Boofheaded bearded blokes who sing. Now that’s spooky!
Eccentric, lyrical, larrikin and always entertaining, The Spooky Men’s Chorale is celebrating its 25th year – and is about to tour Queensland.
In August 2001 at Eastside Paddington Church in Sydney, a genial scrum of bearded fellows shuffled onto the stage. Twenty-five years later and almost 1000 gigs, eight album and 14 tours of Australia, the UK and Europe, The Spooky Men’s Chorale has redefined men’s singing.
Described as “a magnificent, many-headed beast which has single-handedly turned the world of men’s singing upside down”, The Spooky Men’s Chorale has bypassed well-trodden avenues, carving out new territories of mighty man sounds, exquisite tenderness and charming stupidity to both celebrate masculinity and mock it.
The Spooks have become festival and theatre favourites wherever they go. And they are touring select venues in South-East Queensland from May 27. The show evokes musical worlds far beyond that suggested by their unassuming and hatted black-clad appearance. They are just a bunch of blokes, but where they take you will blow your mind.
The Spooky Men are not easy to describe. Founded by Blue Mountains-based musician and composer Stephen Taberner and inspired by the great Georgian choirs of the Caucasian mountains, they aim to celebrate and mock masculinity with a unique cocktail of mighty boofiness, charming stupidity and exquisite tenderness that may well bring a tear to your eye.
Each show is a journey rich with theatrical and storytelling elements, but what is most notable is the humanity that is evoked. No subject is too trivial or weighty for their attention, and such ability to find new musical rooms to explore contributes greatly to their astonishing fan loyalty.
But, says Taberner, there is more: “This show will also offer the chance to join a massed audience choir, The Axis of Spook, for a ridiculous musical sen-surround experience. There will be special spooky guests, a musical favourites lottery and a massed spooky man finale!”
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And other surprises, too.
“Gird your loins. This is the one spooky show in the history of spooky shows that you should not miss.”
The Spooky Men’s Chorale: 25 Years of Pointless Grandeur – An Anniversary Tour plays Queensland Conservatorium Theatre, May 27, 7.30pm; Macleay Island Community Hall, May 28, 6.30pm; Ipswich Civic Centre, May 30, 7.30pm; Toowoomba Empire Theatre, May 31, 2pm; HOTA, Gold Coast, June 4, 7.30pm; Maleny Community Centre, June 5, 7.30pm; and The J. Noosa, June 6, 7.30pm.
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