MUSIC ARTISTS - AUSTRALIA
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| Tim McKew - Later Years |
DESCRIPTION: Tim McKew is an iconic and alternative Australian cabaret performer, singer and recording artist best known for his cabaret work exploring the full spectrum of the human condition that he calls his 'Anarchic Cabaret'. McKew is also known in recent years for his coverage and interpretation of Noel Coward's musical work.
ACTIVITY STATUS: Active
ACTIVITY PERIOD: 1970's - Current
MUSIC GENRE: Anarchic Cabaret, Cabaret, Pop, Rock
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: AUSTRALIA
RECORD COMPANIES / LABELS (Current & Past): Independent, So-Ho Bo-Ho Elegant Slumming Inc.
OFFICIAL WEB SITE: https://www.timmckew.com/
ABOUT HIM:
Tim McKew began his career at the age of 10 in 1964 on Australian Television on channel 7s childrens musical variety show, Brian and The Juniors hosted by Brian Naylor, performing with likes of Jamie Redfern and Debra Byrne for 4 years till his voice broke and entered his young adolescenthood, at which point he was given shock treatment to rewire his young gay brain, didn’t work but the dye was set and his musical path was made clear, he began his journey as singer, songwriter and cabaret activist!
He was in the original 1973 Melbourne production of Jesus Christ Superstar with Marcia Hines and Jon English, then a stint as at teachers college but the performing bug went let him alone , so then teamed up with Louis Nowra playwright / lyricist and musician on clarinet and pianist composer Sarah De Jong, for a gritty Bertold Brecht styled cabaret season in 1975 at Melbourne’s Flying Trapeze Cafe run by John Pinder, other shows followed at Foibles in Carlton and then started his 7 year collaboration with pianist and arranger David Evans , his anarchic punk musical cabarets were taking off performing at The Tiger Lounge in Richmond supporting various bands and in 1978 at The Seaview Ballroom St Kilda supporting bands such as The Chosen Few, The Dots and Nick Cave and The Boys Next Door and punk events such as Rock n Roll on the Dole staged on the banks of the Yarra river gigging with Jab and Radio Birdman and at Melbourne University on the bill with The Sports and Australian Crawl,often at these gigs he would be gender bending dressed as Marauding Magda and his Rudolf Valentino character! , he traversed the punk world, art gallery world and the comedy / cabaret worlds with his shows , people couldn’t pigeon hole him, he was a chameleon!
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| Tim McKew - Early Years |
In 1979 he teamed up with violinist Henry Vyhnal from The Millionaires and Pelaco Brothers and David Evans pianist to do his performance art musical cabarets at Tolarno Galleries St Kilda under the auspice of the young gallerist William Mora, these were groundbreaking surrealist original musical cabarets, covered by Rennie Ellis photographer and by Lee Tulloch in Australian Vogue. He then took these cabarets to Sydney s Palms in Oxford Street. McKew and pianist David then took to the northern hemisphere touring, performing at The Blitz Club in London, home of New Wave and the New Romantic art music fashion movement at that time, they were also invited to lay down vocals and keyboards for the band King Crimson whilst in London. They toured extensively through the Netherlands and Germany, performing at The Paradiso Club in Amsterdam supporting the band Madness and at The Spiegeltent, also at the club Exxcess in Berlin and Cafe Schwartz and at major festivals including The Gay all Stars Festival next to Berlin Wall, Cafe Einstein and the Tuc Tuc Club in Hamburg and performing at the first Greens Party Festival in Hamburg. Through the 80s back in OZ , he staged many musical cabaret seasons in Australia, mainly in Melbourne and Sydney and along the East Coast , with singer /cabaret artiste’s Fifi L’Amour and Ruth Schoenheimer including original musical compositions and covers, from Peggy Lee to Gershwin, The Kinks and songs about power and the abuse of power.
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| Tim McKew at the Sand - Green Guide review |
In 1982, Tim McKew won an Australia Council grant to stage a large Dadaesque musical of all original compositions called An Eye for An Eye with cast including Wendy Hamer and Gina Riley at St Martins Theatre South Yarra with musicians including Geoff O’Connell and Henry Vhynal. Various shows staged throughout the 80s, at IDs in Prahran, Flying Trapeze Cafe, The Last Laugh, The Rex Hotel Port Melbourne, Prahran Tech and The Victorian Arts Centre – Amcor Lounge amongst others.
Into the 1990's, Tim McKews Cabaret Combo is formed with Peter De RyK on piano, Ivan Rosa double bass, Sonja Horbelt with various rotations of musicians, seasons in Melbourne at The Continental with The Jacques Chirac Show, The Builders Arms, Virgin Marys, The Living Museum of The West, The Czech Club, Midsumma Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival to name a few.
In 1998 - He did a month of shows in Shanghai China, doing anarchic cabaret all under the radar of The Beijing of Cultural Bureau at Eddys Tree Bar and jazz gigs at The Groove and Park 97, topped off with Tim McKew and The Shanghai Big Band at The Shanghai American Club. 2000 a brief cardiac arrest almost ended his career but a second chance at life was granted and Lazarus CD was born , Tim McKew then went to create the definitive show about the life of Noel Coward , showcasing many of cowards most beloved songs with stories and anecdotes of his life and the cd Tim McKew at The Sands was born, celebrating the musical legacy of Noel Coward , he has toured the show throughout Australia and to the states for the last 18 years , at venues including Wrest Point Casino and The Theatre Royal Hobert, The Melbourne Town Hall, The Kelvin Club and The Hotel Windsor , Chaos Cafe Adelaide, Midsumma Festival and Sydney Mardi Gras, Claires Kitchen and Le Salon Oxford Street Sydney , State Library of NSW and in 2022 musical performance and lecture at The National Gallery of Victoria.
Source: Artist Bio
VIDEO:
LINKS:
- Discogs Page - https://www.discogs.com/artist/4751032-Tim-McKew
| Parent Category Page Links: | Music Artists / Outfits - Australia |
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