I love strolling through town centres towards the end of the year when the Christmas illuminations twinkle. They bring joy to the ever-shortening days as the festive season approaches. I had never actually been to a switching-on ceremony but the programme of events in Dunfermline caught my eye. Particularly the appearance of the Red Hot Chili Pipers on stage as the headline act. Although the chosen date was rather early (November 17), the plan was to fill the town with Christmas cheer, starting with an artisan street market at 11am. A funfair was booked for Pittencrieff Park (the Glen) and live music scheduled to run throughout the afternoon at the Glen Gates.
I fancied attending the actual switch-on and watching the two main musical acts - N Trance and the Pipers. After a few hours of birdwatching in Leven, Nicole dropped me off in Dunfermline and I made my way through the park via a side door. I passed the funfair rides and various stalls before arriving at the grand entrance gates. A large stage had been erected on the cobbled ground at the bottom of the High Street and a professional sound and lighting system was in full swing. An American DJ in full Santa garb was pumping out the tunes and whipping up the substantial crowd. Unfortunately I didn't get his name but he did a great job of priming the audience for the impending celebration. I found space on the shallow terrace to the side of the stage and my view was partially obscured by a large Christmas tree, which I assumed would shortly be lit up. It was a decent spot with some height and I didn't fancy plunging into the throng which stretched quite a distance up the narrow bottom end of the High Street. We were informed a ceremonial parade would soon be arriving and the crowd standing upon the road was requested to part in order to let the marchers through. This seemed rather optimistic as the mass of people were pretty tightly packed. Fortunately everyone cooperated, although it did take a while for the procession to squeeze around the tight bend in front of the gates and it was impossible to see what was actually happening, even with my in-built advantage of being over six feet tall. Eventually a count-down was started and the lights came on, much to everyone's joy on this clear and still night. Couldn't have hoped for better weather conditions. N Trance hit the stage and we were suddenly transported back to the 90s, much to the delight of the parents of young family groups. Dance music was never really my scene but there's no denying the catchy nature of the tunes. N Trance scored a number-2 hit in 1995 with Set You Free, in the days when you had to sell hundreds of thousands of physical copies to reach the upper echelons of the charts. Original vocalist Kelly Llorena still fronts the group and they gig regularly around the UK, most likely on the nostalgia circuit, but there's a good living to be earned by reminding people of their youth. Tonight's high energy set was well received, with Llorena's soaring vocals complemented by MC B's rhythmic rapping.
Not to be confused with a Californian act bearing a remarkably similar name, The Red Hot Chili Pipers - as the pun suggests - fuse classic rock music with bagpipe blasts. They have been touring internationally since 2007, building their success on the back of winning a BBC talent show entitled When Will I Be Famous, hosted by Graham Norton. Their second album Bagrock to the Masses (2008) was awarded gold status in the UK, for 100,000 units sold. An impressive figure for a niche form of music. The Celtic core of the band comprises three sets of pipes and a drummer playing the marching snare. The other musicians play conventional rock instruments: electric guitar, bass, keyboards and a drum kit. The material ranged from AC/DC to traditional Scottish tunes and vocalist Colette Neil handled the songs with ease. There were also instrumental sections with Highland dancers performing. A super slick set with top-notch musicianship on display. The crowd had thinned somewhat prior to the Chilis coming on, due to previous delays and the fact it was almost past teatime for families, many of whom had no doubt come primarily to see the Christmas lights. I was therefore able to get closer to the stage and take a few decent photos with my iPhone. The folks who remained were treated to a masterful hour of entertainment by a band honed by constant touring around Europe and America. Great to see so many people turning out to support the event. It created a definite feel-good factor.
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