On Tuesday 17th of April HotScotch Ceilidh Band will be playing at Edinburgh’s Bongo Club as part of the regular series of ceilidhs run by The Ceilidh Club. Then dancing starts at 8.20pm and tickets are £6 on the door.
Accordionist Paul Chamberlain is also the band’s caller and will teach the dances, so the event is great for everyone from complete beginners to experienced ceilidh dancers.
Last Friday evening, HotScotch Ceilidh Band played at one of their favourite venues in Edinburgh – “The Hub”. Right at the top of the Royal mile below the historic Edinburgh Castle, The Hub creates a magical atmosphere for any wedding ceilidh, party or corporate event in the heart of Scotland’s capital city.
It is ideal for ceilidh dancing, with a vast wooden floor complete with staging facilities for the ceilidh band. HotScotch have played there on numerous occasions and some of the video clips on their website were taken at The Hub.
Originally built as a church and General Assembly hall, The Hub’s dramatic and stylish interiors offer a sublime setting for celebrations, with all rooms licensed for civil ceremonies.
The Hub, Edinburgh’s iconic landmark, towers over the heart of the world’s leading festival city, gloriously dominating the skyline on the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood.
This Unique and spectacular venue is a stunning combination of award winning contemporary design and classic Victorian architecture. The Hub’s interior pulsates with colour and light, providing a magnificent setting for any event.
The Hub has one of the largest dance floors in the capital and can cater for large-scale events. It also has brilliant acoustics which is so important in order to have the very best sound for live music. A truly spectacular venue for Ceilidh Dancing in Edinburgh.
Scottish Ceilidh Bands Around the World
At this time of year, many Scottish Ceilidh Bands travel overseas to play for St. Andrew’s Day events. These are often coupled with other ceilidhs or Scottish Country Dance teaching and dancing sessions. Ceilidh Bands in Glasgow, Ceilidh Bands in Edinburgh and those from all over Scotland, are regularly invited out to play for these events around the world.
Due to the vast number of Scottish Expatriates around the world, there are a great many Scottish societies which hold events for their members. Bringing traditional Scottish music to them provides a highlight to the calendar, and also helps to show the Scottish culture to their friends and colleagues
Scottish Societies
The St Andrew Society has a comprehensive list of organisations around the world dedicated to Scottish music and culture.
Many of these St Andrew’s Societies, Caledonian Societies and other Scottish clubs do a great amount of fundraising and charity work in their respective countries.
Paul Chamberlain, accordionist of HotScotch Ceilidh Band had been invited out play at many such events and has been out to play for festivals in Russia several times.
Historical Links between Scotland and Russia
Russia and Scotland have had long historical links from the Middle Ages onwards. Hundreds of Scottish names have become renowned in Russian history, industrial development and culture.
Many Russians can claim Scottish ancestry dating back to 16th-century immigrants and retain an interest in the country. Indeed there is a wide following in Russia for Robert Burns. The former Soviet Union even issued a commemorative stamp featuring the bard and them cherished as a working class hero.
The Bard is so popular in Russia that fans there claim to have more Burns clubs than Scotland. All of his poetry has been translated into Russian and it is taught in the country’s schools.
Russia also has a thriving Caledonian Society, based in a Scottish cultural centre in Moscow, and a network of St Andrew’s societies organising social and cultural events.
With Russia’s economy enjoying rapid growth in recent years and the plan by the Scottish government to establish a Tartan Week in Moscow, would bring substantial economic opportunities for Scotland.
Accordion Festivals in St. Petersburg
Accordionist Paul Chamberlain was invited out to play at both the Baltica Harmonica Festival and the International Festival of Music for Accordion. His Scottish music was given a great reception by the Russian audiences and this resulted in a subsequent return to Moscow to take part in a two-week festival of Scottish Culture.
Festival of Scottish Culture in Moscow
During this festival Paul took part in performances in Gorky Park, The Central House of Artists, Arbat Street, Vermel Club, Toshka Nightclub, as well as a three-day visit to the city of Lipetsk to perform concerts there.
HotScotch Ceilidh Band from Edinburgh are one of the many Scottish Ceilidh Bands who are invited out to play for events abroad in countries such as Bahrain, Greece, Monaco and Russia.
On Tuesday 20th of December HotScotch Ceilidh Band will be playing at Edinburgh’s Bongo Club as part of the regular series of ceilidhs run by The Ceilidh Club. Then dancing starts at 8.20pm and tickets are £6 on the door.
This is a great chance to come along for a night of ceilidh dancing and get in some practise for Hogmanay!
Accordionist Paul Chamberlain is also the band’s caller and will teach the dances, so the event is great for everyone from complete beginners to experienced ceilidh dancers. 
The Bongo Club
37 Holyrood Road
Edinburgh
EH8 8BA
HotScotch Ceilidh Band in Italy – September 2011
In September 2011, HotScotch Ceilidh Band travelled out to Italy to play for a wedding in Castello di Vincigliata near Fiesole. Set in the rolling Tuscan hills overlooking Florence, this proved to be a fantastic setting for a wedding reception. The medieval castle has been restored by it’s current family owners to provide a spacious, luxurious venue to celebrate and along with lovely sunshine and beautiful catering, it is simply stunning.
The mixture of Scottish and Australian guests really enjoyed the Scottish Ceilidh Dancing and the function suite provided ample space for dancing. As ever, accordionist Paul Chamberlain did the calling for the ceilidh dances to ensure that everybody could join in even if this was the first time they had ever been to a ceilidh. The band consisted of Paul Chamberlain on Accordion, Steve Moffat on Fiddle, and Jim Walker on Drums.
A very experienced Ceilidh Band
HotScotch Ceilidh Band have a vast amount of experience in playing for wedding receptions, and have played for over 300 events in the last five years. They know what works and what doesn’t and can give helpful guidance when planning your evening reception.
Popular Ceilidh Dances
Popular ceilidh dances such as the Dashing White Sargeant, Eightsome Reel, Strip the Willow and the Gay Gordons are ideal to include in your ceilidh which is a great way to ensure social interaction during the event along with a lot of fun and enjoyment.
Whether you are planning your function in Scotland or abroad, HotScotch Ceilidh band will ensure that things go smoothly and with first class music you will not be disappointed.
Some advice on choosing a venue for your wedding reception
Choosing the right venue in which to hold your wedding reception is extremely important and will ensure that the event runs smoothly, your guests enjoy themselves and there are adequate facilities for the successful entertainment.
Some popular types of venues are hotels, village halls, sports and social clubs, marquees and historic buildings.
Hotels
Probably the vast majority of couples opt to have their wedding reception in a hotel. This is usually the most straightforward option as the hotel will be able to provide catering facilities and a bar in situ.
There is great variance between the sizes of rooms and dancefloors that are contained within hotel suites. Older buildings tend to have a proper dancefloor which may be covered with carpets in normal circumstances. Many newer hotel venues will have a floor which is put together whilst the room is being turned round after the meal has finished. These tend to be fairly small in most cases and can also come apart slightly with vigorous dancing if not assembled correctly. If you are hiring a Scottish ceilidh band for your reception then it is a good idea to check with the hotel that there is sufficient space for dancing.
The larger the dancing space, the better as this will ensure that there is plenty of room especially when it comes to ceilidh dancing.
Village Halls
Village halls can provide an excellent setting for a wedding reception and tend to have a wooden floor for dancing, plenty of space and often a stage at one end for the band, giving a nice rustic setting. Hiring a village hall may also be a cheaper option than a hotel, but mobile caterers will need to be brought in to provide the meal and bar. It is worth checking out the kitchen facilities to make sure they are adequate for a catering company to use.
Sports and Social Clubs
Again, with these, most of the time you would need to hire in outside caterers for the meal, but many of these venues will already have a bar. Social clubs are built around entertainment and so usually have a stage and decent size of floor area. They may also have their own sound system and lighting.
Marquees
Marquees are another popular venue in which to hold a wedding reception. There are a vast range of sizes available to suit different occasions and capacities. Mobile toilet facilities may have to be hired if the marquee is not attached to another venue, and outside catering would be needed. Some hotels set up a semi-permanent marquee in their grounds for the summer season and these will generally have facilities like a bar, built in. Depending on the weather, Marquees can be a little cold and damp at times, or hot and humid so many are supplied with heaters or dehumidifiers to cope with this.
Historic Buildings
These have become popular venues over the last few years to make to occasion even more special. Places such as Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Blair Castle, Traquair House, Linlithgow Palace regularly host weddings, to name but a few. Some of these venues may have tighter regulations in terms of what they will and will not allow, for example most will insist that you use their recommended caterers, and may also have restrictions on sound levels, the use of lighting and effects machines which some forms of entertainment like discos may use.
As can be seen, there are many different types of venue where a wedding reception can be hosted. As the entertainment is key to having a good night, the space and facilities available must be considered so that if you book a ceilidh band for instance, they have adequate room to set up and a power supply. Most importantly in this situation, there should be a level, adequately-sized dancefloor where your guests can enjoy Scottish ceilidh dancing.
The increasing popularity of Ceilidh Bands for Wedding Receptions
As anybody who has organised a wedding will know, planning and preparation is key to ensuring a successful day. As important as the actually marriage ceremony, is the evening reception and arranging the best entertainment for your guests, to ensure an enjoyable, fun evening. There are many options to choose from but the increasing demand for high quality live music has helped to raise the popularity of Ceilidh dancing as a choice of entertainment for wedding receptions. There are many aspects to consider when deciding on a band, some of which are discussed below.
Making the right choice of ceilidh band
Ceilidh Bands come in all sorts of sizes and line-ups, and it is often down to personal preference which style of playing one prefers. The traditional line-up of Accordion, Fiddle and Drums can be augmented to include other instruments such as bagpipes, guitars, keyboard and double bass. One should also be satisfied when deciding on a band, that they use high quality, professional audio equipment capable of providing crystal clear sound.
Which are the most common dances?
Most Scottish Ceilidh Bands will have a caller, who will ensure that if some guests are not sure what to do, need a reminder or have never done ceilidh dancing before, then they’ll be able to join in without any problems and have a great night. Usually the caller will talk the guests through the dances and may also do a walk-through prior to beginning each dance. Some of the most popular dances are The Gay Gordons, Strip the Willow, The Dashing White Sergeant, The Flying Scotsman, Military Two-Step, The Eightsome Reel, Canadian Barn Dance, The Virginia Reel, The Cumberland Square Eight, and The Orcadian Strip the Willow.
How large does the dance floor need to be for Ceildh Dancing?
All hotels and wedding venues will either have a dance floor built into the room, or will put one down prior to the evening function commencing. These vary greatly in size, but the generally, the larger the dancing area, the better.
Ceilidh and Disco Combination
Many Scottish Ceilidh Bands now offer an evening consisting of both Ceilidh Dancing and Disco music. This can be the perfect combination to cater for all tastes during the function and much more economical than hiring a Ceilidh Band and a separate DJ. It is usually possible to request certain tracks to be either played or avoided during the disco. Some couples decide to provide a complete playlist for the DJ, while others will make a list of the favourites to be included in the evening. Disco lighting is important and the addition of professional lighting effects makes the complete Ceilidh/Disco package.
On Tuesday 15th of March HotScotch Ceilidh Band will be playing at Edinburgh’s Bongo Club as part of the regular series of ceilidhs run by The Ceilidh Club. Then dancing starts at 8.20pm and tickets are £6 on the door.
Accordionist Paul Chamberlain is also the band’s caller and will teach the dances, so the event is great for everyone from complete beginners to experienced ceilidh dancers.
The Bongo Club
37 Holyrood Road
Edinburgh
EH8 8BA
HotScotch Ceilidh Band had a busy weekend, playing for two Student Balls in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Edinburgh Veterinary Student Society Burns Night Ceilidh was held at the Summerhall buildings in Edinburgh – part of the Dick Vet School, and was a great evening. The traditional meal of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, was followed by rousing renditions of some of Robert Burns’ best known works such as Tam o’ Shanter.
Robert Burns was born on the 25th of January 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire and he was one of the pioneers of the Romantic Movement. His songs, and poetry are well known across the world and people celebrate his birth each year by reminiscing and giving renditions of his works at Burns Suppers.
Saturday evening saw the ceilidh band play for another Student Ball in one of Glasgow’s best city centre venues – the Thistle Hotel. The Thistle has a beautiful big ballroom and with over 400 in attendance the floor was filled all evening. The band was delighted to have Andrew Gifford joining them on fiddle for the evening. Andrew is one of Scotland’s best Shetland Fiddlers and one of the members of the group Fiddler’s Bid.
The evening finished off with a couple of hours of Disco from the band’s resident DJ Paul Chamberlain. HotScotch Ceilidh Band Edinburgh have a sound and lighting system capable of handling all sizes of venues, with additional speakers that can be brought in where required for larger or outdoor venues.
HotScotch Ceilidh Band have been busy over the last few weeks and after hectic festive season, the band is looking forward to another successful year of playing for ceilidh dancing in 2011.
Dalhousie Castle & Spa
They recently played for events in Edinburgh University’s Teviot Row for a sports society, the spectacular Dalhousie Castle, just outside Edinburgh, Bathgate’s newest venue, the Vu, as well as regular venues in central Edinburgh, the George Hotel and the Balmoral Hotel.
Kenmore Hotel near Aberfeldy
Accordionist Paul Chamberlain, was invited to play for a splendid Hogmanay ceilidh at the Kenmore Hotel near Aberfeldy. There was a great crowd of ceilidh dancers who were on the floor all evening. Just before midnight, everybody went outside where a spectacular fireworks display took place in the centre of the village. After that, it was back to the ballroom to begin the New Year with a Gay Gordons.
2011 looks to be another eventful year for Paul and the band, so if you are looking for a dynamic, professional Scottish Ceilidh Band for your function, please contact Paul either by phone or email to discuss how HotScotch Ceilidh Band can make yours a successful, enjoyable night to remember. The band travel all over Scotland and the UK, with regular appearances abroad.
Scottish Ceilidh Bands Around the World
At this time of year, many Scottish Ceilidh Bands travel overseas to play for St. Andrew’s Day events. These are often coupled with other ceilidhs or Scottish Country Dance teaching and dancing sessions. Ceilidh Bands in Glasgow, Ceilidh Bands in Edinburgh and those from all over Scotland, are regularly invited out to play for these events around the world.
Due to the vast number of Scottish Expatriates around the world, there are a great many Scottish societies which hold events for their members. Bringing traditional Scottish music to them provides a highlight to the calendar, and also helps to show the Scottish culture to their friends and colleagues
Scottish Societies
The St Andrew Society has a comprehensive list of organisations around the world dedicated to Scottish music and culture.
Many of these St Andrew’s Societies, Caledonian Societies and other Scottish clubs do a great amount of fundraising and charity work in their respective countries.
Paul Chamberlain, accordionist of HotScotch Ceilidh Band had been invited out play at many such events and has been out to play for festivals in Russia several times.
Historical Links between Scotland and Russia
Russia and Scotland have had long historical links from the Middle Ages onwards. Hundreds of Scottish names have become renowned in Russian history, industrial development and culture.
Many Russians can claim Scottish ancestry dating back to 16th-century immigrants and retain an interest in the country. Indeed there is a wide following in Russia for Robert Burns. The former Soviet Union even issued a commemorative stamp featuring the bard and them cherished as a working class hero.
The Bard is so popular in Russia that fans there claim to have more Burns clubs than Scotland. All of his poetry has been translated into Russian and it is taught in the country’s schools.
Russia also has a thriving Caledonian Society, based in a Scottish cultural centre in Moscow, and a network of St Andrew’s societies organising social and cultural events.
With Russia’s economy enjoying rapid growth in recent years and the plan by the Scottish government to establish a Tartan Week in Moscow, would bring substantial economic opportunities for Scotland.
Accordion Festivals in St. Petersburg
Accordionist Paul Chamberlain was invited out to play at both the Baltica Harmonica Festival and the International Festival of Music for Accordion. His Scottish music was given a great reception by the Russian audiences and this resulted in a subsequent return to Moscow to take part in a two-week festival of Scottish Culture.
Festival of Scottish Culture in Moscow
During this festival Paul took part in performances in Gorky Park, The Central House of Artists, Arbat Street, Vermel Club, Toshka Nightclub, as well as a three-day visit to the city of Lipetsk to perform concerts there.
HotScotch Ceilidh Band from Edinburgh are one of the many Scottish Ceilidh Bands who are invited out to play for events abroad in countries such as Bahrain, Greece, Monaco and Russia.
