A PROFILE

In the beginning...

Like most performance groups, the "Shiny Bum Singers" were the result of an idea. Shortly before the 1999 Australian National Folk Festival, Chris Clarke, Pat Ryan and Julie Barnes who had been at a Danny Spooner singing workshop at the 1998 National Folk Festival decided to lodge an application for the 1999 event. Being mostly public servants, the proposed group was aptly named in the application as the "Shiny Bum Singers". At this point they were comfortable in the belief that their "ridiculous" application would be rejected. However, their comfort level soon disappeared when they were informed that they were on the program for 1999.

What to do? It was eight weeks out from the Festival. They had a few songs, the result of some informal workshops hosted by Chris Clarke and David Walker subsequent to the 1998 ‘National’.  A quick ring around found the makings of a group, including four writers who were well known in Canberra literary circles, but who had barely written a song between them before. Seven weeks of frantic rehearsals readied them for their first public performance.

The group went to that first Festival with the thought that they would be "singing" their humorous parodies for a few friends and relatives, who would, hopefully, make up a small audience. They were wrong. The smallish venue was packed to the rafters and hundreds were turned away, causing Festival organisers to schedule another performance later on that day. The "Shiny Bums", were on their way. The "Bums" went on to perform exhaustive programs for packed houses at the two subsequent "Nationals" and have cemented their place in the hearts of both the folk fraternity and the wider population of Canberra and surrounding regions.

The Word Spreads....

After their initial performance at the 1999 "National", the group began to develop and experiment with an endless supply of new material written by their very talented team of writers. Word soon spread of the existence of the "Bums" and it was not long before they were in great demand for performances at Public Service happy hours, conventions and a host of other functions. A brief glance through the "Gig" list shows that nearly every government department has, at one time or another, been entertained by the "Shiny Bums".

In November 1999, the convenor of the Majors Creek Music Festival took the risk and invited the group to do their first gig out of Canberra. The group again performed to packed venues and enthusiastic audiences. The "Bums" went on to perform at the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Majors Creek Festivals.  At the 2002 festival, the group facilitated its first Parody Writing workshop at which the participants, with some prompting from the “Bums”, put together an original parody (if that is possible).

A month or so after the 2000 Majors Creek Festival, the group performed for a Christmas “Bash” at the "Loaded Dog", a well respected folk venue in Sydney boasting probably the best acoustics in the city. Again the response to the group was fantastic. Needless to say the “Bums” were invited back for the 2002 Christmas function.

In demand.....

In 2001, the “Bums” appeared in several Centenary of Federation celebrations, including a spot in the Shortis and Simpson production, "Candid Canberra". This required the group to workshop an historical piece about the Capital under the expert musical direction of John Shortis and with choreographic assistance from Moya Simpson. The group had to acclimatise to strict disciplined rehearsals, something not mentioned in their corporate plan. The show included about two hundred other singers and dancers and was performed on a ‘once only’ basis at Stage 88 in Canberra.

The "Bums" have, for some years, been involved in the annual "Rhapsody" Concerts, a gathering of collected Public Service choirs. Initially, the group provided the “comic relief” for the event, reminding the more serious choirs that singing can also be fun. Nowadays, the Shiny Bums are a vital ingredient in the yearly program. In fact, one of the “Bums’ parodies has been sung by the massed choirs in the Rhapsody ‘finale’ in each year that they have performed.

In September 2001, at the invitation of David De Santi, the group travelled to Jamberoo on the South Coast for the Jamberoo Folk Festival. The “Bums” performed to enthusiastic local audiences and enjoyed the festival immensely.

While the “Bums” were ‘rested’ from the 2002 National Folk Festival, they did have an active involvement in Blue the Shearer’s play “Celestial Blues”. This was an hour-long hilarious musical journey into the formation of the universe from the ‘Black Hole”. With Blue the Shearer as the not so serious anchor, the cast made up of “Bums” and friends of “Bums”, sang and danced through the sometimes, sordid lives of the celestial inhabitants of the universe. The script was put to music, partly by David De Santi and, later completed by the Shiny Bum Singers.

On the Road Again....

In June 2003, the group hit the road again, this time to the Australian Folk Gathering at Albion Park. At the festival, the group presented two half-hour concerts and facilitated a very productive and extremely robust Parody Writing workshop.

In recent times, the "Shiny Bum Singers" have appeared at the 2005 and 2006 National Folk Festivals in Canberra, recreating the crowds of the early years but with a brand new repertoire.  The Workshop participants had the opportunity to learn the Bums latest hit "I've been working on the Wheatboard", which amused the children there too. They have a regular yearly spot at the Loaded Dog in Sydney, and repeat appearances at the Majors Creek Music Festival.

They recently strayed across the border into Victoria with a special appearance in Corryong.  After this flirtation outside the confines of the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, the Bums are convinced of the global relevance of their work.  Plans are in hand for taking the valuable learnings of the Australian Public Service to that bastion of bureaucracy, the UK, in 2007.  The now infamous parody of Morris Dancing - the 10 Meg Morris, will no doubt be welcomed with much shaking of bells and sticks by the locals.

The Written and Spoken Word....

Since their inception in 1999, the "Shiny Bum Singers" have produced five song books entitled; "The Tiny Shiny Bum Songbook", "Its Been a Long Year", "They'll Go Ape at Our Procedures", and “ Have You Been Told Lately” all of which have sold extremely well, especially in folk circles. There seems to have been an endless stream of parody writers coursing through the group since their initial performance, to the point that there are always far more parodies written than can ever be rehearsed or performed.

The "Shiny Bum Singers" have also been regular visitors to the studios of ABC Radio in Canberra and have gone to air on national programs on several occasions. In 2001, the group also dipped its collective toes into the world of television, with a brief spot on the new ABC Australia wide documentary, "Radio Pictures".  The Bums also took part in a rally to Save the ABC, singing to 10,000 happy souls.  The ABC still exists as a direct result of this performance, so some may not thank us for that!

Maturing nicely....

From their somewhat shaky beginnings, the "Shiny Bum Singers" have continued to develop over the past few years and their flair for humour, fun, entertainment and audience participation ensures them a return invitation to every venue at which they perform. And, they are no longer totally surprised when people turn out to see them.