Bruce & Walker set for Rutherglen show
Scottish folk duo Bruce & Walker are looking forward to a Rutherglen Town Hall show next month - and they’re expecting to see some familiar faces there too.
The twosome - Rutherglen’s own Ian Bruce and Govanhill man Ian Walker, recently released their new Born To Rottenrow album.
For their Rutherglen gig at the Town Hall on September 11, the group will be joined by bluegrass outfit the Mairs Family band and by Fraser Bruce, who are all from Rutherglen.
“We’re expecting quite a few singers with Rutherglen connections to be there in the crowd, so we might invite them up too,” says Ian Walker.
“We’re looking forward to it for a number of reasons.
“There’s a lot of connections there for people in the show - it’s great to be playing with the Mair family band, and it’s great to see Fraser Bruce back, because he and Ian used to sing together a lot and were very popular. He’s quite an entertainer.”
The two Ians aren’t bad at entertaining either.
Both prolific writers in their own right, the duo came together in the 1980s and gigged regularly, as well as releasing several records.
After a spell apart, they reunited a few years ago, and have been in demand ever since, leading to the release of Born To Rottenrow earlier this year.
“The duo thing is great, because if you’re solo then it’s on your head to carry the night and make sure the songs are going down,” says Ian.
“With a duo that can relieve some of the pressure and then you can get all the harmonies and extra instruments, which gives you a bigger sound.”
The two Ians also make sure to fill their gigs with plenty of jokes and storytelling, as well as their songs.
“You don’t want to overdo the jokes, but if a person is just singing and not showing their personality, then it’s not great if you’re in the audience. We like to interact and bring in humour- we love it if there’s people heckling or something, because it makes it fun for the night. A lot of songs are serious and you can get tears a well because the songs are quite moving but if you can move people to laughter and to tears then you’re doing something right.”
Tickets for Bruce & Walker are on sale now, priced at £12/£10. They’re available in person from the venue, online at www.sllcboxoffice.co.uk or by calling 0141 613 5700.