A journey that has taken Red Hot Chilli Pipers founding member Kevin MacDonald around the world will come full circle when the band headline Aberdeen.
Kevin’s initial steps towards global success were taken in Peterculter as a child when he began playing bagpipes.
Fast forward more than three decades and he has sold out tours in Europe, USA, China, Australia, New Zealand and India with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
Famous fans of the band that play ‘bagpipes with attitude’ include Sir Alex Ferguson, Ewan McGregor, Sir Paul McCartney and Samuel L Jackson.
The band have played with chart-topping stars Ed Sheeran and Tom Walker.
In a much-anticipated show Red Hot Chilli Pipers will headline the Music Hall in Aberdeen on Thursday to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
On his Granite City return, Kevin promises a night of “non-stop fun”.
Kevin said: “Aberdeen is an amazing place to play. I grew up in Aberdeen during my Primary school years, in Peterculter, and started playing the bagpipes.
“I played with the Culter Pipe Band when I was a youngster then moved down to the central belt when I was 11. There was a local Boys’ Brigade in Culter and a lot of my mates played bagpipes or drums.
“It was something a lot of people in the community did, move from the Boys’ Brigade to the pipe band. I know a lot of the guys from the Bucksburn Pipe Band and they are joining us on stage in Aberdeen.”
‘None stop fun from start to end’
Red Hot Chilli Pipers’ high-energy fusion of traditional Scottish music and rock/pop anthems has been dubbed “bagrock”.
They have performed at the BBC Proms, T in the Park, the Rugby World Cup and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Debut album Bagrock to the Masses achieved gold record status.
Kevin promises fans attending the Aberdeen show will leave with a smile.
He said: “The people at our Aberdeen show can expect a great night’s entertainment. If they are having a bad day they will leave with a smile on their face.
“Even if they come with a smile on their face they will leave even happier than when they arrived. It is non-stop fun from start to end.
“We don’t take ourselves too seriously and there’s a lot of energy that comes off the stage. The crowd really helps feed that, and we feed them.
“Given the last few years people have had, and the tough times at the moment, it’s really nice that we can give people an opportunity to relax. To not think about their bills or mobile phones. To just have fun and enjoy life for two hours.
“All artists strive for that and we certainly try to ensure everyone has a great time watching us.”
Performing for Sir Alex Ferguson
Formed in 2002, Red Hot Chilli Pipers’ profile went stellar when winning the BBC talent show When Will I Be Famous? in 2007.
The band have twice been awarded the accolade of best live act in Scotland.
One famous fan is former Aberdeen and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. As a Dons supporter, performing for Sir Alex held particular resonance for Kevin.
He said: “We’ve done a few gigs for Sir Alex which was very humbling for me as I’m an Aberdeen fan.
“Being an Aberdeen fan was a brave thing at High School in Glasgow where everyone was either a Celtic or Rangers supporter. What a gentleman Sir Alex is.
“It was lovely to spent five or 10 minutes in his company and get to know him a wee bit better.
“My favourite player growing up was Gordon Strachan and Sir Alex was obviously the manager at the time. I even met Willie Miller a couple of times. It was lovely.”
The rise of Red Hot Chilli Pipers
Red Hot Chilli Pipers have performed to more than one million people worldwide.
Their performance of Leave A Light On with Tom Walker has racked up more than seven million YouTube views.
Album Blast Live has achieved triple platinum status.
The band’s success continues to grow.
Kevin said: “The aspirations when we started was to have a bit of fun as we were mates.
“It was almost a hobby to begin with, then it was a paid hobby.
“Then we won the television show and after that we thought we would get a year, maybe 18 months, of doing it. That we would be today’s newspaper tomorrow’s chip paper.
“We have managed for 20 years to blag our way through.”
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