With new drum section, Shotts plans to light up 2025 Pre-World’s concert

Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia have been one of the UK off-season’s most prominent newsmakers, and they look to continue to keep the spotlight focused with tickets going on sale for the 2025 “Pre-World’s Concert” at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Concert organizers Glasgow Skye Association confirmed the event, which had been rumoured for months.

The concert is being called “SOLAS”—or “light” in Gaelic—as a tip of the miner’s helmet to the band’s hometown old slogan, “Shotts lights the world” when it was a major coal and ironworks manufacturer that sold gas-lamps worldwide.

Founded in 1910, Shotts & Dykehead is one of the world’s longest-running civilian pipe bands, winning 16 World Championships over its 115-year history.

Pre-World’s concerts present two hours or more of material, creating a daunting task for any band, and especially for Shotts’s new drum section and Lead-Drummer David Henderson, who left Grade 1 Police Scotland & Federation in early February to join their Lanarkshire rivals.

Henderson took over the lead-drummer role from Grant Cassidy, who had held the post for two seasons. Lead-drummers at the top levels almost always compose original scores for their band.

In a statement, Pipe-Major Emmett Conway indicated that the concert will feature both new and established material, taking advantage of the musical talent within the pipe section, which is regarded as one of the best in the world. He said that concert-goers can also expect special guests to take the stage.

SOLAS will be the fourth time that Shotts has headlined the Pre-World’s Concert, which Glasgow Skye has promoted every year since 1994.

Tickets for SOLAS are £37.90 and available online from the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.