Australia's weird and wonderful black-clad choristers, the Spooky Men's Chorale have embarked on another biennial blast round Britain, and they make it to The Stables at Wavendon tomorrow (July 27).
Following triumphant UK tours in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, they have whisked themselves away from the eucalyptus-infused Blue Mountains for a whistle-stop run of performanceson these shores.
In their 17th year and with five studio albums to their name this is a line-up that totally warrants the term ‘unique’.
Describing themselves as “equal parts monk, Visigoth and village idiot” they are not afraid to send up the stereotypical male to side-splitting effect.
Says Spookmeister (and sole Kiwi) Stephen Taberner (he of the deerstalker hat): “The chorale attempts to explore the paradoxes of latter day masculinity with unbridled enthusiasm, a pleasing array of deep harmonies and a gentle wink towards posterity. We're trying to master the impossible art of being both musically immaculate and blitheringly stupid.”
The Spookies were formed by Melbourne-based Taberner in Sydney in 2001 and could rightly be said to have almost singlehandedly redefined the world of men’s singing.
With a sound variously described as “sexy, powerful, impossibly gentle and sad but unmistakably male” their repertoire ranges from Georgian drinking songs to whisper perfect ballads and a string of improbable original hits like Don’t Stand Between a Man and his Tool and Stop Scratching It.
Spooky veterans know well their hilarious, elephantine retreatments of classics like Earth, Wind & Fire’s Boogie Wonderland and the funniest version of Abba’s Dancing Queen you are likely to witness.
Spooky virgins should expect the unexpected.
The Stables show will run the bizarre gamut of surfing, gluttony, tools, mastodons, Bee Gees, body parts and how to scare off hostile neighbouring tribes – songs from their album The Spooky Man in History and the back catalogue, but also from their latest CD Warm - an unadulterated album of shiver-down-the-spine Georgian songs.
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