Piping Live! Day 1: get in get out of the rain

. . . it, a slightly crooked horn,) or the story behind the tune. A particularly moving piece was a wood carving representing the piobaireachd “The Lament for the Children,” which I urge anyone in George Square to pay a visit to the exhibition to see.

The rain continued to bucket down as I moved back up to Strathclyde University for a spot of lunch and managed to catch up with a few friendly faces around the Todd Bar. “The Todd,” as it is affectionately known, is the social hub of the festival and home to some of the highlights of Worlds week.

Back at the Piping Centre I caught the LA Scots having a practice in beaming sun, (typical Glasgow!) before moving down to the River Clyde and aboard the Renfrew Ferry for Wallace Bagpipe’s aptly named “Piping on the Clyde” evening. Before you could whip out your nautical themed pashmina afghan, MC Stuart Cassells introduced Torphichen and Bathgate Pipe Band, who kicked off a highly enjoyable and informally relaxed night of band performances. The Pipeband Club were next on the bill, again involving the audience and entertaining the punters with some good old Aussie wit and charm. The Cosmic Piper, Donald Mackenzie pumped out some tunes whilst a finger food buffet became of high interest to all aboard the Ferry.

House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead were the final band to perform and I was intrigued to get a real appreciation of the two bass drums that they are currently performing with. Whist I must admit that I was sceptical of Shotts’ introduction of a second bass drum, the thought crossed my mind during the performance of one of the band’s MSRs that the mid section must be hooked up to a Bose sound system. From certain vantage points of the venue, I was able to get a real appreciation of the bass section and quite enjoyed it.

After leaving the Renfrew Ferry, it was back to The Todd for a night cap or three and the typical international flavour was in full force with band members from all over the world converging on this popular drinking spot for a bit of pre-Worlds banter. I was later to find out that the staff have employed a gong this year to inform patrons that the bar was closing, which I found to be a tasteful touch to the usual ‘flashing of the lights’ at midnight.

It was then time to dry out my shoes, retire to bed and drift off into a peaceful slumber with a soundtrack of Fraser Fifield’s saxophone playing, images of ewes with crooked horns and the ringing of a gong in my ears. Bliss.

Libby O’Brien grew up in New Zealand and played in Auckland & District before moving to Australia, where she worked with the Western Australia Police and played with the Pipeband Club. She now lives in Glasgow, is a snare drummer with Robert Wiseman Dairies-Vale of Atholl and, she says, “sells kilts to Scotsmen when she’s not drumming.”