The Highland Thistle Pipe Band
We are proud to be more a bunch of friends who enjoy playing music together, and having a few drinks (now that's an understatement!), than a competing pipe band. We are based in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires (that's in Argentina, in case you were wondering).
We perform in several events during the year in support of the local British community and in events that promote Scottish music and culture. We are available for paying gigs, although we are a bit picky on when and where we play. However, if you need us to liven up a gathering, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The band was formed by what we euphemistically call the seniors in April 1982, right in the midst of the Malvinas War (Falklands if you are such inclined) although that had nothing to do with it. The story goes that they had a few too many drinks in Dicken's Pub (a local pub in Olivos) and decided: what the hell, we'll form our own band and do whatever we want! Our first P/M was Ronnie Smink, who skippered the ship up until 2005, when he sort of decided he'd had enough of us bunch of misfits and retired to his country club house. You can read more about the history of piping in South America here.
Oscar Llobenes took over as P/M and, musician that he is, decided we needed to concentrate on the way we sounded... well what does he know, right? Well, we did win the Scottish Pipe Band Association of South America (SPBASA) "South American Champions" title in 2010, 2019, and 2022! We've also travelled to compete at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow in 2017 in Grade 4B, and advancing to Grade 4A in2022. We even came in 2nd place at Grade 3 level with our Medley!