Those mysterious men in black, in hats, are back.
Unapologetically acapella - aside from the "occasional triangle" - the Spooky Men's Chorale will stroll onto the stage in Canberra and Goulburn for their final gigs this weekend before a core group head to Europe later this month and link up with the spin-off "Fistful of Spooks" members, based overseas, for a 15-gig tour across the UK, Germany, and Denmark.
Canberra's connection with the Men goes back almost two decades. The national capital, in fact, could claim to having elevated them to cult status after the 2004 National Folk Festival.
Now the rest of the country - and others around the globe - has embraced this odd, eclectic, and occasionally bizarre collective which sings an extraordinary array of anthems, shanties, ballads, "inappropriate" covers, and Georgian table songs. Inspired by recent world events, Ukrainian folk songs are also now part of the repertoire.
Led by Kiwi-born choirmaster and "spookmeister" Stephen Taberner, the number of Men in the line-up varies depending on availability. There's a roster of around 20, as many have full-time jobs which prevent them from performing.
Musical fringe-dwellers at first, the Men have roared back to popularity of late as male choirs of many different varieties have undergone a resurgence.
Sadly, Anglo-Saxon Aussie blokes - unlike other cultures - are often inhibited collective public singers but with some notable exceptions, celebratory club songs after footy wins being the most obvious.
Yet en masse, emotionally-charged voices male and female carry a power and poignancy which deliver a deeply human experience, from You'll Never Walk Alone by the massed Liverpool fans at Anfield Road Stadium, to La Marseillaise, which will be served up in gusto next month when France hosts the Rugby World Cup.
The Spooky Men provide musical theatre, of a sort, but not in a conventional sense. There's a marked physical stoicism to the on-stage delivery for the most part, punctuated with some theatrical outbursts and restrained comedic turns.
Yet it's a joyous, harmonic formula which has resonated strongly with audiences everywhere, with the Men appearing at major festivals in Germany, the UK, and, of course, the Edinburgh Fringe.
They have been "sharing sweaty dressings rooms" for almost 20 years since Mr Taberner gathered together a bunch of friends "who could sing a bit" in an informal setting in Sydney, then shifted into the Blue Mountains, where many of the collective have their homes.
The newest member of the Men is Canberra IT engineer and public servant Ewan Lawrie, a self-confessed "folkie" who joined the Canberra Shanty Club until building enough courage to audition. Since joining officially in December last year, his chosen hat - which is an all-important detail - is a Paddington-type sou-wester.
"It has been an amazing experience being on tour," he said. "Last week in Melbourne we had a workshops with hundreds of people and then we walked around the city doing these impromptu gigs, like flash mobs."
- The Spooky Men's Chorale is performing at the Llewellyn Hall on August 5 and the Hume Conservatorium in Goulburn on August 6.
