In many respects the Royal Highland Show grounds at Ingliston are ideal for a pipe band championship. Plenty of space for tuning, parking. However the site is very exposed. Wind and rain and there would be a distinct lack of shelter.
Fortunately last Saturdays UK Championships were held in perfect conditions: bright sunshine with a cooling breeze. Engine noise from the nearby Edinburgh Airport was a minimal distraction.
By Robert Wallace
We arrived early on and there were the usual teething issues with locked gates, lack of direction from security staff. There were few people around in the morning to hear the Novice grades and attendance figures never really got anywhere close to what we would expect at a major championships.
The few of us who ventured over to Arena 1 found that we were so far away from the circle that it was difficult to hear the bands. For next year we need a periphery inside the showjumping arena and the RSPBA assure me that this is their very plan for 2026.
I say for next year because the date has already been fixed for May 30 and re-badged as the British PB Championship. Maybe we’ll be heading back to Ulster for the 2026 UKs?
Worlds-winning pipe majors Ross Harvey and Terry Tully help with the tuning
I was impressed by the first band on in Novice B, Bucksburn, by the Isle of Arran School, and by the winners Lochgelly – and well done to the Presbyterian Ladies College band from Melbourne, Australia, for winning the drumming title.
After the youngsters we had Grade 1. Sadly only three bands competed. Johnstone, 11 pipers, were a shadow of themselves but bravely stepped out nevertheless.
The winners, St Laurence O’Toole, paid scant heed to the beat notes in Lord Alexander Kennedy especially in the second part where the pipers came off the long Es and Fs early. Things improved in the strathspey and reel, though I think they need to lift the tempo a shade on the latter.
Second placed Boghall had similar beat note issues on the F before the C tachums in the march, and the pipes seemed to sharpen on B and high A as the set went on. Another negative for me and my distance listen was an over-dominant bass drum.
The dearth of G1 bands meant a good lunch break and afterwards the opportunity to listen to the whole of Grade 2. This grade’s arena was much more audience friendly. We got pretty close to the action and could hear a lot, but not all, of the detail.
To me the clear winners were Annan. They had a big sound and played with considerable verve, with interesting key changes in their medley. Unison suffered in the strathspey but the drum corps kept driving this promising band on, and at the same time showed excellent dynamics.
What a musical band Julie Brinklow has developed at Grampian Police. Smooth breaks throughout and sustained tone made for enjoyable listening. I think they should have the confidence to open up their circle more. Huddling tightly together is something we associate with juvenile grades not with the best bands in the country.
Best bands in the country I hear you say. Yes of course. We now have only six Grade 1 bands in Scotland, shocking though that figure is, so it stands to reason that if we are going for a top ten we have to include the top end of Grade 2. Agree?
Glasgow Skye are in there for sure. They gave a good confident performance. It had ‘we should really be in Grade 1’ written all over it. They held good tempi throughout. I thought I heard a piper cutting out in the strathspey and unison and tone deteriorated slightly towards the end as some pipers struggled with both instrument and fingering.
The winners, Uddingston, had a strong impact with the opening E. The counter melody in the opening march was dominant, the melodic line lost as a result. They produced a very pleasant slow air but didn’t quite know what to do with the strathspey idiom and I am sure there was an error from the pipes in the reels.
Good endeavour from the rest: Vale (low Gs?, strath lacked lift, reels moving well), Bucksburn (tone suspect from the off, bass out of tune), Denny & Dunipace (love the kilts, early chanter, 2/4 starter well played), Coalburn (good sound but excise those long harmony notes infecting every transition), Worcester Kilties (sluggish start, nice tone from drums, jigs suspect melodically), and B Peterson (too soon into strath – barely into the circle, tunes not allowed to develop, bad blowing). The actual Grade 2 result was as follows:
- All summaries from the UK Pipe Band Championships on the RSPBA website here. The next pipe band championship is the Scottish at Dumbarton on July 26.
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