Bermuda's star performers last night marched off Edinburgh Castle's historic esplanade with their heads held high.

The Bermuda Regiment Band and a select group of gombeys turned in a stunning performance at the opening night of the world's most prestigious military Tattoo amid top performers from all over the world.

And the Island contingent won plaudits from the 9,000-strong audience for a solo programme that started with Bob Marley, included traditional Scottish Highland tunes and ended with the stirring Regiment Band March.

Regiment bandmaster Major Barrett Dill said: “When we marched across the entranceway to the Esplanade the cheer sent shivers up and down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

“When that cheer went up, I thought ‘this is what entertainment is all about - a really appreciative crowd'.”

Maj. Dill added: “I feel we've made a triumphant march into Edinburgh. We're certainly looking forward to the next few weeks - the Band's motto is ‘work hard to play easy' and they've worked extremely hard.

“Bermuda has every right to be proud of them,” he said. “It's been a delight working with the gombeys - they have been incredibly disciplined and worked unbelievably hard.”

The Regiment Band and Corps of Drums appeared with the gombeys and steel drum player Robert Symons.

The Regiment performed later with the massed military bands, playing favourites like “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “St Louis Blues”. And - as part of the grand finale, the massed military bands and massed pipes and drums - the Regiment musicians and gombeys joined hundreds of other top musicians and dancers from all over the world.

Bandsman Samuel Wainwright, 23, an alto sax player from Southampton, said: “It was a wonderful experience to be with so many people and be able to bring it together in such a short time with friends we have just made.”

And Colour Sgt. Gerald Swan, 39, a tuba player with 25 years' Regiment experience, added: “I've experienced Tattoos before, but this is the one everybody wants to be in. It's finally happened for us and it's a great feeling. It was great with all these people out there - we are a band that likes a crowd and that was a great crowd.”

Former Warwick Academy pupil Aaron Daniels, from Pembroke, plays saxophone and is one of two 14-year-olds in the Regiment band. Aaron admitted to a touch of first night nerves - but insisted: “I wasn't really scared, I was working too hard.

“There was a lot of cheering, but I couldn't see much because of all the lights - it was really great. The whole thing's been a great experience.” The Regiment - the first act to perform after the fanfare and the massed pipes and drums - formed up in a star formation in the centre of the Esplanade.

They performed Marley's “Jamming” - a special arrangement by Maj. Dill which has already won fans among professionals at the Tattoo - the Caribbean staple “By the Rivers of Babylon”, the traditional Scots tune “Scots Wha Hae” and then marched off the Castle Esplanade to the proud strains of the “Bermuda Regiment March”.

And the gombey dancers joined in with a superb display of athleticism which won even more fans for Bermuda's distinctive culture.

Gombey Shaun Caisey said: “We feel very proud to be representing Bermuda - the reception from the crowd was incredible. I'm just looking forward to the rest of the performances.”

The 25-year Gombey veteran added: “I felt no nervousness at all - just anticipation and I know that, as we go along, we'll just get better and better.

“The atmosphere was great and we are where we wanted to be. Morale is high and it's still coming up. It's real good and I'm really enjoying myself.”

The gombeys have already established a tradition of staging impromptu performances - and their infectious rhythm and style has captured hearts all over the city. After an appearance at the opening concert of the Jazz Festival, they put on a performance outside the open-air concert venue in Edinburgh's Princes St. Gardens.

And gombey Andre Place paid tribute to the international spirit of the Tattoo, which this year has performers from 11 nations.

He said the gombey crowd staged a show for the other performers as they disembarked from buses outside the city's Redford Barracks, where the Tattoo performers are staying during the three-weeks of the show - a show that the pipes and drums of the Scottish regiments and the South Australian Pipe and Drums couldn't resist joining in. Andre added: “The pipers and the Australians, we were all just drumming along. I've never seen so much camaraderie among people from all over the world like this.

“There's a lot of harmony here. This has been an unforgettable trip for a lot of us.” He added: “It was hard to get the sponsorship - but we'd like to thank all our sponsors, especially the Bank of Bermuda. We hope we did them and Bermuda proud.”

Steel drummer Robert Symons, dressed in an immaculate white suit, was front and center on his own. He said: “We had the lights in our eyes, so we couldn't see anything - but you could certainly feel the crowds. I hadn't expected anything like this. It's been a totally positive experience - the climate of Scotland's cold, but the people are warm. It's been great and it's only going to get better.”

The Bermudians played alongside top acts like the Swiss Top Secret Drum Corps - who staged a display of clockwork precision and breath-taking skill.

They were matched by the colour and splendour of the band of the Army of the Republic of Korea and the Royal Army of Oman Military Band and Pipes and Drums, accompanied by cultural dancers.

And the US Army Drill Display Team - on a rare appearance outside the US - put on a stunning display of rifle drill, tossing guns with lethal bayonets up to 15 feet in the air.

But Bermuda - by far the smallest country represented at this year's Tattoo - more than held their own against some of the best the world has to offer.

Euphonium player Sgt. Elizabeth Tatem, originally from England, attributed much of the Band's success to the close family feeling among its members.

She said: “This is the cream of tattoos and it's a great honour to be able to play here, playing with a band I love and which embraced me when I came to Bermuda. We spend a lot of time together - we're like family and I think that's part of the secret of our success.”