3 minute read
Meet the guitar man
from Bath Voice July 2021
by bathvoice1
n PEOPLE
Former engineer and public spirited guitar man (and DJ)
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By Harry Mottram. For 20 or more years musician Len Liechti was on the Bristol, Bath and the South West live music circuit playing guitar and bringing to life the chart hits of the day.
Originally from Brighton Len studied engineering in Bath where he met his wife Sue and has stayed ever since.
“I got a job at Rolls Royce after college and never went back to Brighton,” he said, “but I also worked as a musician back in the day when I was in a covers band.
“Every Saturday night we played the music that the punters wanted, including the hits of Slade and the BeeGees.
“I would sing all the Barry Gibb parts and I’d play other instruments as well - and I did that from the 1970s to the 1990s.”
Before the pandemic hit Len was still playing in gigs, open mic nights and hitting the road with his last band Around the Block.
Sadly they are no longer around as the members have split but it has given Len a chance to take a break.
“I’ll take it a bit easier when the restrictions are over as I’m 72 now and so I’ll just do the open mic nights,” he explained, “I don’t have to make a living from it but some of my friends do and the pandemic has been difficult for musicians and I do feel for them.”
Len outside the Radio Station at RUH Bath Radio’s Len Liechti where he plays all types of music on a Friday morning
After working as an engineer he moved into computing in the insurance industry before finally a spell at the RUH.
“I worked in medical pathology which is basically testing fluid samples,” he said, “I worked there for 12 years.”
Father of three grown up children with several grandchildren he and Sue have lived in their home in Newbridge Road since 1982. Like many people he found the lockdown a strain but found an outlet in going for walks with his dog Maddie and doing a bit of litter picking and keeping Bath tidy. And another outlet for his talents if Bath Radio, formerly Bath Hospital Radio. Two years agon a fellow musician Chris Rogers asked Len if he fancied being a DJ. “I thought why not,” he recalled, “It’s something I’d never done before, I also know a lot about music, I’d worked at the RUH and it’s voluntary - a charity.” Catch Len’s music show every Friday morning on Bath Radio.
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