Police Scotland Fife on tap to get audience dancing at annual Aberdeen Concert April 19

There’s an adage that Highland dancers inherently make better pipers when it comes to imparting the nuance of strathspeys, reels, hornpipes and other dance-genre tunes.

If that’s true, then the Grade 1 Police Scotland Fife have an advantage with Pipe-Major David Wilton being a seven-time World Champion Highland dancer, and the band appears to be leveraging that distinction with its “Dancing on the Beat” show announced for the annual Aberdeen Pipe Band Concert on April 19, 2025, at the Aberdeen Music Hall in Scotland’s Granite City.

The venerable Bucksburn & District Pipe Band organization, established in 1947, first staged the Aberdeen concert in 2010. Police Scotland Fife last did the show in 2018.

Police Scotland Fife this year continued their ascent in the top grade, highlighted by a third place at the Scottish Championships, winning the British Pipe Band Drumming Championship, and placing sixth as a band and tied third as a drum section in the RSPBA’s Grade 1 Champion of Champions table.

“We’re excited to put on a showcase that connects music and dance for the audience.” – Pipe-Major David Wilton

The band has reportedly already prepared more than two hours of new concert material, including a new competition medley, and “are excited to put on a showcase that connects music and dance for the audience.”

Along with pure pipe band content, the show promises a blend of instrumentalists and singers that will bring the music of the Kingdom of Fife to life, as well as a display of “world-class Highland dancing – a show for everyone.”

“We always work to make every concert that bit different and special,” said Bucksburn & District Manager Morven Tough. “Our visual intros and visuals throughout the show are a big wow factor, moving back to the Music Hall in April 2024 has been a huge plus factor for the concert, attracting bigger audiences. It’s an amazing setting for the audience to enjoy the masters of a live pipe band performance.”

Tickets for the 7:30 pm show are £25 and available online from the Aberdeen Music Hall.

Since 2022, Bucksburn & District has been working to build up its top-grade band to return to competing status. The organization has maintained its significant piping and drumming teaching program, and the Bucksburn Nove Juvenile band competed this year at four events. During its nearly 80 years, Bucksburn has been mostly in Grade 2 but had Grade 1 status for most of the 1960s and ’70s.

Wilton is one of several famous Highland dancers who became leaders of a top pipe band. Terry Lee and Jack Lee brought six World Pipe Band Championships to Simon Fraser University as pipe-major and pipe-sergeant, respectively. Wilton is also a top-tier competitive solo piper, as were the likes of John MacColl, D.C. Mather and Willie Ross, all Highland dancers.

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