South Australian musical duo The BordererS are heading west for Fringe World 2020 with a brand new show Singalong to the Songs of Scotland.
The show will highlight the prolific number of much loved musicians who originally hail from Scotland including Jimmy Barnes, Rod Stewart, Annie Lennox, the Proclaimers, AC/DC and Men at Work frontman Colin Hay.
The BordererS are celebrating their 25th anniversary, Jim and Alex arrived in Australia from Glasgow and Belfast respectively, not knowing each other, but they just happened to meet by chance in a recording studio in Adelaide.
Over the last two and half decades the The BordererS have been electrifying audiences across Australia and the world with their fusion of Celtic rock, zydeco, African, folk, gospel and whatever style of music that happens to take their fancy.
OUTinPerth chatted to the Jim Paterson ahead of their Fringe World appearance.
What can people expect from The BordererS at a live show?
What people can expect from The BordererS live show is a night of interactive fun. If the audience is not singing, dancing, or waving their arms in the air, then we think that we’ve failed them.
Everyone always talks about Alex and I’s energy levels during the show too.
You both moved to South Australia from Glasgow and Ireland respectively. As a kid growing up in Whyalla in the 1970’s I found South Australia to be full of Scottish people and culture, how did you find it when you arrived?
As a kid growing up in Whyalla in the 1970’s, you were probably exposed to more Scottish people and culture than us when we arrived.
I was a backpacker going around the world and had never performed Celtic music before. That all came about when I went to a studio to hear the BordererS record their first album. I was then inducted into the band, produced their album, and then married the lead singer.
We found that the audiences were primarily Australians. It was only later on at folk festivals that we started to find our ain’ folk from Scotland and Ireland.
I grew up with Scottish music playing constantly, songs like You Canne Shove Your Grannie Off a Bus, Donald Where’s Your Troosers? and even though I grew up in a one story suburban Australian home I learned that you just “canne fling pieces oot a twenty story flat”. Why does Scottish music have so many comical songs?
That’s funny Graeme that you grew up with Donald Where’s Your Troosers and ‘Ye canne fling pieces oot a twenty story flat.’ I think Scottish music has so many comical songs because life is so hard over there, and laughter is your only saving grace.
I was just at the Edinburgh festival and the pubs were roaring with laughter from the normal punters just sitting round a table. You have to be quick witted over there, and shout over everyone, or you won’t get a word in. It seems like it’s a competition to see who’s the funniest.
I then went to Russia the following week, and didn’t hear any laughing or joking the whole time I was there…. It was definitely a culture shock!
Who are the big names of Scottish music?
I’m not exactly sure who are the big names of Scottish music nowadays, but the BordererS have performed with Runrig, the Proclaimers, Eddi Reader, Big Country, Capercaillie and the Battlefield Band amongst many others….
Our dream is to support Rod Stewart though, and I’m working on it as we speak!
2020 is the year of ‘Scotland in Australia’, if you were to prepare a Scottish and Irish feast what would be the essential ingredients?
Yes, 2020 is the year of Scotland in Australia. We actually can’t believe it. Hallelujah! Ha, ha!
If we were to prepare a Scottish and Irish feast the essential ingredients would be roast potatoes, pea & ham soup, Billy Connolly and Frank Carson in their heyday, Guinness plus Magners cider, steak pie and lots of laughter followed by a sing song around the table with yer’ Granny on the washboard, yer’ uncle with a comb and toilet paper to make kazoo sounds and yer’ da with the spoons!
Your music has been described as a mix of sounds, what kinds of music do you find inspiring?
You’re right, our music has been described as a mix of sounds. This is because we love so many different styles of music. The BordererS shows feature Dixieland, Country, Tex Mex, African and original world music songs.
This because we are very inspired by so many different artists. If you listen to the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album, you’ll find that they too touched on many different styles. I think that Glasgow, Belfast and Liverpool were big melting pot cities, and you heard all sorts of styles whilst growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. Reggae, calypso, punk, ska, new wave etc… We love elements of them all.
( Well apart from heavy duty rap and death metal. ) That is definitely something you won’t hear when you come along to the Singalong to the Songs of Scotland fringe shows in Perth from the 17th to the 20th Jan at the Lotterywest De Parel Spiegeltent in the Woodside Pleasure Garden. A lot of good, clean fun will be guaranteed though.
Catch The BordererS Scottish Sing Along from 17th January at Fringe World.
OIP Staff
