Festival favourites The Spooky Men’s Chorale made a triumphant return to Sidmouth on Tuesday (August 6) with their afternoon concert at a packed Ham Marquee.
The Australian masters of harmony and humour received an ecstatic welcome from their many fans, launching their set with a song from the Georgian tradition that has had such a powerful influence on their style and harmonies.
Then it was on with the funny business that’s earned them the affection of audiences worldwide with “We Are Not a Men’s Group”, an affectionate skewering of every cliché surrounding the men’s movement, followed by a celebration of the Aussie can-do attitude in “We’ll Give It a Go”.
After some exaggerated whipping-up of applause, the Spookies then pulled one of the abrupt changes of mood for which they’re famous. “Kick In the Heart”, a much-loved staple of their repertoire, soon had us rummaging for our hankies. Then, in another about-turn, they treated us to “The Affirmations of St Kevin” (“for those who aspire to mediocrity”), followed by “Team Building” – an apparently futile effort that quickly descended into chaos.
Next it was guess-the-song time, as a lush choral piece gradually revealed itself as a setting of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, followed by gleeful audience participation in “Tee Tee Tay Tay”, an imagined Taylor Swift commentary on Tina Turner’s life. Then the choir launched into “Maybe it’s Me”, a wry ode to male insecurity reflecting on the comfort to be found in conformity.
Another shift of atmosphere next, with an emotional rendition of Tom Waits' “Picture in a Frame”, leading into a more solemn segment, showcasing the Spookies' sublime harmonies. More Georgian song was followed by the Ukrainian patriotic anthem “Oi U Luzi Chervona Kalyna”, and “Treaty”, a searing commentary on human rights in Australia. Then, to conclude the concert, we were treated to a couple of favourites – their poignant setting of Tennyson's poem “Crossing the Bar” and their signature bonkers take on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” – before the finale, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, in which the audience were invited to do exactly that. And such was the Spooky magic that we did.
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