A hugely enjoyable evening tonight. Jiggered Ceilidh Band were delighted to be re-visiting Destiny Church. We are always looked after really well (given a wee "green room", provided drinks, haggis, neeps and tatties, popcorn), the sound guys were brilliant, the place is packed and the dance floor jumping. Lydia had booked us and did a great job of coordinating the evening.
Our roadie for the night was Charlie and she is looking forward to joining the Jiggered lineup soon! And it was also nice to bump into a former Maths student of mine (Danielle).
There were no answers to a very suspicious story Ewan had fed us about Destiny's Child ;)
Posted at 23:03 on 21st January 2012 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band returned to Gleddoch House Hotel, Langbank for Hogmanay 2011. Having played there the previous Hogmanay we knew what to expect and they knew they were re-booking a first class ceilidh band!
We had a great time- Ewan was moaning that he's spent almost every Hogmanay in living memory with us but I secretly enjoy getting a wee cuddle from him after the Bells!
Of course, no Jiggered ceilidh would be complete without a wee bit of drama- this time it was my three year old getting rushed to hospital by ambulance to spend the Bells and early hours of 2012 in A&E. She's thankfully back home now, and feeling well enough to jig around the living room!
All the best for 2012 everyone from Jiggered Ceilidh Band- coming soon to a ceilidh near you.
Posted at 14:44 on 1st January 2012 by
Believe it or not, this was Jiggered Ceilidh Band's final gig until after Christmas- we're booked up for Gleddoch House Hotel again for Hogmanay.
This time we were visiting the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club for their Christmas do. The clubhouse is a lovely venue with loads of sitting areas and lounges. The ceilidhers were located in all of these rooms so it was a "ceilidh-to-order" event! Wee groups would come down and ask for a Gay Gordons, Strip the Willow, Eightsome Reel, Duke of Perth (you know the one- corner set, corner spin- if you don't, I can suggest a wee woman who can provide an unforgettable demo).
Happy Christmas to all our fans. You are amazing people and we should know: "we have standards".
Posted at 9:42 on 11th December 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back playing for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue again this year at their annual ball. This year the venue was Glasgow's Radison (a slick, stylish hotel well suit to sophisticated folk like Jiggered!). As ever, Siobhan had organised an action-packed evening- the guests enjoyed a lovely 4 course meal, raffle, auction and were entertained by a Pipe Band, Michael Buble tribute, Jiggered Ceilidh Band and a function band finishing off the night.
With so much to cram in, inevitably the timings were altered and we only ended up with a 20 minute set! Despite the brevity of our set, host for the evening Loose Women's Kaye Adams announced "Give it up for your ceilidh band for this evening....Jiggered....weren't they fantastic?". I hope she was being rhetorical.
Posted at 0:26 on 3rd December 2011 by
Last night Jiggered Ceilidh Band visited the spectacular Old Course Hotel, St Andrews. We had to call on our trusty friend and stand-in drummer Andi Watson as Ewan's granpa died earlier that day :(
Ansi was delighted to be back gigging with Jiggered, especially when he found out it was the Ferrari Car Owners' Club Christmas Do. We arrived at the hotel and were taken round to the function suite. In the foyer were four beautiful Ferraris. After a few minutes checking out these incredible cars (and realising that we'd have to seriously increase our ceilidh fee for the four of us to buy the £1million worth of luxury vehicles on display) we retired to the lounge for a wee drink.
The ceilidh ended up being just a single two hour set- the crowd had definite favourite ceilidh dances (we did TWO Dashing White Sergeants, TWO Strip the Willows and TWO Gay Gordons) and the rest of the time the crowd just enjoyed listening as Jiggered performed a number of Scottish songs, ceilidh tunes and covers.
Posted at 9:20 on 27th November 2011 by
Jiggered have played lots of sporting themed ceilidhs over the years. We've played on location at an Edinburgh rugby club, numerous golf clubs (in fact our next gig in St Andrew's Old Course), hockey clubs, Killie's Rugby Park and even a 5-a-side Powerleague! This time it was off to Hurlford Bowling Club for Jiggered Ceilidh Band to play the Kilmarnock Portland FC annual ceilidh.
The room was packed with supporters of the club and they enjoyed lively ceilidh dances (and a couple of "covers" sets which were a storming success), some fish suppers and an epic raffle.
This was a local gig for me, living in Newmilns and working in Kilmarnock and there were lots of parents and one colleague in the crowd who were surprised to see "that Maths teacher Mr Smith" on the piano! The event was organised by David (whose kids Nicola and Scott are Maths superstars despite both having both had Mr Smith at Grange Academy) and he was excellent at keeping the evening running smoothly and looking after us with drinks, fish suppers and recruiting dancers throughout the night. Thanks David, see you at Parents' Night!
Posted at 8:14 on 19th November 2011 by
The annual Milngavie Churches Ceilidh has become a regular feature on Jiggered Ceilidh Band's events calendar. The ceilidh was memorable for a number of reasons...we loved the Indian buffet at half time, I went a mini-adventure up the ladder at the side of the stage, some real bargains were snapped up in the silent auction, Jenny explained to everyone in highly technical language the difference between a Waltz and a dance in 3/4 time...
Finished and home before midnight. Lovely stuff.
Posted at 0:09 on 13th November 2011 by
Last night was the Emerald Ball, raising funds for the excellent charity MacMillan Cancer. The event was organised by Lara and she had arranged an action-packed evening for the supporters at the Glasgow Marriott...after their meal, they were entertained by compere Greg Summers (who also fronted the raffle and auction), tribal pipes and drum band Clanadonia, Scotland's number one ceilidh band Jiggered with a DJ finishing off the evening.
It was a fun evening. Jiggered are always keen to publicise their popular ceilidh services and Greg helped out by carrying our banner stand around the crowd at various points in the evening- thanks Greg!
Posted at 9:39 on 5th November 2011 by
It was a revisit to the Edinburgh Capital Hotel for Jiggered Ceilidh Band last night. The occassion this time was Moray's 50th birthday and the last time was the wedding of Moray's daughter. Moray loves Jiggered- he's booked us twice and we offered him a discount last night if he is looking for a ceilidh band for his 100th birthday party! If there are drumstick lollies like last night, count us in!
Ewan was talking about getting a custom-made drum skin with "Jiggered" emblazoned across it...I used a Sharpie to create my own bespoke piano design!
Posted at 9:32 on 29th October 2011 by
It's always nice to return to a venue you've played at lots in the past- this weekend Jiggered Ceilidh Band enjoyed revisiting the Crowne Plaza, Glasgow. It was actually the Crowne Plaza recommending us that led to getting this gig: a gala dinner for almost 500 people. It was such a huge event that even the prodigious Argyll Suite wasn't big enough with some tables spilling into an adjacent suite!
Once set up, the clients treated us to some grub (the legendary carvery @ the Plaza took a serious hit as Ewan, Chris and Susan inhaled plate after plate of awesome food!). The ceilidh kicked off about 9.45pm and the floor was packed for every dance. In fact, there was so much crowding that one dinner guest nudged a lighting rig which fell onto the floor (thankfully no-one was hurt and the lighting firm were out within a few minutes to sort things out!).
The ceilidh dances filled the floor with energetic dancers, our covers set went down well (even had one woman throwing herself onto the stage and terrifying Chris) and the last hour of the evening was a disco played via our PA.
A great night.
Posted at 8:06 on 16th October 2011 by
It has been an insanely busy summer for Jiggered Ceilidh Band - we've even had to squeeze in the odd rehearsal on the way to gigs and in the hotel bars while we wait for events to start!
Last night we visited the Beveridge Park Hotel, Kirkcaldy for the 25th anniversary of a great church called Newcraigs Evangelical. The event was great- we met some old friends and also caught with one engaged couple who have booked us up for their wedding next month!
Here's hoping we get booked up for the 50th anniversary ceilidh too!
Posted at 17:57 on 4th September 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were taking a quick break during wedding season to do a church ceilidh. It was my church: Townhead Church, Newmilns who were hosting a summer ceilidh and barbecue. The church was packed with lots of new faces and friends who we'd not seen for ages as well as the diehard group of "usual suspects"!
Gav spoke for a wee bit at half time before the food was served up. The rain poured but that didn't dampen the evening- the guys flipping burgers stuck to their task!
The evening ended on a high, with loads of former "Yoothie" members piling into the church to boogy and we witnessed our first scooter at a ceilidh as my 4-year-old Daisy risked life and limb by scooting in the middle of the Orchadian Strip the Willow and the Auld Lang Syne circle!
Posted at 7:21 on 20th August 2011 by
I honestly don't know where to begin with last night's gig. It will last long in the memory for a number of reasons...
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back at St Andrew's in The Square for the second time in a week, this time for a charity event in aid of breast cancer. The first half was a bit slow, but once the buffet had been served and alcohol kicked in the ceilidh got into full swing!
During our break we nipped round to a local chippy that we've been to a few times, Val D'Oro. We were greeted by Luigi, the owner whose banter is unique and who serenaded us while we ate our suppers!
After the break, we watched as the Gutty Slippers came in to entertain the crowd with some manic drumming, dancing and bagpiping...they were energetic and very loud, even if they has missed the point of the event shouting as they did at one point "Three cheers for the bride and groom..."!
Good times.
Posted at 10:41 on 16th July 2011 by
Top ceilidh band Jiggered kicked off their busiest ever July with a ceilidh on behalf of staff from the Southern General Hospital. It was a lovely evening and after setting up we spent an hour or so outside with a cool drink- smashing stuff!
Feedback from the ceilidhers was incredible- lots of people came to tell us how much they were enjoying the music including one young woman who said "You guys are fantastic and I should know: I'm a ceilidh whore". What an endorsement!
Raymie's mum made an appearance at the ceilidh and Ewan took the opportunity to steal a kiss- oh, the freedom of life as a single guy [Ewan got a private reg this week- might have a blog about that in the future. And no, it's not J1 GRD as I hoped.
Posted at 7:14 on 2nd July 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back playing at the Carnbooth House Hotel, Carmunock- this time it was Kate's 21st. The evening started off as a very civil formal affair, with a 2-course buffet, caricaturist, some speeches, cake cutting...
...by the second half we were witnessing what has to go down as the wildest "Cumberland Basket" Jiggered have ever provided music for...we had a girl being thrown onto a table left on the dancefloor, others being swung around by the arms or legs, a couple of girls' dresses who lost the battle with gravity revealing a little too much...
March has been a busy month for Jiggered and April will see us doing at least another 5 gigs!
Posted at 18:17 on 27th March 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back in Larbert to play the annual LPC ceilidh in Dobbie Hall. We always have a really great time at this event- we're always looked after superbly, the ceilidhers fill the huge hall all night and yesterday was no exception. In fact, towards the end of the night we had chants of "strip the willow"...the Orcadian that followed must be one of the longest we've ever played for!
No news on the baby front yet but Susan's gone beyond her due date so it won't be long now!
Posted at 8:33 on 6th March 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were delighted to be able to play last night for charity Smiles who do loads to help needy folk in Romania (somewhere Jenny, Chris and Susan visited in 2002 on a house-building mission!).
The evening was organised by Ann and the night went really well. The dancefloor was jam packed with brilliant dancing (wish I'd brought my camera with me to get some live footage). As well as a raffle, auction and food from a local pizza place we also enjoyed a debut performance from a talented young pipe band.
Everytime he hears the word "Troon", Raymie will always remember this gig.
Posted at 8:08 on 27th February 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band will look slightly different over the next 3 months- Susan is now off on maternity leave. Last night was her last gig for a while, with a little Stirling due to arrive soonish!
Last night we were playing at the Hilton Grosvenor, Glasgow for Catriona's 50th birthday party. The crowd, buffet and band were fantastic, even if I do say so myself! Ewan, Chris and Jenny were savouring Susan's fiddling...will be weird being without her for so long but we're excited about another Jiggered Junior arriving!
Posted at 13:55 on 6th February 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were delighted to be playing at Destiny Church, Glasgow for their Burns' Ceilidh. We were given a wee room to chill out in and enjoyed some haggis, neeps, tatties at the break (during which time Ewan compared Jenny to Dumbo, which understandably didn't go down too well!).
Our sets went down really well and hopefully we'll be able to ceilidh for the Destiny crowd again in the future. Thanks to Louise who booked us and the sound guys too who helped us all night too.
Posted at 13:24 on 23rd January 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing at a 40th birthday party in Carmichael Halls, Giffnock. It was a brilliant night for a number of reasons:
1. The crowd were ultra-enthusiastic, filling the floor again and again.
2. The support act during our break were QP's U2 tribute act- "One Love" was class.
3. The buffet was straight from Domino's Pizza- yum!
Up and running for 2011- it's going to be a really busy year!
Posted at 16:09 on 22nd January 2011 by
