BATTLE OF THE BAGPIPES REVIEW: AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS

If Marmite were a musical instrument, it would be a set of bagpipes – a fact acknowledged early in Sky Arts’ docuseries Battle of the Bagpipes. “The sound of the pipes is like nothing else,” said Northern Ireland pipe band leader Richard Parkes. “Either you like it or don’t like it.”

Parkes was speaking as his Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band prepared for the World Pipe Band Championship in Glasgow – the “battle” referred to in the title of this worthy-but-dull documentary, which followed musicians from across Britain and Ireland vying for the biggest prize in piping.

Everyone involved stressed the fiercely competitive nature of the championships. “Pipes have been a huge part of my life since I was born,” said Finlay MacDonald of the National Piping Centre in Glasgow. “They’re not just an instrument. They’re way more than that.”

Like all the piping enthusiasts interviewed for the three-part series, he spoke with fervent emotion and there was certainly no lack of interesting stories. How disappointing, then, that little of the pipers’ passion was reflected in the tone of a plodding doc that mostly played a bum note. Parkes, of Field Marshal Montgomery, had piped all his life but 20 years ago suffered a stroke. “I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to play again,” he said. “My whole playing experience is different.” There was surely more to be said about his journey back to health. Alas, it was quickly glossed over.

Battle of the Bagpipes was on surer ground when it delved into the evolution of the instrument. People have played variations of the bagpipes for thousands of years and ancient pipes have even been found on the Syria-Iraq border. However, the Scottish pipes have their own unique history, linked to political tensions between Highland clans. “They were always an instrument of war. Their sheer volume speaks to that,” said Dr Calum Robertson of National Museums Scotland.

In the 19th century, the Scottish Highland pipes became synonymous with the British Empire, and to this day there is a strong connection between piping and the military. This relationship was explored with a visit to Redford Barracks outside Edinburgh, where recruits to the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming received instruction.

“I’ve been in the Army three years now,” said one soldier, Kevin Gunn. “I needed a bit of discipline. I was a wee bit of a nutcase.” He was a likeable chap, and I would have liked to spend more time with him.

But instead, it was back to the civilian bands as they practised for the World Championships. We were introduced to Kerr McQuillan, a lead drummer with Scotland’s Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band from Bathgate Scotland. As with Richard Parkes, McQuillan had grown up with bagpipes and always dreamed of becoming a lead drummer in a pipe band. Receiving that accolade with Boghall and Bathgate – while still a teenager – was, he said, “the best day of my life.”

A more imaginative film might have leaned into these human moments. Sadly, Sky Arts was reluctant to serve up any genuine drama. Instead, it gave us endless scenes of band members rehearsing and of Richard Parkes and other pipe leaders delivering Sergeant Major-style instructions to their musicians.

You might say a series about pipers should include lots of piping. That’s well and good, but music, whatever the instrument or genre, is ultimately about people connecting with one another. There were some great stories to be told here, but they were drowned out by Battle of the Bagpipes’ determination to be just another box-ticking documentary by numbers.

‘Battle of the Bagpipes’ continues next Wednesday at 9pm on Sky Arts.

2024-07-03T20:08:01Z dg43tfdfdgfd