A young pipe band brought Grand Central Station in New York to a standstill with an impromptu performance ahead of their appearance in the Tartan Day Parade.

Hundreds of people stopped to watch as the North Lanarkshire Schools Pipe Band played Scotland the Brave and Rowan Tree.

Many used their mobile phones to capture footage of the moment as the strains of the pipes and drums echoed around the station.

The band uploaded a clip online, which was quickly shared more than 9,000 times and generated almost half a million views.

The station manager shut the flash mob down after two songs but waited until the second piece was finished before asking them to stop.

Pipe major Ross Cowan said: “It’s our first time in New York and we wanted to make the most of it.

“Grand Central Station is one of the busiest spots in Manhattan so we figured what better place to give the locals a taste of Scotland ahead of our appearance at the New York City Tartan Day Parade.

“We certainly attracted quite the crowd.”

The band were invited to travel from Scotland to take part in this year’s parade, which takes place on Saturday and will be led by Sir Billy Connolly as Grand Marshal.

North Lanarkshire Councillor Frank McNally tweeted a clip of the performance at the station and wrote: “What a WOW moment this was! @nlcpeople @Nlspb2 schools pipe band have just brought Grand Central Station in New York to a standstill with a brilliant impromptu performance.”