Northern Meeting Park, Inverness, 31 December 2010

THE WEATHER GODS made up for last year’s unkind blizzards and smiled on Inverness’ big Hogmanay party at the Northern Meeting Park Arena (otherwise known as the Council Office car park), with only the lightest of intermittent drizzles in the final run-up to the Bells. Nowhere near enough to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm for three bands who have each successfully reinvigorated traditional Highland music and taken it to new audiences.

First on stage, tasked with warming up the milling throng, are Blazin Fiddles, with new girl Jenna Reid stepping daintily into the (always fashionable) shoes recently vacated by fellow Shetlander Catriona Macdonald for her first Scottish gig. Reid is a talented exponent of the Shetland fiddle style, melding a hard Scandinavian edge with a honeyed sweetness, which has always been an integral part of the Blazers’ engine room and any nerves she may have had were both well-concealed, and groundless.

Blazin' Fiddles

“There is only one Andy Thorburn,” says Macgregor, and indeed there is, but there is also only one Anna Massie, whose guitar meshes with Thorburn’s piano to create the solid foundation over which the fiddles soar, but who can also pick up a fiddle when required. A final blistering set confirms that Blazin’ Fiddles are still one of the most exciting bands on the circuit.

Red Hot Chilli Pipers’ founder Stuart Cassells was the first RSAMD graduate with a degree in bagpipes, and an ambitious vision. The Chillis mix of bagpipes, rock, jazz and pop has built them a formidable, well-deserved reputation. They are not the first to realise that AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ was made for the pipes – that honour is reserved to the late Gordon Duncan – but the mashup with Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the Water’ is all their own work. Spacious arrangements, fine instrumental playing, sharp choreography from the Red Hot Chilli Dancers and stirring brass from The Horn Supremacy add up to a sure fire crowd-pleasing set.

Red Hot Chilli Pipers

If there is a reservation, it’s that the shine and polish sometimes comes at the expense of soul, but it’s early days. A less-than-obvious choice of the Who’s “Teenage Wasteland”, whose yearning wail translates perfectly to the bagpipes, augurs well and thousands of folk roaring along to “Flower of Scotland” and “We Will Rock You” are having the time of their lives.

Peatbog Faeries

A hard act to follow, but taking us through midnight are the Peatbog Faeries, seasoned purveyors of acid croft and Celtic fusion to the discerning musical connoisseur since 1994, and surely one of the inspirations for the Chilli Pipers. Adam Sutherland is otherwise occupied with The Treacherous Orchestra but his place is very ably taken by Bodega’s Ross Couper, from Shetland, who duels impressively with Peter Tickell.

The Peatbogs are old hands at laying down an irresistible groove, and the crowd is in safe hands. Comperes Ken Kelman and Miss Inverness, Ceilidh Watson, count us down to midnight and a firework display which after the first five minutes triggers considerable muttering about ‘wasting public money’. It’s the only false note in a night otherwise organised with a fine sense of occasion and quite exemplary efficiency by Highland Council’s Events Officer, Gerry Reynolds, and his team.

© Jennie Macfie, 2011

Links

• Inverness Winter Festival