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Bags of Rock At The Red Hot Highland Fling In Inverness

Bags of Rock At The Red Hot Highland Fling In Inverness

“Unforgettable! It was amazing how loud they managed to get the music and they all smashed it. I would love to see them again”

-Olivia (Livvy) McPartlan, 12

“Very entertaining. One of the best local bands I’ve heard in their genre!”

-Lara du Preez, 42

“Bags of Rock rocked us into the New Year at the Red Hot Highland Fling in Inverness! Brilliant performance and I would LOVE to see them again! Belladrum 2012?”

-Lorna MacPartlan, 41

Another jaw dropping rock band from Scotland! What have we done to deserve this honour? It was a kick ass performance from the Glasgow rockers, Bags of Rock (BOR) whose mix of catchy rock riffs and loud bagpipes makes them one of best bagrock bands of 2012. Their fast growing fan base is spread across the country even though they have only played about 7 big gigs together as the current line up. Bags of Rock have a unique sound, their modern twist on the music of Scotland’s national instrument, the bagpipes, is mind-blowing and hugely addictive.

The band, made up of seven musicians, formed in December 2010 and marked their ‘1 year together’ at the Red Hot Highland Fling. I had the pleasure of putting a few questions to the band.

Q: Their distinctive appearance comes as no surprise; you can literally put the face to the music but who really are the musicians?

A: “We are G-man (guitar), Broony (drums), Deathface (guitar), Marcus (bass guitar), James (bagpipes), Jonny (bagpipes) and Stevie (snare). Our ages range from 19 to 36.”

Q: Would Bags of Rock ever get a band tattoo?

A: “Yeah we would probably get the Pink Mohawked Skull as a collective band tattoo.”

Q: So, they have the friendship to go far and the guts to get a band tattoo but how far really do these guys want to go, do they want to take over the world or not?

A: “We are aiming to be a household name in the not too distant future...we spend all our time making Bags of Rock more mighty by the day!”  

Q: The ambition and the talent are all there but do Bags of Rock have any time for wishful thinking? If any celebrity of your choice could be following you on Twitter, who would he/she be?

A: “It probably would be James Hetfield of Metallica or Lemmy from Motorhead.”

Q: They see themselves as being one of Scotland’s biggest acts in the near future but with all the touring they have done, is there a venue that BOR will never forget?

A: “We just played our best show yet at Inverness for Hogmanay (Red Hot Highland Fling).”

They played to over 10,000 people and Alan Deathface Blair still didn’t crack a smile, or even look fazed but Gregor ‘G-Man’ James’ front man charisma is talent in its own right. Their individuality really shone through at The Red Hot Highland Fling as everyone had their moment to shine in front of the crowd. The differences between the guys is interesting but their music has brought them together.

Gregor ‘G-Man’ James

He’s been the front man for several bands and with great talent and experience comes one hell of a rock show. His skilled guitar playing and pink mohawk make it clear that he is a fierce leader but G-Man is so polite that you could introduce him to your mom and she would be charmed by the end of the day. A memorable front man!

Alan ‘Broony’ Brown

Playing in renowned bands across Scotland for years, you’d think Broony would be quite good at what he does, well he’s amazing! A world-class drummer with enough talent to fill the length and breadth of Scotland. His brilliant playing has secured him the nickname of ‘The Powerhouse’ for a reason and it doesn’t seem like that’s going change any time soon.

Alan ‘Deathface’ Blair

Definition of ‘Deathface’: a talented young guy whose performing skills are always at professional level and believes that smiling on stage is illegal. He thinks nothing of picking up his guitar and playing to thousands of people at a time or simply releasing his first album over iTunes with his previous band Final Outcome in late 2008 at the tender age of 17. Young talent with outstanding character.

James Henderson

The Stirling piper began his destiny of taking over the world with nothing but his pipes and his Justin Beiber-esque looks at the age of 10 when he first started playing. He competed continuously until he met the guys in Bags of Rock and it was then that he knew that his path to success would be carved with his fellow members of BOR.

Marcus Cordock

He’s a musician, an Orkney lad and just an all round nice guy. Marcus is one of the most talented bassists to come from Orkney. Labelled the ‘The Orkney Bass Machine’ Marcus has still kept his Orcadian accent and it is a long running joke in the Glaswegian music scene. Respectively he is a talented and very worthy member of the Bags of Rock family.

Stevie Shedden

I bet when Stevie decided to start playing drums when he was 9 years old, he didn’t think he would be one of the youngest people to compete in a Grade 1 Pipe Band at the age of 13! Nor that he would be the current World Solo Drumming Champion having already won the title in 2008, but now he plays snare for Bags of Rock it’s safe to say that this Scottish talent is an even bigger force to be reckoned with.

Jonathan Graham

He’s played to a televised audience of 1 billion as the lone ‘Hero Piper’ at the Olympics, so what better way to showcase his talent than to join Bags of Rock. Some may say it’s fate that showed a young 10-year-old Jonny the pipes and the way to begin his hugely successful future, but he says listening to his Grandfather play inspired him to pick up the instrument. Whatever motivated him to learn and perform, it’s made him a damn good piper!

With their debut album out, several gig dates set and an army of fans, these guys are ready to take over their homelands and the rest of the world with good Scottish humour and their mind-boggling music, truly deserving of all the recognition they can get.   

Another band for Scotland’s heavily competitive music industry, could these guys go all the way? I happen to think so! 

Bags of Rock Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bagsofrock OR http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bags-Of-Rock/208966499149332

Twitter: https://twitter.com#!/bagsofrock

Official Website: www.bagsofrock.com/index.php

Latest Gig: 09/03/12 Bags of Rock in Glasgow at O2 Academy

Thanks to all the guys for taking the time to answer my questions and thanks to Alan ‘Broony’ Brown for passing on all my questions to the band. They have all been exceptionally nice to me and I hope I get the chance to review and interview Bags of Rock again in the near future.