A Spooky Summer of Love

It is with no little sadness that we mark the passing of another summer of Spookyness.  Very much a case of sad they have left us, but glad that they came.

Many of us had the good fortune to see them once or twice and marvel at their acute harmonies and utter daftness and sheer deftness of performance, teasing us with plaintive songs about the modern, much-muddled, male and many others.

If you are not familiar with their oeuvre, then venture towards https://spookymen.com and https://www.facebook.com/spookymen/ and all other places and you will not be disappointed.

Truly inspiring stuff.
 

If you go down to...

... the woods pub tonight, you're sure of a big surprise

The blokes in some woods.  

Tonight they, and "some others" will be in the pub for "not your average Monday night", even for Ashton Keynes...

But, shhhh, it's a secret.

And here is what it might sound like and something from the Magnificent Archive.

Another Spooky Summer of Love

They are big (& small), they are in black and they are rather superb... The Spooky Men's Chorale are back in the UK for another Summer of Love as they sing their way around these isles sprinkling sonic joy wherever they go.

These guys are the granddaddies of BlokeSong and the inspiration for our very own The Magnificent AK47 nearly a decade ago (!) and are a sight to see and a sound to luxuriate in with their deadpan humour and drop dead Georgian harmonies.

Check out their remaining tour dates at http://spookymen.com/gigs/ and maybe witness them slightly nearer to home & Magnificent HQ.... watch this space for more Magnificent Spooky news.

Exciting Spooky News

Exciting news on the Spooky Men's Chorale front with the announcement on tonight's Mark Radcliffe Folk Show that our big mates would be performing on next week's show, then he actually played their weird and wonderful "Baron of Beef" off the quite superlative "Spook Men of History" album.

What with a couple of other tracks he played from people with a Magnificent AK47 connection (more very soon) it has been quite a night.

If you haven't seen the Spookys in action this year, then more fool you!  Get on with it or you will regret it.

Spooky Men's Chorale in town

The Spooky Men's Chorale, very much the inspiration for starting The Magnificent AK47 and fundamentally a fabulous bunch of Top Blokes who just happen to be brilliantly funny and brilliant singers at the same time, whistled by on their monster tour of the UK gracing us with their special magic recently.

They headlined a gig in our local town of Cirencester at the lovely Sundial Theatre and permitted our blokes the honour of being their warm up act and hosts.  A great time was had by the sell out gig and at the after show knees up back in The White Hart in Ashton Keynes.  A few postings can be found on the Spooky Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-spooky-mens-chorale/spooky-days-5-6-every-man-for-himself-/688400541176667 where you can read about their stay in the village in their very own words.

In case you didn't catch them then you must make every effort to see them at some point during this year's tour and also get their superb new album, The Spooky Man in History.  Your loyal correspondent was privileged enough to see them the other day at the Village Pump festival and they were quite breathtakingly brilliant.  Much more information can be found at http://www.spookymen.com/ 

Whilst the Spooky's are very much an inspiration, we would like to think that The Magnificent AK47 are developing their own style and ploughing their own metaphorical furrow.  More evidence will be emerging very soon with more information about our very own piece of audio artefacts and gig at the Sundial Theatre, soon(ish).

Getting back to your froots

The Magnificent AK47 owe an oblique, but not inconsiderable, debt to a certain magazine called fROOTS.  Back in the mists of time, or maybe it was even further back in the myths of time, an advert was noticed by a certain someone for an event known as the Sidmouth Folk Festival and ultimately led to a visit to the south coast of merrie England for said festival.  

As part of this line up that year there was a 13 piece Antipodean male voice singing group advertised for the Friday night.  The photo of this lot did not look very enticing but somehow this did not deter our valiant festival goers who ventured along to the warm up session featuring the "best of the Festival" to see what the main acts were coming up and there they witnessed an almost subliminal moment when the men in black (mostly) from Down Under performed.  Low, harmonious and hilarious, we were smitten and duly sought them out after the performance to sign a rapidly purchased CD.  In amongst these giants we got talking to one of them who sounded decidedly Non-Australian who turned out to be our very own ChoirMeister, Mr Chris Samuel, and one thing led to another, but that is a story for another time. . . 

So, how can we repay this enormous debt?  Simple, subscribe to get your own copy now and help ensure the continuing existence of this venerable publication as it seeks to ride the waves of fashion and continue to sail the seas of magical, musical discovery.  Go on, you owe it to yourself and the rest of us!  Do it now! Click here.

Who is Who?

In an sonic version of "Spot the Ball", someone who knows how to do these sort of things has put together a little mélange, a mash up (apparently, according to the young people) if you will, of two groups we know very well, both singing the same song.  

The song is very recognisable to those who know their "BlokeSong" classics but the question is "Who?", er, and the second question is "When does the first Who become the second Who"? 

Click here to play the piece.  Can you spot who is who?  Can you spot the join?

1) At what time in minutes and seconds to you think the join is

2) Who is singing first and who is singing second on this track, The Magnificent AK47 or the Spooky Men's Chorale?

3) Also interesting to ask which do you prefer and why?

Answers on an e-postcard to PO Box AK47, North North Wiltshire, or email themagnificentak47@gmail.com.

Enjoy!