Red faces over romantic break to see ‘Chilli Pipers’

A couple’s romantic getaway to see an American rock group backfired – when it turned out they had bought tickets to see a Scottish bagpipe band with a similar name.

Duncan Robb booked tickets and flights to Belfast to see his girlfriend’s favourite band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers in action. However she discovered a few days before the show that they actually had tickets for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, who specialise in “bagrock” covers of pop and rock classics.

The couple, from Derbyshire, decided to go ahead with their trip to Northern Ireland and even took in the Belfast Arena concert staged by the piping outfit.

Billed on their own website as “the most famous bagpipe band on the planet,” they have been one of Scotland’s most succesful Celtic rock groups over the last decade.

But Mr Robb thought he was going to see the folk-rock outfit who have sold more than 80 million records around the world since they were formed in Los Angeles.

After realising his blunder, he posted a picture of his ticket to see the “Chilli Pipers” in concert on his Twitter page and told his followers: “Still can’t believe we’ve flown over to Belfast not for the @Chilipeppers but to see the ‘worlds best bagpipe band’ @chillipipers ... thought I’d got a rate good deal on tickets n’all. Had a nightmare.”

Mr Robb later said: “When I clicked on and got tickets in row Q and for £30 each, I thought what a bargain, there must not be many tickets left and snatched them up straight away. Also, I saw the date was 10 February, so I could make it into a Valentine’s weekend – kill two birds with one stone.

“It was only the Wednesday before when my girlfriend wanted to know who was supporting them. She couldn’t find anything about the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing in Belfast.

“We just had to laugh about it – what else was there to do?the only saving grace was that we had found out three days before and not while we were in the arena.”

Formed in 2004, the Scottish band shot to fame when they won a BBC talent show – When Will I Be Famous – hosted by Graham Norton – in 2007. They went on to perform around the world, including tours of the US, China, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Recalling how the name was invented, founder member Stuart Cassells said: “The Red Hot Chilli Pipers were started after my girlfriend at the time was helping tidy my CD collection in genre order and put a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD next to all my bagpipe CDS.

“When I asked her why she put a Chili Peppers CD next to the bagpipe CDS she said ‘I thought it said Red Hot Chilli Pipers.’

“I thought: ‘What a great name.” I called my friend Willie Armstrong and started the band that night.”

Chilli Pipers agent Douglas Gillespie said: “We’re always extremely careful in all advertising. We’ve made sure to put kits and bagpipes on all the pictures. We would never ever try to pass ourselves off as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, we respect them too much.”