Red Hot Chilli Pipers

Since their formation the Red Hot Chilli Pipers have combined guitars, keyboards, drums and their bagpipes to create 'bagrock' sound. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers perform a fusion of traditional pipe tunes and contemporary pieces. Notable covers performed have included "We Will Rock You" by Queen, "Clocks" by Coldplay and "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple as well as "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.

In 2004, the group appeared on the main stage at T in the Park with the headline band, the rock group The Darkness. They appeared on BBC Radio 1 on the Greg James show in July 2013[2] and The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw in 2014.[3]

The group appears on the soundtrack of How to Train Your Dragon 2.[4]

• 2005 – The Red Hot Chilli Pipers
• 2007 – Bagrock to the Masses
• 2008 – Blast Live
• 2010 – Music for the Kilted Generation
• 2012 – Braveheart
• 2013 – Breathe
• 2014 – Live at the Lake 2014
• 2016 – Octane
• 2019 – Fresh Air

The band's first studio release The Red Hot Chilli Pipers (2005), was their least successful. Their 2007 album Bagrock to the Masses went platinum in Scotland and silver in the rest of the UK. Their third album and first live album, Blast Live (2008), went triple platinum in Scotland. Their fourth release Music for the Kilted Generation, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers' most successful International record to date, reached Number 2 on the US Amazon Chart.[5] behind Adele's record-breaking album, 21.Breathe was released in July 2013 on CD and iTunes.

Red Hot Chilli Pipers in Koblenz 2011

The group's highest profile performance's have been on the Main Stage at T in the Park in 2004 where they performed alongside The Darkness, and in 2014 when they performed on the Main Stage again in their own right.

With a total of 4 degrees from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, many of the band members past & present have competed at the highest level of bagpiping and drumming for many years. Founder and former Musical Director Cassells received BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician in 2005 and became the first person ever to attain a degree in bagpipes[7] from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama). The snare drummer and percussionist, Grant Cassidy is an 8 time Juvenile Solo World Drumming Champion and in 2016 placed 7th in the adult section of the World Solo Drumming Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland.

On 23 September 2011, founder and frontman Stuart Cassells, left the band. Stuart decided that, after almost ten years, it was time to pursue new goals and opportunities. Cassells said, "I have had some absolutely amazing times in the band and I would never have imagined the success we’ve had. I want to thank all the great musicians I’ve had the pleasure of performing with and I’m excited about the new chapter in my life". Prior to leaving, Stuart had been struggling with 'focal hand dystonia', more commonly known as writer's cramp since 2008. Speaking to The Daily Record on the subject, Cassells said, "My left hand refused to stay on the chanter. It was like my left hand wasn't my own, it wouldn't stay still, like someone else was controlling it. I knew in my head how I wanted to play but I couldn't because my hands would curl right up and tense up and move involuntarily. They weren't doing what they were supposed to do. The brain was sending far too many signals to my hands." Stuart tried various treatments throughout this period, including surgery to release a trapped nerve, physiotherapy and botox injections into his arm to relax the muscles. In efforts to help him play the bagpipes, he had McCallum Bagpipes manufacture him a custom chanter that uses flute keys to cover the holes instead of requiring the player to cover them. However, he was still unable to play them and left the band. It is hoped that he will recover and rejoin the band. A recent World Pipe Band Championship winner with the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, Kyle Warren, replaced him.[8][9]

• Official website