March 11th, 2024Spooky men are headed to CresFest
The Spooky Men’s Chorale has been described as ‘a vast, rumbling, steam-powered and black-clad behemoth of mansound‘ and it’s headed to Creswick to perform as part of next month’s CresFest.
In their performances of (literally) breath-taking harmony singing and comedy, the Spooky Men draw on a combination of musical and theatrical values including Georgian male polyphony, a running joke on man as a vast, oblivious useless object, whispers of clown, bouffon and Monty Python, and forays into massively pleasurable grunting tribalism.
Their 800+ crowd-pleasing gigs have included WOMAD, The Great Escape Festival, the Woodford, Cobargo, Port Fairy, Blue Mountains and Bellingen festivals.
They’ve appeared on Spicks and Specks, The Mix and The New Inventors, performed live on ABC radio many times and have earned great international acclaim including WOMAD New Zealand and more than nine UK tours.
These spooky blokes hail from NSW and are among the headline acts that will be performing at this year’s CresFest that’s set to transform the little township of Creswick with a feast of live acts and participatory fun held over three days April 5-7.
Acts on the program include Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse (WA), The Cherry Pickers (SA), T-Bone (New Zealand), Melisande (Canada), Guanaco Trio (Argentina), Linn Phipps (UK), Chutney (NSW) Michael Waugh, and Jen Hawley’s Gypsy Jazz Jam.
The diverse line-up of artists performing as part of the program complements a wide array of participatory workshops with a focus firmly on the community not only watching, but also being part of the fun.
The event’s big emphasis on community involvement is a main reason why the annual festival took out the Best Community Project gong at last year’s Australian Folk Music Awards.
Local community groups who will be particpating, and inviting festival goers to join in as well, include Creswick Ukestra, Creswick Kids Choir, Creswick Chorus, Creswick Drum Circle ,Creswick ‘Street’ band, Creswick’s Friday night ‘jammers’.
Tickets to the award-winning festival are currently available via the festival’s dedicated website.
