World Pipe Band Championship 2 days away!

[OC Richard]

For those who don't follow pipe band competition, the World Pipe Band Championships are this Saturday, 13 Aug, in Glasgow Green.

It's the largest and best pipe band event on Earth. (The Edinburgh Tattoo isn't even close.)

There's always well over 200 bands there, around 230 or so. Most of the bands are from the epicentres of piping, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but there are plenty of bands from all over the world: Eire, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, the Middle East. In 2007 there was even a band from Brazil.

For all of those who can't attend in person, the BBC live streams The Worlds on the internet.

It's almost like being there! Except for standing in the rain for eight hours, your ghillies waterlogged, mud splattered all over your white hose, and eight thousand pipers and drummers trying to pack themselves into a single Beer Tent.

There's voiceover commentary by Bob Worrall, which I like because he hears quite a few things I can't hear.

I'll be up at 1am this Saturday, seeing how our local guys The LA Scots do in the Grade One Qualifying Heat. (In Grade One, a certain number of bands prequalify for the Final in the afternoon; all the rest have to qualify in the morning.)