The King’s Singers

The King’s Singers
Melbourne Recital Centre. July 3 and 4, 2014.

Renowned British vocal group the King’s Singers brought their warm, complex harmonies to the Melbourne Recital Hall last night in a stylish two hour a capella set featuring classic standards from the American Song Book.

Resplendent in their button-down suits and immaculate grooming, the six male singers exemplified class and a certain British reserve in their demeanour, which they happily made fun of as the show progressed.

Of course, in a show like this, the main focus is aural, not visual, and the sheer beauty of their voices melding together with such apparent ease is indeed something to hear – reminding us that the human voice is truly the most sublime of musical instruments.

The vocal arrangements were tasteful and rich, with the Singers effortlessly executing some pretty tricky key changes, and the setlist showcasing just how much terrific songwriting came out of the US during the last century.

For the most part these were approached with suitable deference, but there was the occasional hip updating of antiquated lyrics – the Lady is a Tramp’s “I follow Winchell and read every line” became the very British, and entirely appropriate “I follow Stephen Fry and retweet every line”.

It was a polished and professional performance harkening back to the glory days of the vocal group – and by the end of the evening, the predominantly older audience were whooping, cheering and bravo-ing with the best of them. If you’re a fan of this type of singing, you should make every effort to catch the King’s Singers before they leave our shores.

Alex Paige

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.