Bermuda yesterday brought a ray of sunshine to Edinburgh with a performance that wowed massive crowds in Scotland's capital city.

The band of the Bermuda Regiment and the Island's Gombeys took the city by storm at a special appearance at the city's International Jazz & Blues Festival.

And - even after the official spot ended - the Gombeys danced off-stage and carried on the performance in the city's famous Princes St Gardens.

Even the Regiment band lost its military precision and danced along to the Gombey beat as thousands of tourists from all over the world watched.

Regiment bandmaster Maj. Barrett Dill said: "It was a triumph - we never expected these crowds and the response from the audience was absolutely fabulous.

"I had my back to the audience for the performance and I could feel the energy from them - it was spectacular."

The Regiment and the Gombeys, due to appear at next week's Edinburgh Military Tattoo, were billed as the "grand finale" at a special open-air concert in Princes St Gardens as part of the jazz festival.

They were backed by steel drummer Robert Symons, who treated the crowd to the sound of steel between the performance by the Regiment band and the appearance of the Gombeys.

A Jazz Festival spokeswoman said afterwards: "What can I say? They were outstanding. We're lucky to have got them and they all performed outstandingly."

And the crowd in the gardens agreed as the Regiment Band performed in best military style - while the Gombeys supplied a freestyle dance sensation that brought a standing ovation.

Gombey Daniel Johnson, 16, from Hamilton Parish, said after the performance: "It was a really good performance - the crowd was intense.

"There were so many people asking about the Gombeys and our customs - we used a lot of energy, but we got a lot back too, as well."

Alistair Lane, 27, from Scarborough, England and Catriona Roberts were stunned by the show.

Alistair said: "They were absolutely great - I've never seen anything like this - I don't know where these dancers get the energy from, but they were superb."

Girlfriend Catriona, 24, from Callander, Perthshire, said: "The Regiment Band were superb. And it's great to see so many young people performing like that.

"They really looked like they were having loads of fun - they made me want to visit Bermuda and see them on their home territory."

The British couple were backed by visitors from around the globe.

Veronica Brady, 23, from Wellington, New Zealand, said: "It was wild - theGombeys were amazing and the Regiment band was superb. I'm hoping to visit America before I go home and I'm determined to fit in a trip to Bermuda if I can."

Italian visitor Sara Rubert, 21, from Milan, said: "It was really great - we wanted to get out there and and dance with the Gombeys."

Friend Maruska Tonello, 23, from Lecca, added: "It was amazing - I've never seen so much energy. It just grabs you and makes you want to dance."

Kaza Yochi, from Japan, said: "The music was really good and the Gombeys were exotic - it was superb."

The rave reviews came after the press launch of the Tattoo programme last week - which gave Bermuda star billing across Scotland and the UK.

Gombey advance party Shaun Place and Andre Casey appeared on prime-time news on Scottish Television. And colour pictures adorned a host of newspapers, including the Scottish national titles, The Scotsman and The Herald.

The Gombeys and the Regiment also appeared in UK national heavyweights The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.

A picture of the Gombeys also made the pictures of the week section of this weekend's Sunday Times. The Tattoo - already a near-record sell-out - sold its few remaining tickets within days of the Bermuda-style press conference.

Regiment officer Stephen Caton, special projects officer for the Tattoo, was granted special time off by Bermuda bosses at BISYS. He said: "It was superb - everyone acquitted themselves admirably. It was a superb social cavalcade."

Capt. Caton added: "It's nice that people complimented our younger performers. We are promoting our youth development and it's great that people recognise that.

"We are lucky to be able to present the best of our Bermuda youth to the rest of the world."

And Regiment officer Wayne Caines predicted the best is yet to come.

He said: "They are really just getting into the routine now and getting into top form for the Tattoo. The Regiment and the Gombeys are ready to show Bermuda's culture at its best."

And Lt. Caines added: "The band has always had a history of training young people, not just to perform with the Regiment, but in the wider service of the community."