When I sing a Scottish song with a Scottish accent or an Irish song with an Irish accent (I find that for most English songs, I don't need to adopt any accent at all, I just sing them), I know I am not Scottish or Irish, and I'm not trying to convince anyone that I am. And my audiences know that and accept it.

No one is deluded by this bit of theatricality. It's quite a normal practice among singers and actors the world over—except, of course, for people who get all tied up in acid indigestion inducing knots over matters of ethnic or cultural "purity" (which, itself, is a fiction).

But what can one say about someone who grew up in Australia who is trying to convince himself that he is English—not just English, but English as of fifty years ago—yet still talks like an Aussie (absolutely nothing wrong with that) because he can't quite wrap his mouth around an English accent?

If one should sing songs of one's own culture—and only one's own culture—there are lots of really great Australian songs you might investigate, David.

I can post a list for you. I sing some of them myself. But, of course, there are others here who could post a far more comprehensive list than I could.

Don Firth