Review of The Spooky Men's Chorale at The Colston Hall in Bristol
Posted on: 2015-08-01
Our rating:
A truly entertaining evening full of rather fine a cappella singing combined with hilarious and fantastic comedy. Lively, exciting and for the most part truly inexplicable; if you get the chance catch The Spooky Men?s Chorale on their tour.
I have to say that my night at Bristol’s Colston Hall on Wednesday 29 July 2015 was one of the most surreal evenings I have ever experienced. To be fair I should have realised the potential for the bizarre given I was there to see The Spooky Men’s Chorale; the name alone suggesting this collection of gentlemen would be nothing like your average a cappella group and this certainly proved to be the case.
The Spooky Men’s Chorale is a group hailing from the Blue Mountains in Australia. Since being formed in 2001 by ‘Spookmeister’ Stephen Taberner they have been touring the world doing their utmost to tear apart established thinking in the world of men’s singing; smashing up and ‘spookifying’ a collection of numbers ranging from Georgian table songs to spiritual classics and introducing a selection of their own compositions covering a ludicrous assortment of subjects from surfing to mastodons to body parts.
In Bristol as part of the tour to promote their Warm album they took the theatre by storm, as a horde of men flooded onto the stage. All dressed in black, sporting various hats and presenting a universal wide-eyed deadpan expression that left the audience more than a little bewildered. This air of bemusement was to remain throughout the show as this wonderfully unique group led us through a gloriously bizarre and ultimately mystifying selection of songs, along the way engendering their own special brand of mayhem.
Moving away from the usual format of their gigs the second half saw the Spooky Men accompanied by a hand-picked throng of 200 local choir members and together they raised the roof at the Colston Hall with a glorious and harmonious vocal alliance. All concerned seemed to be having a good time, and this extended to the audience who were clapping, singing and dancing along with gusto.
Particular highlights of the set were a rendition of the appropriately named Foot, which included such inspired lyrics as ‘Oh foot, I love you, You are on the end of my leg’, the self-effacing We Are Not A Men’s Group with the classic sentiment ‘We are not a men’s group, We sometimes like to share our feelings’ and the final riotously funny number, a Sufi style tribute to the Bee Gees and the great prophet ‘Ba’ Hari Ghibb’.
Pandemonium aside the group are vocally sound and demonstrate an innate musicality. They gave a polished performance, with their voices blending to create a stunningly clear sound. These are a talented bunch skilled as raconteurs as well as singers. The humour of their stories while not in the least sophisticated seamlessly fitted the very basic feel of the show. Over 90 minutes the Spooky Men showcased their genius as 16 down to earth Aussie guys without reliance on special effects or expensive set pieces.
This was a truly entertaining evening full of rather fine a cappella singing combined with hilarious and fantastic comedy. Lively, exciting and for the most part truly inexplicable; if you get the chance to catch The Spooky Men’s Chorale on their next visit to Bristol you won’t be disappointed.
4/5
Reviewed by Sarah-Jane Howard for 365Bristol - the Bristol information website
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
