The Spooky Men

Arts & Entertainment Music Sound

Staff Writer
June 22, 2020

The Spooky Men, a group of Australian male singers and comedians have created a massive online community with over 500 singers, hosting a global weekly singalong.

The Massive Singlets singalong caters to both kids and adults, providing entertainment and raising money for the COVID-19 fund, Medecins sans Frontieres.

The group’s ‘spookmeister’ Stephen Taberner, said “For people to come together, to be together, to sing has always been a human need: it is so now, even more than ever.”

In an interview with City Hub, when asked what his biggest inspiration for continuing to perform despite the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Taberner said “There was a moment, when, like many people, I said to myself ‘but what am I going to do?’ It was really quite a calm moment. “I supposed that I would run some song–writing courses, and get a small retainer from my musical group, the Spooky Men. Then I saw that the idea was a universal one, and a necessary one. So now, what inspires me is the looks on people’s faces, and the emails I get.”

The show usually features unique underlying themes throughout, such as Samoan clapping games, ukuleles, or spookiness as seen in previous shows.

In response to how these sub-themes are decided, Taberner said “The singlets have been a great provocation to find new things and reinvent old things. In the last few weeks, in the classic singlet, the challenge has been finding songs that speak to the current world situation.

“Two weeks ago, we had True Colours, at the height of the George Floyd protests. It was uncannily appropriate, even though it was chosen before anything happened. We had a minute’s silence, and we dedicated the song to the cause.

“This week it was Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground. At times like these, songs can carry so much of our feelings. It’s so much better to be singing, than sitting and worrying. The song can quite gently but firmly act as both a container for our feelings, and a call to action.