IT’S PIPING HOT
CRAIG’S GARDEN PARTY HAS THE STREET DANCING
Two talented Linwood brothers are keeping their neighbours – and the internet – entertained during lockdown with their outdoor live performances.
Craig and Chris Lawrie founded Drums N’ Roses almost 15 years ago and regularly perform at events and festivals across the country with their modern bagpipe sound.
But since the lockdown, they’ve decided to keep things local and after a video of Craig playing the pipes for his neighbours hit almost 1million views, Chris invited him round to his front garden for an impromptu, socially distant, live gig last Saturday evening.
Craig said: “I love being an idiot basically, any excuse.
“About three weeks ago I did a set outside my house when it was the Clap for Carers and I thought I’d do something different.
“I got the speakers out the storage unit and said I’d give everybody a bit of a tune. It’s had 961,000 views online, it went absolutely bonkers.
“My brother phoned me because he missed out on the last one. He went and got some speakers and drums and we did a gig in his front garden.
“We made sure we kept our distance from each other and everyone watching. The police came along but only because I know one of them and he wanted to say hello!
“It was a nice night and everybody enjoyed it. There are people I’ve known in Linwood for years but never spoken to coming up to me at the gate to say thank you and people have said to my missus at the shops about it.
“It brought a smile to people’s faces so that’s the main thing.”
Craig, 31, and Chris, 29, formed the band after becoming a success busking on Buchanan Street in Glasgow. They’ve performed at Tartan Day celebrations in New York as well as numerous gigs and functions across the UK.
There are about 25 members in total with about three or four performing at gigs each time.
The brothers played for about an hour with their set including disco classics like Mamma Mia, Saturday Night by Whigfield, Faith by George Michael and even had some neighbours dancing the slosh.
At one point at least 3,000 people were watching it live on Facebook as well.
Craig said it might be a few weeks before the next gig – just to let 29-year-old Chris’s hands recover.
“Because he hasn’t been playing for a while his hands have all come up in blisters,” he said.
“They call it drummers callouses because you’re playing that much but he sent me a photo of his hands afterwards and they were covered in blisters.
“We will do it again, it’s just a matter of when. It was done to spread a wee bit of joy in a horrific time for the world.
“I know there are a lot of older people around my brother’s house who haven’t been out in weeks so hopefully they enjoyed it too.”
The boys’ antics have featured on STV news and Clyde One and the video had nearly 600,000 views in the few days since it was posted live on Facebook.
To watch, go to www.facebook.com/drumsnroses
It brought a smile to people’s faces and cheered people up so that’s the main thing