FOR 25 years, The Spooky Men’s Chorale has occupied a space unlike anything else in Australian performance – equal parts choir, comedy act, social commentary and communal experience.
What began in 2001 as a quirky side project for founder Stephen Taberner has evolved into an internationally recognised touring act with thousands of performances across Australia, the UK and Europe, a rotating cast of performers and a fiercely loyal audience.
But Taberner insists none of it was planned.
“It was going to be a little footnote to my burgeoning musical career as a singer- songwriter,” he said.
“I found that the Spooky Men were more affectionately regarded by the public.
“It was much more sweet and satisfying to be part of something that was a collective phenomenon rather than trying to constantly promote yourself as a solo artist.”
Known for booming harmonies, deadpan humour, absurd theatricality and moments of surprising emotional depth, the Spooky Men have spent 25 years exploring masculinity through song, often by simultaneously celebrating it and poking fun at it.
“We were both making fun of men – because that’s a good thing to do – and also going into bat for men as well,” Taberner said. “If we behave, if we keep each other honest and act relatively decently, we’re actually a perfectly okay species.”
The Spooky Men’s Chorale bring 25 Years of Pointless Grandeur to Ipswich Civic Centre on Saturday, May 30.
