WATCH: Saltire sails, seatbelts and songs – biggest Bressay squad starts day with a bang

The Bressay Jarl's Squad with pupils at Sound Primary School in Lerwick. Photo: Dave Donaldson

The biggest ever Bressay Jarl’s Squad have started their big day with a bang, led by this year’s Guizer Jarl James Anderson.

Mr Anderson is representing Njord, the god of sea and fire today – and those two elements are represented in the squad’s kirtles, which are orange and turquoise blue this year.

Alternatively, those kirtles have been compared to “Irn Bru colours”.

That would be sure to please Tartan Army member Mr Anderson, who has picked a Scottish football anthem as one of his squad songs, and has a saltire as the sail on his galley Fflórabitélshós.

The name of the galley this year translates to “a shot o’ Fireball”, the cinnamon whiskey liqueur that is popular across the Bressay sound.

The Bressay Jarl’s Squad paid a visit to Bells Brae primary school on Friday morning, where they were given a great reception by more than 20 pupils from Bressay.

They performed their three squad songs, Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love, the Tartan Army anthem We’ll Be Coming and the Pitbull song Fireball – linking into the squad’s love of the liquid.

This year’s band has been named the Bressay Lighthouse Family and are providing a mix of traditional and rock stylings for the squad.

As well as their Irn Bru coloured kirtles, the squad is sporting leather breastplates held in place using seat belts left over from the Guizer Jarl’s old cars.

A natural wooden shield, sheepskins imported from Poland, boots from New Zealand and blue helmets with neither horns or wings complete the squad’s striking look this year.