History

See the band in action!

The description of Portobello Ceilidh Band in 'The Scotsman' newspaper as one of the 5 best ceilidh bands around underlines the outfit's position as one of the leading lights in the field of Scottish traditional dance music and calling. Which is not surprising considering the wealth of experience the band's players bring to each ceilidh dance.

PCB started life in the bohemian and culturally buzzing little seaside town close to Edinburgh where art and music thrive. In Portobello the salty air mixes with the eccentric, the genteel and the honky-tonk to provide a heady brew. Some of Scotland's best traditional players live in the area which makes for some pretty special house-parties; it was at one of these get-togethers that PCB was spawned. Originally PCB was made up entirely of Portobello players. Time went past, musicians moved on to form other bands such as Burach, Rock Salt and Nails. Now PCB's present line-up has evolved to include a Blairgowrie chiel, a Shetlander, a Dumfries loon, and Invernessian - and one quine from Stockbridge.

The musical and the cultural nets have spread wide for PCB. All the while the band has stayed loyal to its roots, to the reason it was started in the first place - to promote the music and the dance of Scotland in a way which cherishes both at the same time as making them them accessible, relevant and...................FUN! Above all, if it's not fun it's not worth the candle. If dancers are worried about getting everything "right" they don't have fun. With Portobello Ceilidh Band's infectious rhythms lifting them along and Wilma's sensitive calling showing them how, dancers regularly amaze themselves both with what they master and at how much fun they have. Dancing is as natural as breathing, after all - it's almost as easy and has been around nearly as long. See these cave paintings? - a quick Petronella and then off to slay a woolly mammoth. And that's a fact.

And her's another fact. Portobello Ceilidh Band holds the record for the Longest Strip the Willow in the World. At the Night Afore New Year street celebrations in Edinburgh, Wilma inspired 5,000 dancers from all over the world into the largest and possibly the happiest set dance ever. Now that's one BIG jig!