ANDREW SWAIN IS A “RUSSIAN” CHOIRMASTER
SUBJECT Andrew Swain
OCCUPATION Choirmaster
INTERVIEWER Myke Bartlett
PHOTOGRAPHER Anna Kučera
LOCATION Brunswick Heads, Australia
DATE May, 2021
On the face of it, Dustyesky is the definition of inauthentic. A fake Russian choir made of 28 non-singing blokes from the Northern Rivers who, between them, don’t speak a word of Russian, sounds like cheap novelty – the sort of flash-in-the-pan fame people get affectionately embarrassed about a decade later. Think Joe Dolce, “Turning Japanese” or, to a lesser extent, “Gangnam Style”. Sure, the comedy value is no doubt part of the choir’s appeal, propelling them from an improvised open-mic gig in a country pub to a sold-out concert at the Sydney Opera House. But, like all the best art, Dustyesky has used its obvious artifice to create something true.
Aussie blokes from country towns don’t get together and sing every Tuesday night. But let them pretend they’re from Russia – a country with a long and proud tradition of male choirs – and suddenly a bit of genuine passion and musical bonding becomes possible. And somehow, in its naivety, this alluring culture clash has ended up meaning something to bona fide Russians too. After going viral in the Motherland in 2019, Dustyesky was invited to perform in Red Square for President Putin. It was an offer they couldn’t refuse – until COVID-19 slammed the iron curtain shut.
Choir leader Andrew Swain is still hopeful they’ll make it to Moscow. Chat with him about Dusty and you’ll be left in no doubt about the passion he has for the project he started seven years ago with Glenn Wright. You’ll also be struck by a sense of joyous bewilderment about everything that has happened in those seven years. International fame. Singing to an audience of thousands. A musical career he never wanted or expected. But for Andrew, this success is just a bonus. For him, it’s still all about those Tuesday nights.
MYKE BARTLETT: What is it about Mullumbimby that makes it a place that a fake Russian choir might come from? Is it something about the kind of blokeyness that you get in a country town?
ANDREW SWAIN: I don’t think so. Mullumbimby is almost the opposite. There’s a lot of men’s groups and stuff here. It’s a bit more “new-agey” than even Byron is. No one bats an eyelid when a bunch of blokes get together to do something. We could be holding a tantric workshop, no one gives a stuff. It’s just normal. So when Dusty came together to sing Russian songs, it was just like, “Okay, whatever.” The surprising thing to all of us, the community and us, is that it’s gone further. At the start we were just doing it in the RSL, having a few beers and drinking. The fact that it’s escaped
