various bands of varying styles. After a long break from music he is now working on his own experimental dub reggae project...and still has his brothers old guitar.

NIYI OLUDIPE (BASS PLAYER)
Niyi Oludipe was born in Nigeria in the late 70s and grew up in a musical family of singers and instrumentalists. His love for music was inspired by his dad who had a beautiful baritone voice and was a choir director in his heyday.
With a musical background heavily influenced by American gospel music, funk and the blues, Niyi moved to the UK in 2007 where he discovered new rhythms in rock music, folk and ceilidh and continues to embrace different genres of music and creative fusions.
He is a versatile bass player, and equally enjoys playing the piano, keyboard and drums.

ROSS WEIR (HIGHLAND PIPER)
From Aviemore, in the Highlands of Scotland has been playing the pipes since he was 9 years old. Originally taught through the Highland Council schools tuition programme he is now the Pipe Sergeant of the Badenoch & Strathspey Pipe Band, and has been a member since he was 11 or 12.
Ross now receives further guidance/tuition from Pipe Major Chris Thomson of Badenoch & Strathspey Pipe Band.
Outwith the pipe band he often plays at different functions/events and is excited to be part of this project and to see what comes from it.