EDINBURGH 2023: Review: THUNDERSTRUCK, Scottish Story Telling Centre

What’s it really like to play the bagpipes? Should you ever meet your heroes? Thunderstruck is a dazzling one-man show where David Colvin retells the tale of a young piper from Fife, from when he picked up his first chanter to stumbling across, Gordon Duncan, a bin man from Pitlochry who was also a fellow piper, and pioneer in stretching the rules on what you could play on a set of bagpipes, who leaves an impact on the young piper forever.

Colvin, who also wrote the piece, takes us through the ranks of school pipe band practises to the big leagues when competing at the annual world piping championships that dominate Glasgow’s streets in the summer. Antics and anecdotes from band trips beyond the Scottish border to the likes of France and back are wittily worn together, with Colvin seamlessly taking on a variety of characters, from his grumpy pipe tutor to his contemporaries.

The show is interactive in places, but Colvin always invites you to partner in the story with warmth and gentleness, whether you’re joining in with a singsong, or a lucky individual who might be asked to join him on stage. You can also just sit back and enjoy some cracking music in between the musings on a lifetime in pipe bands.

Accompanied by three other musicians on drums, bass and electric, the group make a tight sound, blending genres and clearly have a great time while going it. As thrilling as the show is, the venue choice could be better considered as the sound mix was often overwhelming in this particularly intimate space (as is often the challenge with bagpipes being played indoors, with no offence meant to the performers) but this may well have been intended despite this appreciative reviewer’s sensitive ears!

A masterful 75 minutes of storytelling directed by Tom Freeman, and a treat for those very much in the trad music scene or are only experiencing it for the first time while visiting Edinburgh, Thunderstruck should not be missed!

Thunderstruck at the Scottish Storytelling Centre until 28 August

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