As well as performing my solo Bagpiping duties for weddings, corporate events, Burns nights, and more, I have a few Scottish bands that I perform with at events all over Scotland and the world. One of these is Tartanium, a Scottish Rock Band I created with the intention of wowing massive audiences and celebrating Scottish music and culture.
What is Tartanium?
Tartanium is a 10 piece rock-band/stage show with Scottish infusions. Tartanium takes a classic rock-and-pop core of drums, guitar, bass, keys and a singer, adds a three-piece horn section of a trombone, trumpet, and saxophone. On top of that, bagpipes and a fiddle provide the authentic Scottish sound and texture. Tartanium plays a set of modern pop covers and Scottish traditional music with a big-band sound. Alongside the band are the Tartanium Dancers, five young ladies in traditional dress to perform jigs, reels, and highland flings with the band.
Why I created Tartanium
There has been an increase in international conferences taking place in Scotland over the last few years. I wanted to show the many international visitors to Scotland the variety in our music and entertainment, and to provide them with a mindblowing show they will never forget, that they will be telling everyone about when they get home. In essence, the goal was to bring Scotland to the world.
For that reason, Tartanium is a mix of traditional and modern music. We feature classic Scottish Songs like Wild Mountain Thyme. We also perform a Ceilidh Taster set. And we play a number of Scottish-infused pop and rock covers, such as Avicii’s Wake Me up.
Tartanium at the Glasgow Science Centre
Our biggest show of 2019 was almost certainly for the British Orthodontic Society.
Tartanium kicked off the show with a reel, with the dancers performing in a space on the floor by the audience. The show moves forward with energy, fervour, and plenty of volume. The band play traditional dances like the highland fling, famous Scottish songs like Wild Mountain Thyme, and modern pop covers like Avicii’s “Wake Me Up.”
After the show, Tartanium led the guests in a ceilidh taster in preparation for the following night. Roddy called the dances from the stage while playing pipes. The Tartanium dancers mingle with the audience to help them learn the moves. For first timers, it can seem quite daunting. But with the right effort and guidance from the Tartanium dancers, it always comes together.
After the ceilidh taster, the band continued with a forty-five minute set of pop and disco tunes for the audience to end the night with. The band cranked out recent pop hits like Happy, Uptown Funk, and Can’t Stop the Feeling, plus classic oldies like Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff, and Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive.
Enjoy it all, below.