Music / Reviews
Review: Men Are Singing, Tobacco Factory – ‘joyous and connected’
When I think of a Cornish male voice choir, I can’t help but think of an older demographic, singing tunes about mining, religion, and tradition.
As much as this is a beautiful and important practice, it doesn’t necessarily suit everyone.
Men Are Singing, the brainchild of Cornish creative Seamas Carey, is reinventing the concept of a male voice choir, teaching the importance of embracing emotion, vulnerability, and the exploration of all facets of modern masculinity.
is needed now More than ever
The project began six years ago as an inquiry into why younger men weren’t joining choirs – photo: Neal Megaw
As part of their farewell tour, ‘Singing Makes You Feel Better’, Men Are Singing took to the Tobacco Factory theatre.
The group’s performance style was unlike any other I have witnessed, filling the space with warmth, laughter, and pure uninhibited joy. It felt completely interactive and personal, encouraging you to feel and experience everything alongside the choir.
After comically plugging their merchandise, Carey explained that he had felt a disconnect with the material found in traditional male voice choirs and, like me, felt they focused on “God, Andrew Lloyd Webber extracts, mining, and fishing.”
Echoing in a chorus akin to a Greek comedy, the group agreed, adding that they all wanted a sense of community but in a modern, alternative way.
Singing in a beautifully constructed three-part harmony, Men Are Singing covered a range of emotional material that took me a bit by surprise.
The humour was there, but also a profound exploration of what it means to be a man, a father, and a person. Seeing this group be unapologetically themselves in front of both strangers and family members was wonderful.
All of this emotional openness is only catalysed by Carey’s brilliant arrangements and compositions for this group.
It is obvious that every decision has been made with these specific men in mind, with harmonies, layering, and the occasional stripped-back accompaniment of a bass and drum kit that made sure every single voice was heard and celebrated.
A clever mix of light and shade, this performance was masterful.
Seeing fifty men embrace each other during the lullaby Oh My Darling made me well up, but then the next thing I knew giant inflatable peaches were being tossed around followed by fits of hysteria from the crowd.
There are only a few more stops on their final tour – photo: Susie Long
Rounding off many of their songs with a collective “Ah. Men,” before gathering in the Tobacco Factory’s bar to sing more with the audience, it is obvious how much this choir means to these men and, in turn, how much it means to those who get to watch and enjoy their music with them.
I cannot think of a better name for this tour than “Singing Makes You Feel Better”, but I would go so far as to say it does a lot more than that; Men Are Singing’s performance made you feel everything.
Main photo: Neal Megaw
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