Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back in Troon (it's fast becoming one of our most frequented towns!). This time we were singing "Happy Birthday to you" to the birthday girls, Emma and Joanne who turn 18 this month.
It was a brilliant night- the crowd were young and lively. They filled the floor all night and four hours of ceilidh still didn't manage to completely sap all their energy from them!
First gig of 2012- off to a flier!
Posted at 0:30 on 7th January 2012 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band returned from their weekend off to a double gig. The first of these was Garnock Academy's school prom, held at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow. We've done a few school proms over the years...this one had a huge variety of ball gowns on display!
I'm asked from time to time if I'm close to the band- I certainly was last night....we had to squeeze onto a tiny stage that we were sharing with a DJ. It was certainly nice and cosy.
We only did one and a half hour set but the kids were really keen and got up on the floor for every dance. And it was lovely to catch up with the school's Miss Goldie who was a student teacher at my school for a while.
Posted at 7:35 on 18th June 2011 by
...but we didn't take too much offence ;)
Last night Jiggered Ceilidh Band (not to be confused with any other similarly named ceilidh bands with equally bad jig-related puns) were playing at Glasgow's Piping Centre for Glasgow's Scool of Art and Agriculture Grad Ball. Chris and Ewan arrived early and started to get set up...Chris managed to pull a zip off one of the bags of our equipment...then he got caught on the banner stand hook, tearing a chunk of flesh off his index finger....he released the hook only for it to rip the banner stand! Good start!!
Thankfully the event itself ran smoothly. The graduates needed no coaxing- they streamed onto the floor for every dance and enjoyed a brilliant evening of ceilidh-so did we!
Posted at 6:16 on 9th June 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were out and about yet again in April 2011. This time we headed across to the capital for Edinburgh University's Music Department Graduation Ball. It's always a wee bit of added pressure playing in front of a crowd you know are talented musicians but the ceilidh went down a storm (thanks in part to the venue's resident sound engineer Malcy)!
It was our first time playing at Ghille Dhu, a fun, quirky, really cool venue. They are well into ceilidh there and we were proud to join the proud ceilidh tradition (they've even got a picture on their website of naked ceilidh. No thanks).
Posted at 14:44 on 29th April 2011 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were in action again last night, this time on board The Ferry. It was the 2010 Grad Ball for the RSAMD. The students had some concerns after the ceilidh band at last year's event only played FOUR dances before leaving. Jiggered played a solid 2 hour set and the response from the graduating students was incredible! It was the first time Jiggered have played on a boat before (our "dressing room" felt like the inside of a submarine)!
This was also the first ceilidh for Ewan after his recent kidney transplant and not only did he have a fully functioning kidney, he also had a brand new drum kit! I'll get a photo of his operation staples for a future blog!
Posted at 8:04 on 7th July 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band played at Strathclyde Univeristy's spectacular Barony Hall on Saturday. This was the location for many of our uni exams- nightmares revisited!! It was a ceilidh for some Engineers and since Chris was on holiday it was a three-piece band!
Posted at 6:55 on 4th July 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing at Glasgow's Thistle Hotel last night. It was the annual ball for the Christian Unions across Glasgow. The function room had an enormous dance floor but it was packed with energetic and enthusiastic students- it was a fantastic night.
And just before 11pm the fire alarm started ringing- everyone went outside and we had to wait for about 20 minutes before getting back in! Definitely a Jiggered first- we'll remember this ceilidh for a long time!
Posted at 7:40 on 22nd May 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back at Strathclyde Union this time for a Malawi fundraiser. It's always great to be back in the venue where it all started for us back in 2002 (eight years ago- that's mad). Vertigo was quieter than usual but the dancers were enthusiastic and we enjoyed our night as usual...Ewan bought 5 tickets for the raffle and Jenny bought 2. They ended up winning three times although they decided not to claim prize number three! Maybe the second prize (the ropey looking Ginger Tam's) put them off!
Posted at 11:23 on 17th April 2010 by
It was weird that the same week Jiggered Ceilidh Band got an enquiry to see if we'd go to play in Slovakia in November, we also performed at an International Ceilidh! David Wilson is a top guy and along with his wife provides a home, family and regular ceilidhs for International students. We're always glad to come along to Adelaides on Bath Street, Glasgow and play to a packed room and even more crowded dance floor.
The response after this latest ceilidh was amongst the best ever...comments like "you've never been to a ceilidh until you've been to a Jiggered ceilidh", "Jiggered are the best band in Glasgow...no...Scotland" and "fantastic....Chris is incredible on the keys and holds the band together" (yes, that last one is a really a genuine quote). It seems our fanbase is spreading to Namibia, Russia....
Anyway, we'll be back!!
Posted at 23:33 on 20th March 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were in action for Burns' Night. This year we were playing in Strathclyde Union- it was on Level 8 (Vertigo) and brought back loads of good memories since the Union was where it all started for us back in 2002. The room was packed with students who were ceilidhing enthusiastically from 10 till 12.
The night got off to a bit of a ropey start when our drummer Andi (filling in for kidney-less Ewan) locked his flat keys in the flat leaving him drum-less. Thankfully we managed to get a hold of a set in time for the gig kicking off.
That's us until Saturday when we have a wedding in Kilsyth.
Posted at 16:15 on 26th January 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back playing at Glasgow University's QM Union. For the past three years we've been asked to play a ceilidh for the Statistics Department, while they've hosted an international Statistics event.
During our break this time we were treated to some Greek dancing, trained waltzers and a song performed by the event's organiser Adrian Bowman (who teamed up with Jiggered who learned the music during the break!!).
It's great to get back into the Student Unions in Glasgow where it all started for Jiggered. We also really enjoy teaching ceilidh dances to those who've never seen them before and this was the perfect opportunity to do that!
One word of warning for anyone who is going to be bringing equipment up in the QM lift...the doors shut quite violently!!
Posted at 6:11 on 4th September 2009 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band first got together at Strathclyde University Christian Union. We were all members of the Praise Team and in 2002 formed our own ceilidh band to play at student events! Our blend of Scottish, contemporary and Christian music is really popular.
Posted at 16:41 on 3rd June 2009 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were taking a break from weddings last night when we played for the combined Glasgow CUs ball. It was a serious case of deja vu, considering Jiggered formed while at Strathclyde Christian Union 7 years ago.
Ewan had other commitments so it was Mr Ben Rose on drums. Ben has drummed for Jiggered on loads of occassions. In particular, when Ewan left to visit Australia for a year it was Ben left "holding the sticks"!
I was wearing a TShirt with the pi symbol which proved to be a major convesation piece...so much so that one student told me the following Maths joke:
A mathematician walks up to a bar and orders a pint. His friend orders half a pint, their next friend orders a quarter of a pint, the next friend an eighth of a pint....the barman is getting annoyed at this point and says 'Right, that's enough guys! Here you go' and pours two pints!!
The most surreal moment was when a ceilidher asked Jenny to sing one of her own songs. One about a duck. Jenny (ever keen to satisfy a customer) obliged and sang this obscure song!
It was a lot of fun and the Marriot was packed with dancers- hope to do this event again in the future!!
Posted at 7:07 on 23rd May 2009 by
