Folk, Fun, and Doric Laughter: Tradfest’s North-East Bothy Show

A wonderful evening of stories, music, and song celebrating the bothy culture of rural North East Scotland. Join ballad singer Allan Taylor, fiddler Karin Paterson, and storytellers Phyll McBain and Jackie Ross for a ceilidh of land, laughter, and a hearty dollop of Doric!

Not since my childhood days spent in front of the TV with my grandma watching Scotland the What?, have I been so thoroughly entertained by a stage full of Doric speakers. In this case, a quartet rather than a trio, consisting of ballad singer Allan Taylor, fiddler Karin Paterson, and storytellers Phyll McBain and Jackie Ross.

Drawing on the bothy tradition of the north-east — stories and songs born in the wee shelters that housed farmworkers in days past — the result was a grand, old-fashioned ceilidh (no, not the Highland country athletics kind).

A Balanced Blend of Ballads, Fiddle Tunes, and Stories

A genuine group effort with no one performer dominating proceedings, the four came equipped with plenty of tales and tunes to keep a busy Storytelling Centre theatre thoroughly entertained.

“…the result was a grand, old-fashioned ceilidh (no, not the Highland country athletics kind).”

Taylor’s store of ballads spans many a tune familiar to an old fiddler like myself — I was scratching out the ‘Barnyards of Dalgety’ when I wore shorts to school, and following up with the ‘Northern Lights of Aberdeen’ shortly after. Fortunately, he sings them far, far better than I played them when in single digits. In selecting a Fifer’s (Matt Armour) 1983 song ‘Generations of Change,’ he also shows a knack for the earnest and meaningful.

Stories and Laughter Rooted in Doric Tradition

Bringing the stories, daughter of Stonehaven (Stoney tae the locals), McBain has a fine way with words, and a grand sense of humour. From fearless quines (lassies to the rest o’ us) to the unlikely success of wily ‘orra’ loons, one senses she has a tale for every occasion. From Aberdeen itself, you get the impression that Ross is never far from a fit of the giggles, but her tales of agricultural shenanigans and the wee folks (don’t call them faeries) come from the heart.

**The four performers in action – image by W.J. Quinn**

Interspersing song and story, Paterson’s fiddle sprang to the tunes of Skinner and Gow (acquaintances of mine later in my fiddling life), and demanded toe-tapping from anyone listening.

Variety Show Spirit and Audience Connection

Throw in some good-hearted cheek at the expense of one another — and the audience — and there really was nothing not to enjoy. Though in no way a comedy show, still it felt like a return to a golden age of variety show.

“Throw in some good-hearted cheek at the expense of one another — and the audience — and there really was nothing not to enjoy.”

Whether it was Taylor drawing the audience to join in with the chorus of Charlie Allan’s ‘It’s Lonely in the Bothy’ or McBain prompting them to animal noises with tales of a misadventuring Highland cow, the walls between performer and performed-to were pleasantly flexible.

Ok, so I’m a Dundee lad — more but and ben than bothy land — but I’d love to see more such events populating the Storytelling calendar. I love tales of the Highlands and ancient Celts as much as anyone, but there’s something wonderfully immediate in stories plucked from more recent history and more local lands.

If this particular quartet of talented entertainers assembles again, I heartily recommend you grab a ticket.