Worlds 2025 – Review Part 1

I heard all of the Grade 1 Medleys on the Friday and all of the MSRs on the Saturday. I also heard the first half of the Medley on the Saturday. Both days were blessed with warm sunshine.

I like medleys to have a powerful start – the overture – and a strong finish – the climax. FMM gave us that with their B52 set. P/M Wilson went for it, edging his tempos up a notch, with quite exceptional fingerwork to finish.

By Robert Wallace

Inveraray’s more sedate, soft focus Dream Valley set was musically captivating, understated and beautifully played (though I’m sure there is a flawed harmony note in the ending).

Given this is the 150th anniversary of composing genius John McLellan’s birth, there was considerable emotion too. (He wrote Dream Valley, as if you didn’t know.) But which did you prefer? Check the roar-o-meter from the crowd. Both set the stands alight, with FMM a few earfuls louder.

I was delighted to see David Wilton’s Fife Police doing so well. This is a refined outfit. A major championship cannot be far away for them. Consistent across both days, they are now on a level from where they can springboard to the very top.

Shotts seemed tired on the Friday – not surprising after their concert heroics on the Wednesday night – but came back restored on the Saturday.

A closer look at some of the Friday Medleys: SLOT: weaker sound – just not the power we are used to from them; Scottish Power – played well enough but you know over-elaboration is never far away; SFU – melodic line lost at times but well executed and controlled throughout; Boghall – good overall, excellent jigs- errors at end?; Manawatu – year after year we have musical stuff from Stewart MacKenzie, perhaps the best Kiwi P/M of all time; Ravara – sounded terrific, hard to believe they were in G2 last year.

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Saturday spawned another perfect day. Most of the tone comments above held true 24 hours later. I think the warmth adversely affected the bands with smaller numbers of pipers, sharp Ds and low Gs, and shrill high As the main issues.

A few remarks on the Saturday G1 MSR: Terribly slow playing from Boghall; Perfect tempi from Inveraray but I couldn’t hear the low G or D doublings (Argyllshire Gathering/ John MacKechnie); Shotts – impressive bottom hand work in strathspey – what a difference from the Friday; Fife Police – drones drifting half way through? – refreshing march (Glengarry Gathering) and well played too; SFU boomy bass and too much broken time – more heartbeat pulse needed from bass and tenors; SLOT – pipers lacking conviction; FMM – precision fingerwork; outstanding piping; S Power – piper not away – strathspey well played – reel held back.

All the other bands lacked chanter power (excepting Boghall) and this was not helped by shaky unison at times. However I have to say I thought the overall Grade 1 standard to be very high.

There is no doubt that Inveraray deserved to win the 2025 Worlds. FMM pushed them all the way with superb performances on the Saturday. Shotts, SFU and Fife Police are waiting in the wings. They are the heirs apparent. St Laurence need to get their tone back so that the piping can match their barnstorming back end. A young P/M at Boghall; he will find his feet and they will come roaring back next year.

For the others, console yourselves with this. Even if you do not make the prizes in Grade 1, you are in elite company when you stride into the arena at Glasgow Green to present your music to the world. This is an achievement in itself.

Some bullet points on a very successful two days of competition:

• The Friday Juvenile/ Novice idea seemed to have worked. I was sceptical at first, but provided the kids get free entry on the Saturday, this should continue. The large numbers arriving mid-afternoon Friday proved the event was popular with the public. Scheduling might be looked at. Youngsters were asked to play rather late in the day.
• I dipped into Grade 2 whilst waiting for G1 to start. Too many bands playing at G1 tempos without the ability in their ranks to do so. LA Scots were a case in point. Slow down and point more to get the lift.
• Balmoral bonnets give more protection from the sun – see 78th Frasers and judge Cameron Edgar. The 78th also had the best drum-trim-to-tartan match of any band I saw. Take a look Boghall and Johnstone!
• Would the BBC producer please adjust his high camera crane before a band starts its performance. This piece of kit provides wonderful pictures but also a notable drone sound when it is being manoeuvred.
• Why do some ensemble judges insist on going walkabout? How on earth can they assess the whole sound of a band from a shifting perspective, one minute close to pipes, next minute astride the drummers?
• There were several empty seats in the stands. Free on Friday, these were meant to have been sold out on the Saturday. Not sure what is going on here.
• The band summary sheets need to be put on another platform (RSPBA Fb?) as well as on the RSPBA website. It crashes every year as thousands from around the world check on their band.
• Congrats to my old pal John Elliott, Ontario, who’s been helping the St John’s band in Harare, Zimbabwe, the new Novice B World Champions.
• Several printing errors in the programme ‘Previous Winners’ section: Livingstone not Livingston, MacAllister not McAllister, McLellan not MacLellan
• Big thanks to Ellen of Glasgow Life Comms for looking after the press so well. We even had our own office up near the Needle. Thanks too to everyone at the RSPBA, President Bob, Chief Exec. Colin and the super efficient Rachel. The March Forward is a big improvement on the interminable March Past and no irritating BBC intervention before the G1 announcement.

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