Couple mistake Red Hot Chilli Pipers for Red Hot Chili Peppers

A couple's romantic getaway to see an iconic American rock group backfired - when it turned out they had bought tickets to see a Scottish bagpipe band with a similar name.

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers were playing in Belfast on Saturday night.

Duncan Robb booked tickets and flights to Belfast to see his girlfriend’s favourite band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers in action.

However she discovered a few days before the show that they had actually had tickets for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, who specialise in “bagrock” covers of pop and rock classics.

The couple, from Derbyshire, decided to go ahead with their trip to Northern Ireland and even took in the Belfast Arena concert staged by the piping outfit.

Mr Robb said: “When I clicked on and got tickets in row Q and for £30 each, I thought what a bargain, there must not be many tickets left and snatched them up straight away.

“Also, I saw the date was February 10, so I could make it into a Valentine’s weekend — kill two birds with one stone.

“Fast-forward a month and we get the actual tickets through the post—brilliant! Up they went on the board—still nobody had noticed my mistake.

"It was only until the Wednesday before when my girlfriend wanted to know who was supporting them. She couldn’t find anything about the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing in Belfast.

“We just had to laugh about it — what else was there to do! The only saving grace was that we had found out three days before and not while we were in the arena.”

Formed in 2004, the Scottish band shot to fame when they won a BBC talent show - When Will I Be Famous - hosted by Graham Norton - three years later.

They have gone on to tour around the world, including tours of the United States, China, Australia, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia.

Both the Chilli Pipers and the Chili Peppers have performed at Scotland’s T i the Park festival.

Douglas Gillespie, agent for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, said: ““We’re always extremely careful in all advertising.

“We’ve made sure to put kits and bagpipes on all the pictures.

“We would never ever try to pass ourselves off as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, we respect them too much.”