Chilli Pipers are the red hot ticket for Blas Festival
THIS year’s Blas Festival will celebrate the music of the Highland bagpipes with leading solo performers, traditional groups and an act which brings the music of the pipes to a worldwide audience – with a twist.
The Red Hot Chilli Pipers return to Blas with a performance at the Nevis Centre in Fort William on Friday September 2. With a summer of festivals and European touring, the band will be in fine fettle as they bring their bagpipes with attitude to a Lochaber audience.
There will be a warm Blas welcome for Cape Breton band Nuallan, who make their first trip to the festival. The group, who were formed in 2012, feature leading Canadian pipers Keith MacDonald, Kevin Dugas and Kenneth MacKenzie, who represent and promote the Gaelic style of piping brought to Cape Breton, mainland Nova Scotia and further afield from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland some 200 years ago. Their festival schedule will take them to a host of venues across the Highlands and Argyll.
Piping features strongly throughout the programme, with multiaward-winner Angus MacColl, Trail West, Kilda, Radio 2 Young Folk Award Winner 2016 Brìghde Chaimbeul, Lochalsh Junior Pipe Band and many more appearing at events throughout the festival.
There will be a set or two on the pipes at the 80th birthday celebrations of Rona Lightfoot in Inverness Cathedral on the opening night of the festival, Friday September 2. Rona enjoyed much success as a competition piper and will be joined by Glenuig brothers, Iain and Allan MacDonald, Allan Henderson, Iain MacFarlane and singers Margaret Stewart, Mairi Macinnes and Paul McCallum at her special birthday bash.
The Blas Festival will take place from September 2 to 10, and full details of all events and how to buy tickets can be found at www. blas-festival.com.