In 2011, five kilted teenage boys from Florida became viral sensations after a video of their flawless drumming and stick-flipping at their high school talent show captivated 29 million viewers.
The story begins when Dylan Charles, a student at Florida’s Lake Howell High School, decided to revive the Hot Scots, a drumline originally formed in the 1990s. Although the original group lasted only a few years, the new Hot Scots were about to make their mark, thanks to Dylan and his friends Nigel Fernandez, Matt, Elias, and Jordan, who delivered a jaw-dropping performance at their school’s talent show.
“We just played some of our favorite drum corps excerpts, and then Nigel and I filled in the rest,” said Dylan, the Hot Scots snare player, in an interview with Drumlines of America (DOA).
What Dylan didn’t mention, however, was how the boys, all dressed in kilts, turned their performance into an unforgettable spectacle. The routine was a mix of impeccable drumming, rapid-fire stick tricks, choreographed moves, comedic skits, and crowd-pleasing moments. At one point, the drummers paused and used their sticks as microphones to sing Rick Astley’s 1987 hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
After belting out a few lines, they jumped back into drumming, only to be interrupted by one of the players shouting, “Awww, I lost the game!”
The grand finale came when the boys turned around, lifted their kilts, and playfully moonied the thrilled audience, revealing they had shorts underneath.
The Hot Scots went on to win the talent show, and their performance, shared by Fernandez on YouTube on March 11, 2011, quickly went viral, amassing over 29 million views. The clip continues to be shared and praised by viewers around the world.
In the years that followed, countless comments poured in, with one user writing in 2019, “Here it is July 24, 2019, and this just showed up in my feed – and it was very enjoyable! Great job, guys.” Another user commented in 2022, “This is so fresh, alive, real, and passionate. Not enough words to describe what these guys do, big thank you!”
Many fans also expressed admiration for the teens’ precision and skill. “The timing and accuracy these guys have is on par with leading drum corps,” noted one viewer. Another added, “Phenomenal talent in authentic tartan kilts from various clans. You rock, gentlemen!” A third viewer chimed in, “People have no clue how insanely hard this would be to pull off. These guys were doing stuff most musical professionals couldn’t do.”
Over the years, the Hot Scots have remained a viral sensation, with their talent show performance still making waves on the internet.
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