Light my fire: Liddell launches Piping Live! with massive riffing

. . . of complete bagpipe collapse to end a set, which earlier had included playing “The Battle of Waterloo” while seated, using his knees to cover the bell holes and produce super-low notes. Over the top? Well, yes probably (Stuart himself reckoned it was the first and last time he’d have a shot at Fred’s piping-catastrophe routine), but tremendously entertaining and good fun.

After some excellent and flawless 2/4 marches, Stuart rounded things off with “Troy’s Wedding” and Alan MacDonald’s “Viennese Waltz” – a guaranteed jaw-dropper and a perfect way to finish the afternoon.

I’d imagine that anyone who hadn’t heard Stuart giving a recital before would have left the room completely incredulous. For those of us who have, this 70 minutes of piping just re-affirmed the fact that Stuart is an unbelievable talent and really first-class entertainment value – he can do anything, he clearly has great fun doing it, and he has such a wonderful way of making it all look so easy. He might not be able to play with his pipes behind his head (I don’t think), but let’s face it, he really doesn’t need to, does he?

Jenny Hazzard is a rock star piper in her own right, competing successfully in top-level solo competitions for the last 20 years. The job she left at lunch to listen to Liddell is in geological engineering. She lives in Edinburgh.