Invitation to perform at another international tattoo

Kirsty Macnicol
The Southland Times
November 24, 2001

THE City of Invercargill Caledonian Pipe Band has accepted an invitation to perform at another international tattoo.
The band, which performed at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland in 1998, New Zealand in 2000 and the Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Canada this year, has been given top billing at the Australian Federation Tattoo to be held at Ballarat, near Melbourne, in January.
Pipe major David Pickett said the tattoo, in its fourth year, was held in a specially constructed stadium, complete with castle backdrop.
The Invercargill band had been asked to take part in the opening and
closing massed band performances, along with an 11-minute solo spot
showcasing Pipin ' Hot.
"Eleven minutes is a generous time because our previous acts (at other tattoos) have been four and five-minute lengths," Mr Pickett said. "We are being billed as internationally acclaimed...it's quite a feather in our caps, and it's something we've got to live up to. It means that every time we go out it must be a top, international performance." The band will be playing alongside the Victoria Police Pipe Band, from Australia _ world champion in 1999. Other performers include television personality Denis Walter and his choir, the Australian Army Band and the Adelaide Celts broadsword dance troupe.
The tattoo runs from January 25 to 27 but the band will be in Australia for five nights to take in rehearsals.
During the show, a special tribute will be made to the men and women of the armed services, entitled Spirit of the Anzacs.
Mr Pickett said with that in mind, the Invercargill set would include When the Pipers Play, a song about the role of bagpipes in war and the signature tune on the Pipin ' Hot CD, to be released next month.
Orders for the CD were already coming in and the band planned to take a supply to Australia where the tattoo crowd was estimated at 10,000, he said.
Mastering of the album was finished in Sydney last week and the band
expects to receive the finished product about two weeks before Christmas. A launch has been planned for December 13.